ISLAMABAD: Amid a boost in foreign payments, Pakistan on Monday observed the International Day of Family Remittances to recognize the contribution of more than 200 million overseas workers.
According to data provided by the State Bank of Pakistan on Friday, overseas Pakistanis remitted $20.2 billion between July 2018 and May 2019, marking a growth of 10.42 percent compared to $18.3 billion received during the same period in the previous year.
Saudi Arabia continued to be the largest source of foreign remittances, with Pakistan receiving $493.73 million in May 2019, recording a sharp increase of 14.28 percent from the previous year when it received $432.05 million in the same month.
“During May 2019, the inflow of workers’ remittances amounted to $2315.74 million, which is 30.17 percent higher than April 2019 and 28.36 percent higher than May 2018,” the state bank said in its statement.
Economists attributed the increase in remittances to certain policy measures introduced by the government which discourages the transfer of money through illegal channels.
“This $2 billion increase in the foreign remittances shows the confidence of overseas Pakistanis in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his policies,” Dr. Athar Ahmed, a senior economist told Arab News.
He added that the increase in foreign remittances would also help the country “boost its dwindling foreign exchange reserves and stave off a balance of payments crisis.”
According to official figures, the amount received from other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, United States, United Kingdom, Gulf Cooperation Council countries (including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman) and European Union states amounted to $476.57 million, $346.81 million, $387.09 million, $237.76 million and $70.61 million, respectively, compared to the inflow of $373.85 million, $290.26 million, $269.11 million, $178.96 million and $60.34 million from the same regions in May 2018.
Remittances received from Malaysia, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, in May this year, amounted to $303.17 million as compared $199.51 million in the same period last year.
Pakistan has set a $21.2 billion remittances target for the current fiscal year. However, the central bank’s projections show that the inflow would be between $20.5 billion and $21.5 billion. Pakistan had received $19.62 billion in remittances from overseas Pakistan during the outgoing fiscal year FY18 which is 1.4 percent higher than those recorded in the previous fiscal year but short of the target of $20.7 billion set for the year.
Pakistan marks International Day of Family Remittances to honor migrant workers
Pakistan marks International Day of Family Remittances to honor migrant workers
- Country received over $493mn in payments from nationals working in Saudi Arabia
- Crackdown on illegal money traders helped boost remittances through official channels, experts say
Pakistani student launches ‘Urdu ChatGPT’ AI model
- Developer says “Qalb” is largest large language model built exclusively for Urdu
- Project highlights push to localize artificial intelligence for non-English users
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani student studying in the United States has launched an artificial intelligence model designed exclusively for the Urdu language, a development its creator says could help bridge longstanding gaps in access to advanced digital tools for millions of speakers worldwide.
The project, called Qalb, is positioned as an Urdu-first large language model at a time when most generative AI systems are primarily trained on English and other widely used global languages. Supporters of language-specific models argue they can improve accuracy, cultural relevance and accessibility for users in education, business and public services.
Urdu is spoken by more than 230 million people globally, including in Pakistan, India and diaspora communities, but remains under-represented in advanced AI systems. Efforts to localize artificial intelligence have increasingly been seen as critical for widening participation in digital economies, particularly in developing countries.
“Qalb is now recognized as the world’s largest Large Language Model created exclusively for the Urdu language,” Taimoor Hassan, the project’s developer, was quoted this month in a report in state-run news agency APP.
“Trained on a massive dataset of 1.97 billion tokens and benchmarked across seven-plus international evaluation frameworks, Qalb outperforms existing Urdu-focused AI models on key real-world performance indicators, setting a new standard for natural language processing in Pakistan,” Hassan said.
“This is a development model and in the next phase we would soon launch App for mobile and web so that people could use and benefit from Qalb ChatGPT.”
Hassan completed his undergraduate degree in computer science at FAAST University’s Peshawar campus and is currently studying for a master’s degree in computer science and software engineering at Auburn University in the United States. According to APP, he is a serial entrepreneur who has previously launched and exited multiple startups and has represented Pakistan at international technology forums.
“I had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to a much bigger mission for the country,” Hassan said.
“Together with my undergraduate roommates and teammates, Jawad Ahmed and Muhammad Awais, we are committed to continuously fine-tuning localized models for niche industries, which we believe can become a major breakthrough for Pakistan.”
Both collaborators are also graduates of FAAST University Peshawar Campus and are currently studying in Germany, APP reported.
The team behind Qalb said the model is intended to support local businesses, startups, educational platforms and voice-based digital services, arguing that meaningful innovation is no longer limited to large technology firms.
“Technology is no longer locked behind big budgets or big teams. With the right mindset, even a small group can build products that educate, automate, and serve millions,” Hassan told APP.
