ISLAMABAD: Pakistani education fintech startup EduFi bagged first place at an international competition held recently during the four-day LEAP 2025 tech conference in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s state television said on Thursday, bagging $250,000 as cash prize after beating over 2,000 competitors.
The international tech conference was held from Feb. 9-12 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Malham. Among the highlights of the conference was the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition for startups, which provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to showcase innovative ideas to a global audience of investors and industry leaders.
EduFi streamlines the borrowing process for students, helping them finance their education. It does its own credit-vetting, then pays tuition for approved students who repay the loan on a monthly basis as they study. It won first prize at the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition last week.
“Aleena Nadeem from Pakistan has won first place and a cash prize of $250,000 at the International Information Technology Exhibition leap held recently in Saudi Arabia,” Pakistan Television (PTV) said in a report.
“This is the First time in the history of the Rocket Fuel Pitch International competitions that Pakistan has achieved this honor,” the state-run media said, adding that EduFi beat 2,000 competitors to win first prize.
EduFi’s founder and CEO Aleena Nadeem received the award at the ceremony held last week in Riyadh. An MIT graduate who interned at McKinsey during college and then worked in London for Goldman Sachs and Ventura Capital, Nadeem has been involved in education issues since she was in high school, as per Forbes.
She was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2024 for her work with EduFi.
Pakistani startup EduFi wins first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh
https://arab.news/jhv5v
Pakistani startup EduFi wins first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh
- EduFi wins Rocket Fuel Pitch International Competition by beating over 2,000 other companies
- Education fintech streamlines borrowing process for students, helping them finance education
Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan appointed Pakistan’s first Constitutional Court chief justice
- Federal Constitutional Court will now decide cases involving Pakistan’s constitution, instead of the Supreme Court
- A top court judge since 2019, Justice Khan has decided thousands of civil cases relating to inheritance, property
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari appointed top court judge Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan as the first chief justice of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday, a notification from the law ministry said.
The FCC was formed after the government made sweeping changes to the military and judicial command structure via the 27th constitutional amendment. The new amendment shifts constitutional cases from the Supreme Court to the FCC while it grants expanded powers to Pakistan’s army chief.
“The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Mr. Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan as Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan with effect from the date he makes oath of his office,” a notification from the law ministry read.
According to the Supreme Court’s website, Justice Khan was born on Dec. 1, 1960 in the eastern city of Multan where he received his education from Kindergarten Muslim School. He completed his secondary education from the Government Muslim High School in 1977.
He secured his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 1981 and completed his L.L.B degree from the University Law College in Multan in 1984 and also secured a diploma in Taxation Law.
Justice Khan obtained the license to practice in Pakistan’s lower courts in 1985 before enrolling as an advocate of the Lahore High Court in 1987. He was later enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2001.
He was involved there in mostly civil cases relating to property, preemption and matters of inheritance.
Justice Khan was elevated to the bench in 2011 and during his stint as judge, he decided thousands of civil cases the Bahawalpur Bench and Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court.
He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2019.
His appointment to the post takes place hours after two Supreme Court judges, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, resigned in protest.
The judges took exception to the 27th constitutional amendment, with Justice Shah describing it as a “grave assault” on the constitution.
The FCC was set up after years of clashes between the executive and the judiciary. Verdicts issued by the top courts over the years ousted prime ministers from office and put the judiciary on a confrontational path with the governments at the time.
