Umaima Harmain Rao
Builders Behind the Boom: How Two Entrepreneurs Helped Put Pakistan on the Outsourcing Map
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- September 10, 2025
Pakistan’s export story has long been written in textiles, agriculture, and remittances. But now, global giants from Amazon to Alibaba are entrusting Pakistan with their…
A Case for the Classroom: PSBA Becomes Pakistan’s First Welfare Authority Studied at Doctoral Level
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- July 13, 2025
Across Pakistan’s evolving governance landscape, few public sector innovations have achieved both institutional and academic distinction. The Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority (PSBA), a statutory welfare…

Sahulat bazaars deliver price relief, thanks to Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad’s approach
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- July 12, 2025
Punjab’s most ambitious public retail reform is no longer a promise on paper — it is a functioning system transforming markets under the leadership of…
As Temu avoids scrutiny, local retailers in Pakistan are being forced out
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- July 7, 2025
By most indicators, Pakistan’s e-commerce market should be booming. The number of digital platforms has grown. Courier and payment infrastructures have scaled up. Consumers,…
A Subsidy-Free Revolution: How Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad Built Pakistan’s First Statutory Welfare Authority and Redefined Governance
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- July 1, 2025
In Pakistan’s public sector, welfare has long been synonymous with subsidies, bailouts, and fiscal dependency. From scholarship funds to sanitation services, most public institutions have…
Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad: A Visionary Appointment as Director General of the Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- June 26, 2025
26 June 2025 (Pakistan Observer) In June 2025, the Government of Punjab made a landmark decision in appointing Mr. Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad as the…
Government Endorsement of Merit: Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad Raises the Bar for Evaluation and Excellence at PBTE
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- June 1, 2025
When the Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE) sought professionals capable of exercising sound academic judgment and absolute integrity in evaluating Pakistan’s future professionals, it…
Burhan Mirza’s Blueprint to $20 Billion IT Exports in Pakistan
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- May 29, 2025
Pakistan’s IT sector is projected to reach $20 Billion in FY 2025 with exports expected to cross $4 billion as anticipated targets have been crossed…
Temu’s arrival in Pakistan highlights gaps in e-commerce governance
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- May 2, 2025
There was a time when the arrival of foreign brands in Pakistan was met with genuine excitement and optimism, seen as a sign of integration…
Your Daily Dose of Peace Starts with the Right Prayer Mat
- By Umaima Harmain Rao
- April 15, 2025
Prayer isn’t just a ritual, it’s a moment to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with Allah. But let’s be real… sometimes, the jaye namaz you use…
