Pakistani coworking operator Colabs eyes Middle East, Africa expansion 

People can be seen working at a coworking space built by Colabs in Lahore, Pakistan, in this photo shared by the Pakistani startup on October 25, 2021. (Photo courtesy: Colabs)
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Updated 26 October 2021
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Pakistani coworking operator Colabs eyes Middle East, Africa expansion 

  • Brainchild of brothers Ali and Omar Shah, Colabs plans to build community of 100,000 entrepreneurs in seven years
  • Backed by Swedish E-commerce giant Bangerhead, the Colabs mission is to “redefine the future of work in Pakistan”

KARACHI: Colabs, a Lahore-based shared workplace startup, has plans to expand its footprint beyond Pakistan in the next two years and has its eyes set on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the company’s cofounder said this week.
Coworking operators around the world usually rent out property space which hordes of self-employed persons or companies then share, amid a growing belief that shared spaces deliver greater synergies by driving up innovation and productivity.
Backed by Swedish E-commerce giant Bangerhead, Pakistani firm Colabs says it wants to “redefine the future of work in Pakistan” and create a community of 100,000 entrepreneurs across the country within seven years. It has set a 5,000-seat target in the next 18 months and aims for 10,000 seats over the next two years.
Colabs offers seats to individuals and companies on a rental basis to work and organize workshops or seminars in a complete office environment The Colabs community currently has 1,000 seats and services over 100 companies across multiple facilities in Pakistan. Sixty percent of the firm’s co-working space is occupied by tech companies. Users include a mix of freelancers, startups, small and medium enterprises and multinational corporations, including Rocket Internet, Patari, SadaPay, 10pearls, USAID, OMD and Coca Cola.
“We have created co-working space with 1,000 seats for over 100 companies since the launch of Colabs in 2019 and target creating 100,000 seats across the country,” CEO and cofounder Omar Shah, who established the company with his twin brother Ali, said in an exclusive interview with Arab News.
“Funding will be raised for targeted 4,000 seats within the next 18 months across Pakistan, including 1,000 each in Karachi and Islamabad, before starting overseas operations,” Omar said, without divulging how much funding would be required for the expansion.




People can be seen working at a coworking space built by Colabs in Lahore, Pakistan, in this photo shared by the Pakistani startup on October 25, 2021. (Photo courtesy: Colabs) 

Shah, who has around sevens years of work experience as a private equity and venture capital investor in Dubai, with a focus on emerging markets like Mexico, UAE, Turkey, and Pakistan, wants his startup to act as a “gateway” for foreign investment into Pakistan.
“We are projecting Colabs as a gateway to Pakistan by enabling international companies to enter and accelerate growth in the Pakistani market,” Shah said. “Young startups mainly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region want access to Pakistan.”
The startup is eyeing the MENA region, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to set up its overseas operations after achieving a 5,000-seat target in Pakistan.
“Companies come to us and ask for setting up offices, hiring and managing teams, including their payroll… in this scenario international expansion is in our plan and we will go to other markets,” he said. “Within two years, we would like to enter other markets, for example Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.”
The demand for co-working spaces was increasing with the growth of startups and freelancers, and they would replicate the same co-working space model in other countries, the Colabs CEO said.
“Such space in Pakistan is limited roughly to around 8,000 to 9,000 seats, but in neighboring India, such seats are available to the tune of 250,000-300,000,” he said.
Shah said Colabs needed 5 million square feet of space to meet its goal of 100,000 seats, which was easily available across Pakistan.




In this undated photo, the logo for Colabs, a Pakistan coworking space operator, is seen on the company's headquarters in Lahore, Pakistan (Photo courtesy: Colabs)

Earlier this month, Abdul Razak Dawood, adviser for commerce and investment to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, said the country’s startups had set a record by raising $305 million during January and September 2021.
A group of young startups have made splashy funding announcements in recent weeks.
Quick-commerce startup Airlift unveiled a record $85 million Series B round last month, followed by business-to-business (B2B) venture Bazaar’s record $30 million Series A round. Last month, Tag, a one-year-old Pakistani startup that offers banking and financial services, raised over $12 million in what is now the largest seed financing round in Pakistan, and Oraan raised $3 million in the largest seed funding closed by a women-led startup in the country.
“India was the hub, where global investors were sitting for over a decade but in Pakistan people for the first time are coming to invest, including institutional and venture capitals,” Shah said.
However, he warned:
“Everyone is bullish on Pakistan today and we need to be very vigilant about the utilization of foreign funds that must not be wrongly utilized in the absence of a governance structure.”


Texas hedge fund manager close to Trump leads investment delegation to Pakistan— state media

Updated 28 January 2025
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Texas hedge fund manager close to Trump leads investment delegation to Pakistan— state media

  • Gentry Beach is leading “high-level” investment delegation on two-day visit to Pakistan, says state media
  • State broadcaster says several agreements between Pakistan and US were signed during delegation’s visit

Islamabad: A high-level delegation of American investors featuring a business partner of US President Donald Trump has arrived in Pakistan, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday, adding that several agreements between the two countries were signed. 

The delegation, led by Texas hedge fund manager Gentry Beach, has arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit to the country. Pakistani state media said that the delegation’s arrival days after the new American administration taking office is of “great importance.”
“The visit of the US delegation to Pakistan will open new avenues for investment, economic and bilateral relations between the two countries,” Radio Pakistan said. 
The development takes place as cash-strapped Pakistan engages with countries to secure foreign investment in its key economic sectors such as energy, agriculture, mining and minerals, livestock and others. 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has sought increased foreign trade and investment as a remedy to Pakistan’s economic woes. Pakistan, which came to the brink of a sovereign default in 2023, has suffered from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that has drained its economic resources, weakened its currency and exacerbated its balance of payments crisis. 
The South Asian country had a flurry of high-level exchanges with Saudi Arabia, Japan, Azerbaijan, Qatar and Central Asian countries last year in a bid to support its $350 billion fragile economy.
Islamabad formed a hybrid civil-military investment body in June 2023 to fast-track decisions related to investment in Pakistan’s key economic sectors. The government credits the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) for aiding its efforts to turn Pakistan’s economy around and increasing its exports over the past year-and-a-half. 
However, ties between Pakistan and the US have always remained complicated. Both countries shared close defense and security cooperation in the past, particularly during the Cold War after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and post-September 11, 2001 attacks.
However, more recently, US officials criticized Pakistan for not sufficiently supporting their military efforts against the Taliban following the 9/11 attacks. Islamabad denies sheltering Taliban fighters and helping them regain control of Afghanistan in August 2021.


Pakistan Navy’s ‘Yamama’ holds bilateral exercise with Saudi ship in Jeddah

Updated 28 January 2025
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Pakistan Navy’s ‘Yamama’ holds bilateral exercise with Saudi ship in Jeddah

  • Navy says exercise aimed to strengthen naval cooperation and enhance interoperability between the two allies
  • Ship’s crew held table-top discussions on maritime issues with Saudi naval leadership, says Pakistan Navy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy said its newly commissioned Yamama ship visited Jeddah on Tuesday where it met the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) leadership and held a passage exercise (PASSEX) with the Kingdom’s ‘Makkah’ ship, saying the activities were designed to strengthen cooperation and foster interoperability. 

Yamama is Pakistan Navy’s fourth Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) that it says is equipped with advanced technologies and designed to operate in contested maritime environments. Upon its arrival at Jeddah port, the ship was received by senior RSNF officials and representatives from the Pakistan Embassy, the navy said. 

During its stay, the ship’s crew engaged in professional activities, including cross-ship visits, table-top discussions on maritime issues and meetings with the RSNF leadership. 

“Following the port visit, PNS YAMAMA conducted a PASSEX with HMS Makkah,” Pakistan Navy said. “The exercise was designed to strengthen naval cooperation and enhance interoperability between the two navies. Both forces reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring maritime security and promoting regional stability.”

The statement said Yamama’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the passage exercise further reinforced “strong brotherly relations” and defense collaboration between the two countries. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong defense ties and bilateral security cooperation. The two nations regularly engage in joint air, ground and sea military exercises while several cadets from the Kingdom, along with counterparts from other Middle Eastern nations, annually visit Pakistan to undergo specialized military training.

Apart from defense and security ties, Pakistan enjoys strong economic and trade relations with Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is home to over two million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top source of remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.


Experts say Washington’s move to suspend foreign aid won’t impact Pakistan significantly

Updated 28 January 2025
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Experts say Washington’s move to suspend foreign aid won’t impact Pakistan significantly

  • US last week paused all foreign assistance to countries, saying will review if they are consistent with foreign policy
  • Washington has invested in Pakistan’s critical energy, economic development and agriculture sectors over the years

KARACHI: Pakistani economists and former diplomats on Tuesday brushed aside the new American administration’s decision to suspend foreign assistance for countries around the world including Pakistan, saying it will not have a significant impact on the South Asian country and could even force Islamabad to undertake much-needed economic reforms. 

US State Department confirmed on Sunday that Washington has paused all US foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID), adding that America would review all foreign assistance programs to ensure if they are efficient and consistent with US foreign policy.

The program affects all recipient countries, including Pakistan, where numerous US-funded programs are currently in progress. For over 70 years, the US-Pakistan development partnership has been instrumental in supporting sectors such as energy, economy, agriculture, education and health. The South Asian country has been grappling with an economic crisis that in 2023 almost pushed it toward a sovereign default. 

Washington has invested over $205 million in Pakistan’s energy sector, as per USAID’s website and has also provided assistance to economic development programs such as the Investment Promotion Activity ($16.8 million) and the Pakistan Private Investment Initiative ($43.5 million), aimed at enhancing Pakistan’s business climate and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

“I’m not sure if the suspension of aid will be very harmful because the real harm to the economy is coming from our own policy governance,” Kaiser Bengali, a leading Pakistani economist, told Arab News. 

“On the whole at the macro level, we have seen that in the last 40 years, foreign assistance has not contributed to the economy.”

Bengali said Pakistan’s current economic issues were largely self-created.

“We have created this deficit, balance of trade, balance of payments [crisis],” he said. “We have created a huge debt burden, borrowing loan after loan for the past thirty years and not investing debt funds to increase the productivity of the economy.” 

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the government on finance, did not respond to Arab News’ request for comment. Pakistan’s foreign officer spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said he would address the queries during the foreign office’s weekly press briefing.

Zamir Akram, a former Pakistani ambassador, agreed with Bengali. He said Washington’s assistance to Pakistan is “limited” and its overall impact on the country’s economy is “negligible.”

“Since the US assistance for Pakistan is less and its funding is very low, it doesn’t have great impact,” Akram told Arab News. “We don’t know the amount of project-based assistance but its overall national assistance for Pakistan is negligent. So that’s why it won’t make any impact.”

However, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, founder and president of Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), emphasized that the suspension could have significant consequences for Pakistan’s civil society and development sectors. 

Mehboob said an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people were working in organizations working to protect democracy and human rights in Pakistan.

“If funding is halted in the future, not only will thousands be left unemployed but governance and human rights work will also be severely affected,” Mehboob told Arab News. 

However, he cited India’s example where civil rights groups grew indigenously, saying that they began receiving minimal foreign funding much later. 

“Sincere people will continue their work using local resources,” he said. 

Bengali said there might be a silver lining to the suspension of foreign assistance, adding that it may prompt Pakistan to seek local solutions and implement necessary reforms.

“If the entire world stopped funding Pakistan, that would actually be a big favor to the country,” Bengali said. “It would force us to make the necessary reforms and find our own solutions.”


Pakistan says ‘long’ Hajj package under government scheme to cost $3,805

Updated 28 January 2025
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Pakistan says ‘long’ Hajj package under government scheme to cost $3,805

  • Long and short Hajj packages prices to cost $3,847 and $4,124, respectively, religion ministry says
  • Pakistan introduced 20-25 day duration Hajj program for pilgrims’ convenience for first time this year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion ministry announced the final cost of the government’s long and short duration Hajj packages, saying that the former will cost Rs1,075,000 ($3,805) per head while the cost for the shorter duration has been set at Rs1,150,000 ($4,120). 
Saudi Arabia has allocated a quota of 179,210 Hajj pilgrims for Pakistan in 2025, with an equal split between the government and private schemes. Pakistan last year set the same cost for Hajj 2024 under the government scheme. 
Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) this month said the government had introduced a “shortened” Hajj program of 20 to 25 days for the first time which would make the journey easier and more accessible for Pakistani pilgrims. Pakistan’s Hajj Policy 2025 also allows pilgrims to pay for the pilgrimage in installments for the first time ever.
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced the final Hajj package prices,” the religion ministry said. “The final price of the long Hajj package has been set at Rs10,75,000 while the short Hajj package has been set at Rs11,50,000.”
 The statement added that the third installment of Hajj dues will be collected from Feb. 1-10.
It said limited seats were left for the government’s Hajj scheme, adding that its applications would be accepted until Jan. 30. The statement also mentioned that bookings for the short Hajj scheme had now been filled. 
“New applications will be accepted on a first-come first-serve basis until Jan. 30,” it added. “Private Hajj pilgrims can continue booking until Jan. 31.”
The ministry also advised Hajj organizing companies to immediately upload the data of private pilgrims to the government’s e-portal.
The ministry has also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to guide pilgrims. Additionally, the government announced a reduction in airfare, lowering ticket prices for federal program pilgrims to Rs 220,000, down from last year’s Rs 234,000.
Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and private carriers have agreed to transport pilgrims this year.


Pakistani journalists rally against law regulating social media

Updated 28 January 2025
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Pakistani journalists rally against law regulating social media

  • Proposed law contains three-year prison sentence, $7,200 fine for sharing fake news
  • Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists say law is a “direct attack” on freedom of the press

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of Pakistani journalists rallied on Tuesday against a proposed law to regulate social media content that they say is aimed at curbing press freedom and controlling the digital landscape.
The law would establish a regulatory authority that would have its own investigation agency and tribunals. Those found to have disseminated false or fake information face prison sentences of up to three years and fines of 2 million rupees ($7,200).
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists led rallies in cities including Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, to demand the government withdraws the bill, which has been passed by parliament but has yet to be signed into law by the president.
“It is a direct attack on press freedom,” PFUJ President Afzal Butt said at the rally in Islamabad, before police blocked him and other protesters from marching toward the Red Zone, which houses the prime minister’s secretariat, parliament and diplomatic offices.

Pakistani journalists take part in a protest rally in Islamabad on January 28, 2025, to condemn a controversial ‘Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act’ bill passed by parliament that critics argue is designed to suppress freedom of speech. (AP)

“Our movement will continue until the law is revoked.”
Digital media in Pakistan has already been muffled with measures by telecom authorities to slow down Internet speeds, and social media platform X has been blocked for more than a year.
Reporters Without Borders, an organization that defends press freedom, ranked Pakistan at number 152 out of 180 on its 2024 world Press Freedom Index. The group also says Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work.

Pakistani journalists take part in a protest rally in Islamabad on January 28, 2025, to condemn a controversial ‘Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act’ bill passed by parliament that critics argue is designed to suppress freedom of speech. (AP)

Parliament passed the amendments to the law known as Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act last week.
The government has defended the new regulations, saying the law is being introduced to block fake and false news.