Pakistan American Business Association

9302 Old Keene Mill Road, Burke, VA 22150

February 2017

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TCF’s Annual Gala

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Being Creative

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PABA Chairman

Meets PPP Leader

Contents …..

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Pakistan Brief

Issue No. 26

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Business in Fairfax

www.pabausa.org

The Pakistan American Business Association hosted a farewell reception for

Pakistan’s outgoing ambassador to the United States, Jalil Abbas Jilani, who is

returning home after completing his ambassadorial assignment in Washington.

Mr. M. Siddique Sheikh, Chairman PABA, held the reception to acknowledge

Ambassador Jilani’s contribution to promote political, cultural and social linkages

between Pakistan and the United States and his meritorious service for the Pakistani

American community to help it integrate into the greater American society.

The reception was attended by a select gathering of people, including lawmakers,

business leaders, elected officials, academia, distinguished community leaders and

PABA members.

Those who attended included Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, Ambassador of

Tajikistan Farhod Saleem, former Congressman and Chairman of the GMU Board of

Visitors Tom Davis, President GMU Dr. Ángel Cabrera, Chairman of the Fairfax

County Board of Supervisors, Sharon Bulova, Police Chief Col Edwin C. Roessler

Jr., Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr., former Congressman Jim Moody and former Con-

gressman Jim Moran.

M. Siddique Sheikh,

Chairman & Founder PABA

PABA Holds Farewell Dinner for Pakistan’s

Ambassador

Continued on Page - 4

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Congressman Rob Wittman and Congressman Thomas Garret were

represented by their chiefs of staff who read special messages to

acknowledge the contribution of PABA in promoting business link-

ages between Pakistan and the United States as well as working as a

bridge between country and state representatives and the Pakistani

American community to promote a mutual understanding of the local

and national issues.

Mr. Haroon Sheikh, a businessman and a senior PABA official,

welcomed the distinguished guests to the event, which also provided

excellent networking opportunities to the business leaders to renew

their old contacts and make fresh acquaintances.

Giving a brief introduction of PABA, Mr. Sheikh said that the associ-

ation was working for more than three decades to help and educate

individuals and start-ups. He later introduced Ambassador Jilani and

invited him to say a few words.

In his remarks, Ambassador Jilani lauded the efforts by PABA in

promoting business linkages between Pakistan and the United States

and in helping promote the true image of the motherland.

It may be mentioned here that PABA had a unique honor of being

the only representative association to celebrate Pakistan’s Independ-

ence Day at NASDAQ’s headquarters in Times Square in New

York. PABA performed the Opening Bell at the hub of global trade

in 2015 and the Closing Bell ceremony in 2016.

Speaking on behalf of Congressman Rob Wittman, Stacy

Whitehouse, recognized the contribution Mr. Sheikh was making in

facilitating a better understanding between the elected officials and

the members of the Pakistani American community.

In his message, Congressman Thomas Garrett said that the relation-

ships with Pakistan and with PABA were relationships of trust, ad-

miration and respect owing to a common goal of prosperity through

cooperation.

“PABA has been a stalwart advocate for the free market and eco-

nomic strength for over 25 years. Together, our partnerships have

enabled strong economic growth for the USA and Pakistan,” the

Congressman said.

Mr. Sheikh, in his remarks, thanked the distinguished guests for

gracing the occasion and said that their presence was a testimony to

the respect PABA enjoys within the political and business circles.

Earlier, PABA made a video presentation about its notable achieve-

ments made during the year 2016 and some exciting projects it will

support in 2017.

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The Pakistan American Business Association (PABA) was a key marketing sponsor for the New Jersey Chapter of The Citizens Foundation’s (TCF) 2016 Annual Fundraiser which took place at the E Hotel in Edison, New Jersey. The event turned out to be a great success in raising funds for a school to be built for underprivileged children in Pakistan by means of an art auction, thanks to a passionate level of community involvement. TCF is a non-profit organization with primary focus on the education for underprivileged children in Pakistan who can not afford schooling. TCF has helped in creating over 1,202 schools with a total enrollment of over 175,000 students, approximately 50% of whom are females. Furthermore, TCF offers student men-toring and career counseling services to improve students’ professional skills and enhance their business etiquette. The goal of TCF is to uplift the community through a high quality and attainable education. Founded in 2009, the New Jersey chapter strives to build one school a year through this annual fundraiser. The Pakistan Business Association (PABA), also a non-profit organization, serves as an economic bridge between Pakistan and the United States. It provides leadership training, community service, and business networking, as well as hosting business conventions and trade shows. Through these services and events, PABA hopes to achieve economic prosperity through collaboration and partnership in both Pakistan and the United States. As the Annual Fundraiser’s key marketing sponsor, PABA invited the chief guest, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, to speak on the importance of education, especially for women. PABA volunteers along with PABA Director Sajjad Qamar were also present at the event to inform guests about the benefits of PABA and its various membership plans, as well as to promote further collaboration with organizations like TCF. The collaboration of PABA and TCF helped make this event a resounding success not only in promoting both organiza-tions, but also in fundraising for the creation of the new school.

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The Citizens Foundation Holds Annual New Jersey Gala By Weimin Wang and Naveed Munir

Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi with Sajjad Qamar, PABA Director ( First from left) and PABA volunteers

Guests reading PABA Newsletter

Ms. Weimin Wang currently works at Ernst and Young LLP and holds Master’s Degree from Columbia University. She frequently volunteers for PABA events.

Naveed Munir is an Upper Sophomore at Baruch College, New York. He has a strong interest in Finance and frequently volunteers for PABA events.

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5 Steps to Become a Creative Person

Creativity is the buzzword in education and in business these days. And, for good reason. But how is it developed,

you might ask. Maybe you think creativity is something that “someone else” possesses — some scientist in a lab or an artist or musician.

Certainly, scientists and artists use creativity to do their work – but I like to believe that all of us do. And even more so – creativity is something absolutely imbedded in the very being of each of us. And, is readily available in every aspect of our lives.

So – how do I “unlock” this magic?

Step 1: I’d like for you to accept the idea that YOU have all of the powers needed to be creative. You don’t need a special education. Creative ability is part of who you are as a human.

Step 2: Begin the practice of seeing your own future in you mind’s eye. Two or three times each day, I sit comfortably in a chair, close my eyes and pretend that there is a movie screen in my mind. I then explore, quietly, things that I am working on or interested in by pro-jecting a mental image onto the movie screen.

I build all kinds of mental movies about my life. My work, my re-lationships, and my studies - this takes practice, but it’s fun. After about 10 minutes, I open my eyes and go about my daily business.

Step 3: As you practice your mental movie making, some “pictures” will begin to come back more that once. Start examin-ing these – they often provide important clues about new ideas and experiences that you are beginning to “create.”

Step 4: Exercise. Yep, that is right. Exercise. To give energy to new ideas you need extra power that exercise provides. Deep breathing works too – but the creative impulse is benefited from the energy that comes from exercise.

Step 5: Sleep. Many many scientists, artists and leaders will claim that their best ideas come in the form of dreams. Mine usually come just before I wake up. An Aha moment. Sleep has more than a physical restorative power – it has other bene-fits. One thing I recommend to my students facing a challenging exam is to outline the material in writing just before they go to sleep. Try it yourself and see if you don’t remember things better the next morning. I know that I do.

Don’t’ be afraid of “not knowing.” The truth is, in many parts of our life we often “don’t know” what to do. But it turns out that most other people don’t know either. So, what I tell my students is “make something up.” It will probably be as good as anything else – and it is certainly better than “zero.”

Creativity is fun to explore. I know that what you have to contribute creatively will be valuable to yourself and to others.

Trust yourself!

By William “Bill” Reeder

The author, William “Bill” Reeder, is Professor and Heritage

Chair, George Mason University.

We Can Do More to Promote Business Friendly Environment in Fairfax

By John C. Cook

As a small business owner and Fairfax County Supervisor, I have seen how the private sector relies on a

business-friendly environment in order to thrive. Designing smart public policy that not only grows our ex-isting businesses, but also attracts new ones, is critical to a vibrant business community and strong quality of life.

It is not a surprise that Fairfax County has eight Fortune 500 companies within its borders- more than 30 other U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Companies want to be here, and with further improvements, we can truly unleash the eco-nomic potential of our region. To do this, we need to continue developing a number of initiatives to make our county even more competitive.

As Supervisor, I have called for an enhanced strategy to help foster tourism in our county. This strategy would identify key areas in which the county can improve tourism, and help utilize the County’s existing economic resources to attract visitors from all over the globe.

Tourism is a proven economic boon to an area, as travelers purchase any number of goods and services from the area during their stay. Improving the County’s tourism sector must play a role in any strategic effort to improve the business friendliness of the County.

As many of you are also aware, vacant buildings contribute little to our county, and in many cases, provide a blight to the surrounding landscape. That is why, as a sponsor of the Fairfax County Building Repositioning Workgroup, I am working with other stakeholders to repurpose empty or obsolete building space for residential, commercial, and cultural uses.

By improving the County’s land use and regulatory policy, we can help our current businesses adopt this unused space and grow their companies. Repurposing these empty structures will also help to raise nearby property values.

Finally, one of Fairfax County’s most prized assets is its strong, vibrant, and prosperous small-business community. Much of this community consists of minority-owned businesses, which provide their own unique cultural and finan-cial contributions to the County.

It is no secret that the Pakistani community has experienced tremendous success here, and has become a major part-ner in the process of building the County’s economy. For this, I would like to congratulate the Pakistani community on its success and wish it the best of luck in the future. Ensuring continued support for groups like the Pakistani community will help the County not only grow economically, but culturally as well.

If you can think of ways to help in this economic development process, or if you think there is more we can do to

make our county more business-friendly, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by emailing brad-

dock@fairfaxcounty.gov. We can work together to make Fairfax County the model for private sector growth.

The author, John C Cook, is the Supervisor of Braddock

District of Fairfax County

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PARTNERS

Universal Air & Vacuum

Services

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PABA Chairman Discusses Pak-US Trade

Ties With Bilawal Bhutto

The Chairman of Pakistan American Business

Association, Mr. M. Siddique Sheikh met with

Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairperson of

Pakistan Peoples Party, at a social gathering in

Washington recently and exchanged views on

promoting business ties between Pakistan and

the United States.

Mr. Sheikh told the Pakistani political leader that

PABA was working for more than three decades

to build bridges between the two countries

through promoting business-to-business contact.

He said that relations between countries cannot

move forward without the involvement of their

business people.

Mr. Sheikh also informed Mr. Bilwal Bhutto about PABA’s contribution in creating

linkages between the Virgnia-based George Mason University and Pakistan’s leading

universities of NUST and Karachi University.

Mr. Bilawal Bhutto appreciated PABA’s efforts in promoting people-to-people contact

between Pakistan and the United States and assured his support. He said PPP leader

Shireen Rehman, who served as US ambassador to Pakistan during the PPP’s govern-

ment, can play a useful role in supplementing PABA’s initiatives.

Pakistani National Tahseen Sayed Appointed World

Bank Country Director

For Caribbean

Ms. Tahseen Sayed, a Pakistani nation-

al, bas been appointed as World Bank’s

Country Director for the Caribbean, in

the Latin American and Caribbean Re-

gion.

According to a press release, Ms. Tahseen

will be responsible for the sovereign na-

tions comprising the West Indies, plus Belize, in Central America, and Guyana and Surinam on

mainland South America.

In her most recent assignment, Tahseen was Country Manager for Albania. She has also the

Country Manager for Nepal in South Asia Region, where she managed a $1.2 billion portfolio.

She has deep knowledge of country programs and a track record of strong delivery and

innovation.

* Coca-Cola to Invest $200 million in Pakistan Coca-Cola will invest $200 million in Pakistan on setting up new beverage plants at Faisalabad and Islamabad areas, Atilla Yerlikaya, GM, Group Director Public Affairs and Chairman of Pakistan-Turkey Business Council, Coca Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited, said during a recent visit to Pakistan. The Company has already invested 500 million US$ during this year on the up-gradation of the existing plants in the country. He added that Coca-Cola is a leading US in-vestor in Pakistan.

* ADB to Provide $197 Million for Road Projects Pakistan signed a loan agreement for Post-Flood National Highways Rehabilitation Project with the Asian Develop-ment Bank. The total estimated cost of this project is US$ 218.8 million, out of which Asian Development Bank will provide US$ 196.9 million. Under this project, National Highway Authority will rehabilitate 212 KM roads and 33 bridges of the national highways network being affected by monsoon floods in the northern Pakistan.

* World Bank Impressed by Pakistan’s Economic Growth

Ms. Kristalina I. Georgieva, the new Chief Executive Officer of World Bank Group, paid her first visit to Pakistan last month. She met top government and finance officials and discussed ongoing and future cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank. The CEO World Bank stated that keeping in view the momentum in growth and economic pro-gress in Pakistan; the World Bank shall continue to assist Pakistan with consideration of a bigger package including the IDA, IBRD, Refugees/Crisis modalities. Dar suggested 50 % increase in IDA allocation for Pakistan as the current pro-ject profile in infrastructure, energy, social protection and regional connectivity projects was almost exhausted, from the IDA-17 pipeline. The CEO World Bank assured their positive consideration for Pakistan’s development needs and higher financial allocations.

* Pakistan’s Mari Petroleum to offer 18.3% share A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCoP) on January 27 approved the divestment of 18.3% of government holding in Mari Petroleum Company Ltd. either through the JV Partners (Fauji Foundation and OGDCL) or the domestic stock exchanges. Mari Petroleum Company Limited is one of Pakistan’s largest E&P companies, operating the country’s second largest gas reservoir at Mari Field, District Ghotki, Sindh.

* Pakistan-EU Energy Dialogue held in Brussels The first Pakistan – EU Energy Dialogue took place in Brussels in the fourth week of January. The Dialogue is part of Pakistan – EU Engagement Plan. The opening meeting held discussion on the energy situation of Pakistan and the po-tential for cooperation for viable projects to help Pakistan meet its growing demand of energy particularly through clean and renewable sources.

* Islamabad Int’l Airport to become operational in July The work on the new Islamabad International Airport is nearing completion and the new facility will be ready for oper-ation by July this year. Almost 95 percent of the work on the Airport terminal building has been completed all the other civic work would be carried out in the next two months. The facility will undergo extensive testing to conform with international standards before its inauguration that is expected in the third quarter. The new Airport will have a capacity of handling 4,500 passengers at a time with 15 docking stations where two A-380 aircrafts would be able to dock simultaneously. The new airport is being linked to Motorways M-1 & M-2 and also from main GT Road (N-5). Moreover, the airport will also have access from Islamabad Metro that will be inaugurated on 14th August, 2017.

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Pakistan Briefs

The Pakistan American Business Association was established in 1986 to bring together business people of diverse occupations, providing opportunities for them to flourish and help others grow.

Through our board, active members and leadership in the United States of American and in Pakistan, PABA has been able to achieve many successes at local, national and international level. PABA nurtures business opportuni-ties between Pakistan and the United States and enables its members to develop new businesses and promotes dialogue between Pakistani and American government officials. we have don

Local, state, national and international conventions

Job fairs for aspiring business people

Relief efforts for Katrina Hurricane and 2010 Pakistan Flood victims

International Trade Conference in Pakistan in 2004

Raised Funds for Shaukat Khanum Hospital in 1995

And much more,,,,,,,,,

PABA To Host International Trade Show in Washington D.C. Soon

Pakistan American Business Association 9302 Old Keene Mill Road Suite B Burke, VA 22015 - 4278 www.pabausa.org

What we have done

Editorial Team :

M. Siddique Sheikh

Shakeel Tufail

Augustine Anthony

Khalid Noufal

PABA AT A GLANCE