K-Electric (KE) honors organizations serving Karachi at ‘2nd KHI Awards’.

The Governor House in Karachi was host to a special celebration to honor the organizations which make Karachi a vibrant and thriving city with their social welfare contribution. The closing ceremony of K-Electric’s ‘2^nd KHI Awards’, an initiative endorsed by NEPRA and launched in collaboration with ‘I Am Karachi’ (#IAmKarachi).

With 40 winners from across 13 diverse categories – from Heritage & Culture to Sports, Social Service to Safety and more – were recognized for their efforts in driving societal change in Karachi as part of their core mission. The chief guest of the event was Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, while Chairman NEPRA Tauseef H. Farooqi, and Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Minister of State & Chairman of Board of Investment (BOI) were guests of honor for the event.

Following the pandemic, businesses across the globe were faced with increased risk and instability regardless of their size, but the utility observed that the sector most affected was the one tasked with addressing societal problems. While new initiatives primarily focused on food security, improved hygiene, and securing livelihood, many actors addressing pertinent challenges beyond these areas were left out of the mix. The KHI Awards addresses this problem by providing an equitable and impartial avenue through which winners are awarded grants of PKR 40 million in the form of rebates on electricity bills.

While highlighting the importance of Karachi, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail stated that; “Karachi’s dynamism is a key driver of national growth, and we must all play our role to continue enriching its vibrancy”.

Governor Sindh further said that; “the federal government had taken series of initiatives for the overall development of Karachi. In addition to Greenline BRT service, federal government pays special focus on development of the port city to overcome related challenges faced by the citizens”.

Appreciating the KHI Awards, Imran Ismail said; “these awards have emerged as a perfect forum for encouragement for the organizations working to uplift the society at large”.

While lauding other initiatives of the power utility he further said; “another project of K-Electric that needs to be encouraged is Roshni Baji, through which women are empowered by becoming safety ambassadors and going door to door for electrical safety awareness. other organizations to come up with similar initiatives to provide relief to the community and to bring betterment to the society”.

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Minister of State & Chairman Board of Investment (BOI) during his address at the event said; “we must appreciate K-Electric as it honors those organizations today which are playing a critical role in bringing betterment to the city and remain committed to making it more liveable and sustainable. Karachi being the economic hub of the country has tremendous potential to attract further foreign investment, improved state of the city however, remains a pre-requisite. Therefore, we need to make collective efforts to address this city’s challenges and prioritize its progress on every fronts”.

Chairman National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Tauseef H. Farooqi congratulated the winners and appreciated KE’s initiative. Addressing the audience, he said; “it is commendable to see that KE is finding innovative ways to take ownership of the communities it serves. We have to understand that creating meaningful relationships with customers and the environment is necessary to drive sustainable progress. This is why NEPRA introduced the ‘Power with Prosperity’ vision to galvanize the power sector, and we have seen sizable investment and job creation across Pakistan through CSR efforts.”

Launched in December 2021, the 2^nd edition of the awards saw hundreds of applications that were screened through an extensive and rigorous evaluation process. An independent jury of 15 members, including notable names like Shehzad Roy, Sidra Iqbal, Jehan Ara, and others, led by Saad Amanullah Khan, founder and current president of I Am Karachi’ (#IAmKarachi).

Saad Amanullah Khan, President of the KHI Awards jury, was also delighted at the event, stating; “It has been a pleasure to be part of the KHI Awards for the second year running. Not only did we receive a higher number of applications this year compared to last, the quality and innovation of the projects proposed by the applicants also demonstrate the commitment they have towards Karachi. We are very pleased to present this year’s winners who are impacting millions of people with their services and look forward to growing the KHI Awards further.”

Chief Executive Officer of K-Electric Moonis Alvi was also elated at the occasion, stating; “at KE, we believe in going beyond the provision of power to Karachi; we are committed to building great societies. For cities like Karachi, this is not a simple task and requires the contribution of hundreds of large and small organizations working around the clock. With the KHI Awards, we want to extend our support and create a platform that can lead the change in this megalopolis we call home. I am grateful to our auditors and our jury members for ensuring transparency and credibility in the process, and the Honorable Governor Sindh and Chairman NEPRA for joining us in this celebration.”

Famous Pakistani drama writer and lyricist, Anwar Maqsood also took the centre stage and enthralled the audience with his dry humor and witticism. Celebrated Pakistani pop singer Shahzad Roy who was also the jury member at 2^nd KHI Awards, rocked the events by singing a song which was composed for and dedicated to the welfare organizations operating in Karachi.

Winners of the awards also shared their excitement. Dr. Sher Shah from Zafar and Atia Foundation Charitable Trust thanked K-Electric and said; “through initiatives like KHI Awards, KE has emerged as a truly caring organization which believes in investing in social impact projects and recognizes the value of such investments for the community.” 

Ambareen Kazim Thompson CEO of SINA Health, Education and Welfare Trust which is also the winner in Public Health category shared her views by adding; “we are grateful to K-Electric for giving us special recognition and rewarding us in the form of rebates on electricity bills. The amount that we would be able to save thanks to these rebates will be further utilized in the betterment of the society and scaling up our operations.”

Anusha Fatima Founder & CEO TrashIt which is the award winning organization in Sustainability & Environment category expressed as; “through KHI Awards, not only we are offered a financial benefit associated with it but we also receive significant recognition for our work which is helpful in spreading our message across. Such initiatives are the need of the hour especially during the COVID times.”

Winner of KHI Awards 2^nd time in a row, The Citizens Foundation’s President & CEO Syed Asaad Ayub Ahmed commented; “our experience with K-Electric last year was quite friendly and smooth as the KHI Awards program is conceived with an end-to-end approach to support its winners. We are certain that ours and other winners experience will also be the same this year as well.”  

EY Ford Rhodes Chartered Accountants, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited, served as the Official Award Auditors, overseeing the process and ensuring impartiality.

About K-Electric: K-Electric (KE) is a public listed company incorporated in Pakistan in 1913 as KESC. Privatized in 2005 KE is the only vertically integrated utility in Pakistan supplying electricity within a 6500 km2 territory including Karachi and its adjoining areas. The majority shares (66.4%) of the company are listed in the PSX owned by KES Power, a consortium of investors including Aljomaih Power Limited of Saudi Arabia, National Industries Group (Holding), Kuwait, and the Infrastructure and Growth Capital Fund (IGCF). The Government of Pakistan is also a minority shareholder (24.36%) in the company.

To honor and celebrate the untiring efforts of organizations serving Karachi through their social welfare contribution, K-Electric organized 2nd KHI Awards. The winners unveiling ceremony took place in the Governor House in Karachi. The Winners of the awards are standing along with Minister of State & Chairman BOI – Mr. Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Chairman NEPRA – Tauseef H. Farooqi, and KE’s Leadership team including its CEO Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi.

Karachi’s iconic organizations celebrated at K-Electric’s KHI Awards 2021

Celebrating the untiring efforts of organizations that enable Karachi to function all year round and give it its signature ethos, Pakistan’s largest private electric supply company, K-Electric (KE) announced 34 winners across 13 different categories at the first edition of the KHI Awards. The winning organizations spanned a broad spectrum of categories, from Education to Public Health, Uplifting Communities, Inclusion, Livelihoods & Vocational Training, Heritage & Culture to Digital Accessibility & Financial Inclusion, as well as Sports and Women Empowerment. The winners were announced at a privately held ceremony with limited attendance on Saturday, April 03, 2021.

KE’s KHI Awards aim to recognize the unyielding power of all such organizations that have contributed towards the sustainable development of Karachi and adjoining areas where KE has a footprint, driving Karachi to become the Urbs Prima of Pakistan.

Commenting on the Awards via a video message, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said, “The participants and winners of these awards are an integral part of the state, as they support the government in its efforts to help the people of the city across a number of different fields including education, public health, and sustainability. I appreciate KE’s step to recognize the efforts of these NGOs and I am sure that it will be a catalyst towards bigger plans. The process was conducted with utmost transparency and impartiality, and all organizations were evaluated on their performance alone.”

Speaking on the occasion, CEO K-Electric Moonis Alvi said “KE is excited to bring the inaugural edition of the KHI Awards. Our relationship with the city extends over 107 years, and we are embedded in the fabric of Karachi. It is heartening to see so many competent and passionate organizations working at the forefront to uplift the city. These awards are KE’s humble effort to acknowledge their dedication, and are proud to extend our support in their ongoing efforts. KE is also grateful to the jury members who volunteered their time and expertise, as well as our audit partners who ensured credibility and transparency in the evaluating process.”

A diverse jury of experts – lead by Saad Amanullah Khan, founder and current President of #IAMKARACHI – evaluated the proposals for the KHI awards based on the impact of their initiatives developed and executed for Karachi or its adjoining areas within Sindh and Balochistan. All winners were chosen based on their performance, contributions, and the impact of their plans for the benefit of society which are in various stages of execution. EY Ford Rhodes Chartered Accountants, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited were the Official Award Auditors and monitored the end to end process of shortlisting and jury process against the defined parameters developed by K-Electric.

Saad Amanullah, chair of the KHI Awards Jury, also appreciated the efforts of the winners, saying “We had an overwhelming number of entries to choose from for our first edition. The winners have been instrumental in making a tremendous impact on the city, and their total asset base stands at over PKR 54 billion, which is the welfare investment these organizations are making to drive progress in Pakistan and it’s largest metropolitan city. KE’s decision to honor these organizations and empower them on their journey is commendable.”

The ceremony was organized at KE’s headquarters, in strict compliance with safety SOPs. Attendance was limited to the leads of the award-winning organizations and key KE team members. All winners were given specified individual slots to prevent crowding at the venue. Celebrity guests Sidra Iqbal and Dino Ali hosted the event and the awards were presented while maintaining social distancing protocols.

Each winner was selected for the efficacy of its project and the manner in which it was executed during the agreed time and within the allocated budgets. The selected organizations perfectly demonstrate the best practice examples of urban innovation in the city and focus was given to the use of technology and mobile solutions.

The 34 winners include well-loved Karachi behemoths as well as up and coming organizations whose efforts continue to improve the lives of the citizens of Karachi. Recipients included the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, which has worked decades for the betterment and inclusion of leprosy patients, and organizations such as the Kiran Foundation, and The Citizen’s Foundation who work for economic empowerment for women in need. Similarly, Hunar Foundation was also recognized for its efforts to provide vocational training for the promotion of small business creation. Winners have been awarded their prize in the form of electricity bill rebate, ranging from PKR 250,000 to 5 Million.

List of Categories and Winners are;

ABOUT K-Electric: KESC was established on September 13, 1913 to meet the power needs of Karachi. The company was nationalized in 1952 and privatized in 2005, which has catalyzed a transformation in its operations. The last 15 years have ushered in a new age for Karachi, its surrounding areas, and the organization itself. New strategies have been introduced at every level focused on value creation for customers. As a result, the company posted a profit after 17 years of accumulated losses in 2011-2012. In 2014, the company was rebranded from KESC to K-Electric. With an eye on the future, KE aims to become a regional leader among utilities and an example of global excellence in energy provision and management.

KE is the only vertically integrated power utility in Pakistan, with 5 power plants and 30 Customer Care Centers catering to over 2.9 million consumers across a 6500 square kilometer area including Karachi and Uthal, Bela, and Vinder in Balochistan. KE has invested over USD 3.5 billion across the value chain since privatization in 2005 and has investment plans of approximately USD 1.5 billion from FY21 to FY23.

Chief Executive Officer K-Electric Moonis Alvi, Chief Marketing & Communication Officer K-Electric Sadia Dada, Chief Financial Officer K-Electric Muhammad Aamir Ghaziani and President #IAMKARACHI Saad Amanullah presenting trophies to some of the winners of KE’s KHI Awards in the categories of Heritage and Culture, Public Health and Women’s Empowerment.

International Public Art Festival (IPAF 2020) Season II – ‘Karachi Ki Khoj: [Re]defining the metropolis’ to held from 07th February 2020.

I Am Karachi (IAK) announced the launch of ‘International Public Art Festival (IPAF 2020) Season II’, which is to be held at NED University’s City Campus located next to DJ Science College. This exhibition will be held from 07^th February 2020 and will go on till 16^th February 2020. Timings of this exhibition will be from 06:00 pm in the evening till 10:00 pm. This event is free and open to all. This announcement was made at IPAF 2020 press conference. Title of this year’s exhibition is ‘Karachi ki khoj’ – ‘[Re] defining the metropolis’.

Press conference of IPAF 2020 Season II was addressed by CM Sindh’s Law Advisor Mr. Murtaza Wahab, President Arts Council Karachi Mr. Ahmad Shah, President I Am Karachi (IAK) Mr. Amin Hashwani, Executive Director I Am Karachi (IAK) Ms Ambareen Thompson and members of IPAF.

Mr. Murtaza Wahab praised the efforts of I Am Karachi and the works they are doing around the city. He said the role of civil society is always very important for the city and he and his government would support the IPAF initiative and all positive activities undertaken by I Am Karachi.

Mr. Ahmad Shah said as a founder member of I Am Karachi, he was proud of the work the society had been doing and creating of a local art festival in Karachi was commendable. He looked forward to its opening on the 07^th of February and also to felicitating all the participating artist and musicians.

Amin Hashwani and Ambareen Thompson outlined the vision of I Am Karachi and the importance of reclaiming public spaces and creating positive narratives for healthy activities as well as the integration of all communities in the society. Using art, culture, music & sports was neutral avenue that United more people and also painted a positive soft image of our beloved city Karachi and of Pakistan.

ABOUT IPAF: IPAF 2020 has integrated more ideas and programs and is increasing outreach. IPAF has brought this city one of the world’s tallest murals in the world, which was designed and curated by Italian Artist Pepe Gaka. IPAF also has to its credit a 7 week cultural fellowship program for 40 young students and professionals representing over 10 different ethnicities from across the city. This 7 week program was held from 20th December till 02nd February. These future planners, engineers, architects, thinkers were exposed to an extensive program of cultural management, business start-ups, organizing festivals, research and sustainability issues.

IPAF 2020 – Season II will include activities like artwork/installation display, poster presentation, short film screenings, photography exhibition, workshops on different subject / topics, of Karachi’s Cultural Heritage. The festival also includes panel discussion, book readings, poetry recitation, round table discussions, indigenous cultural performances and musical performances.

ABOUT I AM KARACHI: I Am Karachi (IAK) has taken on-board 25 schools from the city for cultural heritage tours. A tour guide accompanies school children and staff of the tours which begins at Quaid-e-Azam House Museum in the morning to St. Patrick’s Church, Swami Narayan Mandir, Gurdwara at Light House, Memon Masjid, KPT Archival Museum, State Bank Museum and finally ends at National Museum.

World’s tallest mural by a single artist ‘Rising Blue’ unveiled at Centrepoint Tower.

A 286.67 feet tall public art mural made by Italian artist Giuseppe Percivati called ‘Rising Blue’ was unveiled at Centrepoint on Saturday evening. This unveiling was done by panel of distinguished dignitaries including Jameel Yusuf Ahmed Chairman TPL Properties, Amin Hashwani President I Am Karachi (IAK), Anna Rufihno Italian Consul-General for Karachi, Giuseppe Percivati (aka Pepe Gaka) Artist of this mural, Maqbool H. H. Rahimtoola Chairman Berger Paints Pakistan, Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar Chairman Karachi Port Trust, Ambareen Thompson Executive Director I Am Karachi (IAK) and many others.

This mural is part of the project that is an initiative of the International Public Art Festival (IPAF) under I AM Karachi (IAK), in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy, TPL Corp and Berger Paints. This mural in on Centrepoint a property owned by TPL Properties (TPL Corp) is ideally located at the end of Shaheed-e-Millat Expressway near Qayyumabad. What makes it ideal, is its proximity to best industrial area of Karachi i.e. Korangi Industrial Area along-with premier residential locality of Karachi by the name of DHA.

Formal proceeding of this unveiling event started off with Mr. Jameel Yusuf Ahmed Chairman TPL Properties welcoming all the guests at this unveiling ceremony. He specially thanked Italian Consulate, Berger Paints, the artist Mr. Giuseppe Percivati and the support staff at Centrepoint for making this record breaking feat possible. He said; “Pepe Gakka worked tirelessly from dawn till 06:30 in the evening to complete this mural”.

chairman of International Public Art Festival (IPAF) Mr. Jameel Yusuf Ahmed said; “this mural traces the stunning coastline of Karachi and the mangroves which supports Pakistan’s eco-system and also is a breeding ground for marine life and birds. It depicts the rise of a nation, of a voice, of the awakening of a conscience of climate change. It is also symbolic of us as a nation: how we keep rising despite our setbacks”.

He also went on to inform that; “the ‘red dot’ on the top of the mural, dates back to Britain’s greatest art rivalry during the 18^th century between the nation’s two most renowned painters Joseph Mallord William Turner and John Constable”.

John Constable’s painting “The Opening of Waterloo Bridge” was hung alongside Turner’s latest seascape. The surface of Constable’s painting stood out, leaving its rival Joseph Mallord William Turner in the shadow. Turner retaliated by painting a red dot in the middle of his green sea, changing the entire composition. Suddenly it looked a lot more exciting, experimental and set alight by red in a moment of pure painterly freedom. Turner’s historical red dot had profound influence on the birth of modern art – the concept of ‘less is more.’ Interestingly the red dot also represents the logo of Centrepoint.

Mr. Amin Hashwani President I Am Karachi (IAK) spoke about reclaiming Karachi’s heritage and said that; “we with our IAK initiative are trying best reclaiming Karachi long lost heritage. We are paining the walls and old buildings to attract normal citizens. We have painted more than 5000 spaces and we also have organized musical concerts at various sites one of them being Port Grand. We are trying our best but we would need more from corporate sector and from public sector”.

Ms. Anna Rufihno Italian Consul-General for Karachi spoke about; “mural being a message of peace and friendship and this mural is also a cry of alarm for mangroves and ecosystems of Karachi. With the subject was the conservation of mangroves in Pakistan especially along the coast of Sindh, which was why it was a great gift to Karachi.

She thanked the Italian Artist Giuseppe Percivati (aka Pepe Gakka) for his tireless efforts and informed that “this talented artist had worked in Karachi before at IPAF and also worked in several other countries such as the US, Portugal, Australia and Japan”. She further thanked and also Etihad Airways for arranging transportation and finally to event organizers I Am Karachi for doing valuable work for the city. “Italian Consulate will continue to help I Am Karachi as it has done before”. She concluded.

Mr. Giuseppe Percivati (aka Pepe Gaka) is a mural artist from Italy. His work includes depictions of the relationship between human beings and nature, creating pieces that are in harmony with their surroundings. He said; “this project took about nine days to paint but months for preparation. He first came in July to find a location and as soon as he saw the TPL Tower (Centrepoint) he thought of it as the perfect place.”

He thanked the people behind the project, especially Jameel Yusuf Ahmed chairman IPAF, Ambareen Thompson Executive Director (IAK) and Amin Hashwani President (IAK) for lending their support to him. She specially thanked the support staff at Centrepoint for taking care of day to day needs. Pepe Gakka also mentioned the terrific support and co-ordination from Italian Consulate and his travel sponsor Etihad Airways.

He said; “Karachi is a beautiful city but has been neglected a bit. It’s called the City of Lights but sometimes it’s more like a city of dust. People of Karachi are beautiful. The city can be as beautiful as Milan, Rome or London. I cannot take all the credit for the mural because a lot of people are involved and I would love to do more project like this one”.

Maqbool H. H. Rahimtoola Chairman Berger Paints Pakistan said; “he was honoured to be a part of this record breaking mural. He said this project has been completed with ‘Berger Weather Shield’ paint which can surely withstand extreme weather conditions.

Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar Chairman Karachi Port Trust said; “I Am Karachi (IAK) is doing an extraordinary work for this city and I am proud to be a part of this initiative”. He announced that; “we are embarking upon another project of similar scale, details of which will be announced within next three months and I am sure that this upcoming project will be bring tremendous happiness to residents of that locality but also for the visitors”. He pledged to give a blank cheque to the organizers for this project”.

Ambareen Thompson Executive Director I Am Karachi (IAK) said; “my team and I have been working tirelessly for past four years to change city’s narrative and it seems now that we are getting some level of success here. We are working to create a soft image of our city Karachi and I would request everyone for come forward and support us as you can, be it moral, physical or financial support”.

Ambareen Thompson announced that the International Public Art Festival (IPAF 2020) will be held at the NED University of Engineering & Technology from 07^th February 2020 ~ 13^th February 2020.

After the final speech from Ambareen Thompson, shields were distributed among the stake holders of this mural after which they proceeded towards plaque for declaring the mural officially open.