wow.. it looked pathetic in the beginning but after seeing so many nice pics of it, i think it doesn't luk bad..

Now that is one sexy looking interior they got going minus the boring exterior. It certainly is starting to look nice....may be I need to see it for myself. I think the hotel building will benefit the entire infrastructure of this complex and it need to be soon their. I am keeping my fingers crossed and thanks S.H. One heck of a job you did there. Thanks man.

Pics taken by me yesterday. Education & Book Fair Exhibition 4th - 6th Feb 2011

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06360.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06361.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06363.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06364.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06365.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06366.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af197/stronghearted87/DSC06367.jpg

Nice pics...:okay:


How was the exhibition???

It was great!

edit

edit

Lahore International Book Fair: Visa delays cast a shadow on Fair

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/329484-books-1327955108-155-640x480.jpg
" Last year the Punjab govt had announced funds for the book fair which were never received. This year they did not even allocate funds," Lahore International Book Fair Trust chairman Zubair Saeed.

With the 26th Lahore International Book Fair just days away organisers are worried that more than 20 foreign publishers are still waiting for their visas.

Lahore International Book Fair Trust chairman Zubair Saeed told The Express Tribune that 240 stalls would be set up this year. However, Saeed was anxious about the foreign publishers whose visas have not come through as yet.

“Those publishers have already booked their stalls,” Saeed said adding that most of the publishers facing visa problems were from India. He said 24 foreign publishers had still not been issued visas and the fair would begin on February 3.

“Visa problems are a huge cause of discouragement for foreign publishers,” he said. Saeed added that foreigners were already reluctant to come to Pakistan. “Even if a few do show interest, we make it difficult for them with visa issues,” he said. With publishers from Turkey, India, the US and the UK already having booked their stalls at the book fair, Saeed hoped the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Commerce would look into the matter. “We have tried to engage the relevant ministries from our end,” he said adding, “let’s hope we get a positive response before the book fair ends.”

The Book Fair chairman said the Punjab govt had ‘facilitated but not in financial terms’. Last year, Saeed said, the Punjab govt had announced funds for the book fair which were never received. “This year they did not even allocate funds.”

Making it to the Book Fair for the past 10 years, Ameena Saiyid, managing director at the Oxford University Press (OUP), said the OUP would also be participating this year. Speaking with The Express Tribune, Saiyid said it was encouraging to see the frequency of these events increase “not only in Lahore but also in Karachi”.

She said allocation of funds, public campaigns and even subsidising of advertisement could be ways the government could help the organisers. Having recently organised the Children’s Literature Festival in Lahore, Saiyid said there was a need to engage with leading literary figures of the country to make such events successful. Stressing the need to ease visa policy for foreign publishers, Saiyid said such measures could help attract more foreign publishers to local literary events.

The Book Fair, the theme for which is Education for All; Books for Peace, has attracted publishers from all over Pakistan. With the greatest number of stalls booked from Lahore, Saeed said the response from the host city was very encouraging. The book fair will also host the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Punjab Textbook Board which will include art and calligraphy competitions for school children. “The aim is to engage children and promote their artistic skills through learning’,” said Saeed. More than 10,000 children participated in the book fair last year. The organisers hope for an even larger turnout this year.

Readings book store, which has 27 stalls at the Book Fair, has been participating in the event for the past five years. Speaking with The Express Tribune, Rao Abid, a manager at Readings, said book fairs were beneficial not just for the buyers but also for the book sellers.

“With hundreds of publishers under one roof, there is immense competition,” he said adding, “for book sellers, it’s an opportunity to expand their sales.”
Saeed said the Lahore International Book Fair had come a long way. “Two years ago we hosted the book fair in tents at Fortress Stadium, now we are arranging a huge event at the Expo Centre.” Aiming to plan the next book fair on a larger scale, Saeed said the organisers hoped to organise literary sessions alongside the fair next year.

Saeed hopes such events will help promote reading habits amongst children and adults. “We have to bring our people back to books,” he said. The Lahore International Book Fair will begin on February 3 and will continue till February 7 at the Lahore Expo Centre.

Int’l fair on March 10-12 in Lahore

More than 200 exhibitors from 15 countries and over 30,000 high-profile quality trade visitors are expected to participate in Build Pakistan 2012-international construction materials, property, furniture, stone and technology exhibition and conference.

The event will be held at the Expo Centre Lahore from March 10-12 and this will set a benchmark to the exhibitors by providing field to meet the needs of its consumers and aims to focus on the immense potential of the building and construction industry in Pakistan.

Lahore Expo Center - Website (http://www.expolahore.com/new/index.php?mode=welcome)

Upcoming events at Lahore Expo Center (http://www.expolahore.com/new/index.php?mod=events_info/upcoming_events)

When are they going to build the tower???

^^

No plan yet...

Lahore International Book Fair opens tomorrow

The 26th Annual Lahore International Book Fair will be open for all from February 3 to 7.

Lahore International Book Fair Trust (LIBFT) and the Pankistan Publishers and Booksellers Association (PPBA) are conducting the event. Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif will inaugurate the event on Friday. The 26th edition of the book fair will be the largest event of its kind in Pakistan and will feature publishers and booksellers from across Pakistan as well as USA, UK, Singapore, Turkey, Germany and India. Punjab Textbook Board will also be marking its 50th anniversary by organising various competitions such as speech, painting and essay-writing. On this occasion, the Deutsche Welle radio and TV will launch their official Urdu website for Deutsche Welle Urdu Service. Deutsche Welle has been a participant of the book fair since last year and to participate in the 26th edition of the event and launch the website, a high-level delegation of Deutsche Welle is arriving from Germany.

Books galore: Lahore International Book Fair opens its doors

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/331602-book-1328295320-399-640x480.jpg

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/331602-book-1328295279-252-640x480.jpg

20 out of 24 Indian publishers given 10-day visa.

Intolerance is the biggest ill facing our society today and the surest antidote are books, said Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif addressing the inauguration ceremony of the 26th Lahore International Book Fair held here at the Lahore Expo Centre on Friday. “No one makes money selling books here” said Lahore International Book Fair Trust (LIBFT) general secretary Najam Sethi at the ceremony. Calling it a public service, Sethi said the aim of such book fairs was to promote the habit of reading.

Appreciating the theme of the Fair – Education for all; Books for Peace – the CM said the country could progress by promoting such themes. “Through education we can eradicate the vices in our society,” he said. The CM inaugurated the Fair by cutting a cake and later announced a grant of Rs2 million for the LIBFT. With hopes of expanding the Fair in the coming years, Sethi said there was a need to focus on ‘knowledge based’ education.

Speaking with The Express Tribune, LIBFT chairman Zubair Saeed said that on Friday they had received a notification from the Interior Ministry granting a ten day visa to 20 out of the 24 Indian publishers who had booked stalls at the Fair. He said three of them had arrived on Friday and six more were expected on Saturday to participate in the Fair. Saeed thanked the chief minister for the grant and hoped that the previous years’ grant of Rs0.5 million would also be given to them.

The 26th LIBF touted to be the largest in the events’ history with 240 stalls. Book sellers and publishers from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore are represented along with publishers from India, the US, the UK and Germany, educational institutes including the University of Central Punjab, the University of Lahore, Forman Christian College, the Superior Group of Colleges and PAK AIMS.

‘I think of the LIBF as more of an education fair, said Firdevs Dinc, the vice principal of the Pak-Turk International School Girls Campus. Dinc, a Turkish national who has been in Pakistan for almost six years, said interaction between book publishers and educational institutes was vital. Pak-Turk School students were holding a science fair at more than 10 stalls. Dinc said the aim was to promote co-curricular activities among students besides reading.

Owner of the Book Club, Atif Niazi, said he hoped to gain publicity for his business through the Fair. “Our business is mobile,” said Niazi explaining that they had not established an outlet and ‘books were sold on wheels’. Started two years back, the Book Club, which deals in used books, is participating in the LIBF for the first time. Niazi said organisers need to publicise the event better.

“Last year we missed the chance be part of the event as we found out about it too late,” he said adding “this time we were in constant contact with the organisers.”

Department of Libraries head Chaudhary Mohammad Nazeer blamed the lack of facilities in libraries for the decreasing trend of reading. Nazeer, who was buying books for the National Library in Islamabad, said with students relying on just textbooks for learning, the reading habit was fast dying. Nazeer said local books were not subsidised and were expensive. “Foreign books are even more expensive so they can only be accessed through libraries,” he added.

Multi-line Books chief executive Zubair Khalid said they had been participating in the exhibition for several years. Established in 1988, Multi-line books had booked 12 stalls displaying books ranging from Rs100 to Rs200,000. Khalid said they were the official distributors of the Indian publishers, Anmol. “The Indian market is very large,” he said adding that books printed in India were affordable. “People come here for lower prices. We have to facilitate them.” he added.

Coming back to the LIBF for the fifth year, Liberty Books senior manager Francis DeSouza said that book fairs were very beneficial for the book sellers and readers. Liberty Books had booked 16 stalls displaying books on a wide variety of topics. “Since Liberty Books does not have an outlet in Lahore, the LIBF allows us to interact with book readers and buyers,” DeSouza said. DeSouza held the view that reading had increased over the years.

“No matter how much we read on the internet, a person will always come back to a book,” said Farooq Mughal, executive assistant at Newsweek Pakistan. Newsweek Pakistan is participating in the Fair for the first time.

Mughal hoped book fairs would encourage people to read. Mughal, however, felt that the Fair needed to be closer to the city centre, “it would do better if the location were more accessible,” he said.

For the second time the LIBF is being held at the Expo Centre. Saeed said the fair was receiving only ‘planned visitors’. “Previously fairs were held at Fortress Stadium and there were a large number of walk-in visitors.” However, he added, that the Expo Centre would eventually be accessible to all people with the city continuously growing towards it.

The LIBF will host more than 1,500 children at an art competition to be held on Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Punjab Textbook Board. The competition would start at 10am and continue till 4pm.

^^

Visited that today in the evening, quite a good experience. Thousands of people were there. Many renowned publishers & institution's stalls were there. More than 200 stalls were there. Also, food court was established beside the Halls. So, nice experience!

Book Fair in Lahore:

yXnuBMGV958&feature=related

Went there on Sunday. I think I now have enough reading material for the next 6 months. Came across a lot of books you don't normally see in stores. (The food at the food court was terrible though. :laugh:)

Never mind the quality of the pictures. It was a phone camera. (Even better if you can't see them.)

https://p.twimg.com/Ak6Sf7ICMAE8sQ7.jpg

https://p.twimg.com/Ak6SxTSCEAAw1Sl.jpg

3-day India Show begins in Lahore today

* 50 prominent Indian companies to exhibit their products at Lahore Expo

* Signing expected on NTBs issue between Indo-Pakcommerce ministers on concluding day

* Expectations high for new era of trade diplomacy

More than 50 prominent Indian companies are exhibiting their products spread around 110 stalls in Lahore Expo Centre from today (Saturday) as part of a three-day ‘India Show’ exhibition.

Federal Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim will inaugurate the India Show at 10:30am at Lahore Expo Centre.

It is a rare event of its kind in Lahore city in a new development of track-II diplomacy in Indo-Pak relations and is expected to open up a new arena of trade ties between the traditional rival neighbouring countries.

The organisers include Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI), Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industries and is supported by Commerce Ministry of Pakistan and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). The event is aimed at raising awareness about Indian products in Pakistan during Feb 11-13, 2012.

In the India Show exhibition, products would be put on display ranging from manufacturing, services, chemicals, engineering, textiles and apparels, consumer durables, gems and jewellery, cosmetics, handicrafts, auto components, healthcare etc. Three hours in each of the day will remain open for general visitors while the morning hours will remain dedicated to business visitors. Business-to-business meetings during the days of the exhibition would be organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in collaboration with LCCI. One time permission has been granted by government of Pakistan to exhibit Indian goods and services beyond the positive list and counter sale of products.

The LCCI is mainly arranging an inter-active session of the businessmen of Pakistan and India. A high-powered Indian CEOs delegation led by FICCI President RV Kanoria will accompany Indian Commerce, Industry and Textile Minister Anand Sharma during his visit to Pakistan. The Indian CEOs delegation comprising more than 100 business delegates, accompanying the Indian minister, will have business meetings in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

The Indian commerce minister will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the show on February 13.

Signing of at least three agreements on the issue of Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs) is also expected during the visit of Indian Commerce Minister, besides many business deals between the traders and industrialists of both countries.

Since November 26, 2008 both countries, which share 1,280 kilometres long border, experienced worst kind of ties.

Pakistan showed its willingness to give India Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status in October 2011, although formal announcement of the final decision is still awaited due to a controversy at home because many local manufactures have expressed their strong reservations. However, Pakistan and India have finalised three agreements on Non-Tariff Barriers, claimed Indian Joint Secretary for Commerce Arvind Mehta while heading a high-level five-member delegation of Indian regulators to Pakistan in January this year.

On January 26 the visiting Indian joint secretary for commerce said that Pakistan and India have finalised three agreements to remove NTBs presently billed as obstruction for Pakistani exports to India. He said the agreements are expected to be signed during the upcoming visit by the Indian commerce minister next month.

Mehta, who was heading a high-level five-member delegation of Indian regulators, said that these agreements are the Customs Cooperation Agreement to avoid arbitrary stoppages of goods at each other’s ports; Mutual Recognition Agreement for acceptance of certificates of internationally accredited laboratories; and Redressal of Grievances Agreement in case of any disagreement.

He said that both the sides have also finalised a very liberal visa regime that would be in place as soon as the cabinets in the two countries grant approval. He said that the peak tariff line in India for Pakistan is 8.0 percent that is going to be curtailed to 5.0 percent by the year-end.

Over cement export to India, he clarified that NTBs considered to be the major hurdle are not Pakistan specific rather the delay in the clearance was only due to poor infrastructure on both sides of the border. He said that on Indian side a big customs complex with the cost of $30 million is being built and within three months period the new facility would enable the customs officials on both the sides to handle 800 trucks daily. The second gate on Wagah border will be opened soon.

On this occasion Ready, the representative of Indian customs, ensured the Pakistani businessmen that the New Automatic Customs System will enhance the efficiency and transparency and the trade consignments from Pakistan to India would be expedited. He acknowledged that the major problem between the two countries was the lack of institutional and communication framework. To overcome this problem, “We are working on a three-tier solution - daily or local problems at Wagah Attari border will be handled at their own level, one meeting between the customs collectors of both the countries at least once in two months and one meeting of ministerial level regarding policy matters would be held in every six months,” he added.

LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that the expo would help jack-up volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and India as presently a major portion of trade between the two countries in being done through third country. Sheikh said that the LCCI always wants trade with bordering countries for being more efficient in terms of cost and logistics.

Indian commerce minister will be visiting Pakistan to accelerate the positive movements. FICCI hopes that the much-awaited decision to move towards a negative list approach for trade with India will be announced soon. This will be a precursor to granting MFN status to India. At present a large volume of goods are being traded through informal channels via third countries. The MFN status is likely to facilitate direct trade, and benefit both the producers and consumers.

FICCI spokesman says that the organisation has always been at the forefront of improving bilateral economic ties with Pakistan and SAARC region as a whole. FICCI strongly feels that the current environment is filled with positivism and we must strive to seize this opportunity.

Pakistan was separated from India on August 1947 and since then both countries have seen many ups and downs in the relationship including four wars and many efforts to sign peace accords. This indeed is a big step towards promotion of trade ties of both countries while breaking the shell of traditional rivalries.

If all goes well, it is expected that Pakistani products exhibitions would also be arranged in New Delhi and other cities of the India.

^^

http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20120211/Sub_Images/1101446071-1.jpg

^^

http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20120212/Sub_Images/1101447676-1.jpg

Hundreds of thousands people visited the Indian products exhibition. Nice one...

Some pics of the exhibition:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6865621023_6a30c41bc5_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/6865619983_26720384f1_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6865619085_5cf9650acf_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6865590005_8cdc4b9f48_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6865591861_1b86137d0f_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6865593999_131ed57804_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6865596039_d990ba75fd_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6865598231_c0eda8a5b4_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6865599909_53525e9e76_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6865601909_c6783b7952_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6865603903_0d33c975cb_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6865605963_53a1dab676_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6865607569_a3501fd7e3_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6865609173_2607d925d0_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6865611009_5f3c1f12ef_b.jpg

Food Court
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6865616513_7eb4df8b10_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6865617959_af8ec4fb45_b.jpg

great images ARA, I think that the Expo center is a big hit and was needed in Lahore!

I hear a diamond chain was stolen from there.

nice pics...thanks for sharing

wow good turnout. seems like the space was tight

does anyone know how many halls are there and if the expo center has the capability of combining two or more halls to make one bigger hall. am i making sense!

I hear a diamond chain was stolen from there.

Yeah .. my mum told me as well but i think they have his picture on camera.

its very nice project but few dayz ago i've visited there but there is no construction started yet....

great images ARA, I think that the Expo center is a big hit and was needed in Lahore!

nice pics...thanks for sharing

:D

wow good turnout. seems like the space was tight

does anyone know how many halls are there and if the expo center has the capability of combining two or more halls to make one bigger hall. am i making sense!

More than 5 lac people visited the exhibition. There are 2 halls of Lahore Expo which are separated by a corridor of 100 m, so in order to arrange a large exhibition, it can be held in both halls.

I hear a diamond chain was stolen from there.

Yeah .. my mum told me as well but i think they have his picture on camera.

Yes, a diamond chain was stolen of worth Rs. 700,000. CCTV footage is also available.

its very nice project but few dayz ago i've visited there but there is no construction started yet....

:nuts:

Diamond chain which was stolen from the exhibition is now recovered as Police arrested the culprit from Sheikhupura...

The India Show at Lahore Expo Center:

lYZFHtm1zS8&list=UU8m8Vd-EVQHG3LSmA023-AQ&index=15&feature=plcp
-66zgqfGgaI&list=UU8m8Vd-EVQHG3LSmA023-AQ&index=2&feature=plcp

expo centre complete in a last year

http://i52.tinypic.com/96cihe.jpg

The India Show at Lahore Expo Center:

2yYzOz4srko&list=UU8m8Vd-EVQHG3LSmA023-AQ&index=61&feature=plcp

p0Hzfs0__tw&list=UU8m8Vd-EVQHG3LSmA023-AQ&index=54&feature=plcp

5hLZ3HYVwBU&list=UU8m8Vd-EVQHG3LSmA023-AQ&index=53&feature=plcp

Good pictures Ahmad Rashid Ahmad. Exhibition centre looks great but it seems like its extremely cramped. Hall size should have been atleast twice this size.

Good pictures Ahmad Rashid Ahmad. Exhibition centre looks great but it seems like its extremely cramped. Hall size should have been atleast twice this size.

There are two halls.

Good pictures Ahmad Rashid Ahmad. Exhibition centre looks great but it seems like its extremely cramped. Hall size should have been atleast twice this size.

Thanks. There are 2 halls & each hall has a capacity of around 125-150 stalls...

i think what he is trying to say is that they should have used both halls for this.

i think what he is trying to say is that they should have used both halls for this.

There were only around 90 stalls, even Hall # 01 wasn't full, so whats the need of Hall # 02???

I just downloaded latest Google earth (version 6.2 2012), bt I found Kalma chowk there instead of flyover, even no signs of under construction site. It means they dont update Pakistani cities?? somebody wrote in any thread that flyover is picked by the latest version of Google. Will anybody guide me which version is running now adays and how to download that cause I downloaded yesterday that is still old.

they do update... but after 5-6 months

I did not get a chance to visit this on my last tour, will have to at some point this year. Hopefully there is a good exhibition on then.

3 Days Megatech Exhibition:

6SwJKqesTrI&list=UU8m8Vd-EVQHG3LSmA023-AQ&index=19&feature=plcp

It means they dont update Pakistani cities??

The place I live in Toronto hasn't been updated on Google for at least 6 months. So there's no guarantee of Google Earth being up-to-date anywhere.

ISLAMABAD, April 26: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has announced the establishment of ‘Benazir hall of fame’ and an ‘intellectual property museaum’ in Islamabad, and asked the Capital Development Authority to allocate four acres of land in a most suitable place for this purpose.

Speaking at a conference here on Thursday to mark the observance of Intellectual Property Day, Mr Gilani said the government would provide the required funds for the establishment of the ‘Benazir Hall of Fame’.

The prime minister sought a report from the ministry of housing and works and the Intellectual Property Organisation within two weeks on the proposed hall of fame.

The Benazir hall of fame and intellectual property museaum would be a tribute to legends of the country as well as new creators and innovators.

The prime minister said the government held the country’s intellectuals in high esteem and gave weightage to their opinions. “The artist community is the ambassador of Pakistan in the world since they are show-casing country’s culture, tradition and the image in the world,” he said.

The prime minister pledged that the government would give due attention to the intellectual property bills introduced in the Parliament which would protect the rights of national and international creators.

He said Pakistan would like to accede to the Madrid Protocol and Patent Coopeation Treaty (PCT) and the process would be completed this year. At the same time, IPO-Pakistan should also examine the other WIPO treaties like copyright and performances and phonograms treaties for their accession, he added.

The prime minister also announced the initiation of one-window operation for all intellectual property services as the three registries in Karachi have been housed under one roof.

The integration of IP registries would facilitate stakeholders for better and efficient provisions of IP services, he said.

The prime minister invited talented brains of the country to explore scientific solutions to energy, health and other challenges faced by the country.

He said that prudent management and effective enforcement of intellectual rights encourage the creators, writers and innovators to continue to create and pursue new ideas and their scientific application for overall well-being of the society.

The prime minister stated that failure to protect intellectual property hampers innovation, creativity, economic growth and investment. Weak intellectual property rights protection makes it nearly impossible for scientists, inventors, and creators to have rights over the use of their creations.

The government also loses revenue collection due to piracy and counterfeiting. Ultimately, the masses have to suffer as investment stops and as a result jobs creation is hindered and revenue goes down rendering minimum budget for developmental activities, he said.