Western Union Waives Off Fee For Money Transfers to Pakistan

In the wake of current flood calamity, Western Union has waived off money transfer fee to Pakistan starting from 12th August 2010 till 12th September 2010. This waiver is applicable if you are sending money from the United Stated, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Perhaps, a few more countries in the middle east might be eligible but most of the remittance in Pakistan comes from the above mentioned countries.

Additionally, Western Union has committed $100,000 for the flood relief efforts in the country.

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[1] Link to the Press Release

Saleem Mirza: Techlogix

Saleem Mirza, Director Professional Services at Techlogix and a graduate of FAST Lahore, demised in the US last week. Perhaps, he was in the US on a business trip. An email from Kewan (CEO Techlogix), dated 16th Aug 2010, to company's employees confirmed his death at West Palm Beach, Florida.

He was a medal holder from the batch of 1991 (student id: 91-0052); joined Techlogix as his first employer. In the words of Kewan, "Saleem joined Techlogix in 1994 and I cannot think of anybody else who has contributed more to the success of this company than he has." Yet, he was a simple, down to earth person.


This is a real tragic news, compounded by the fact that another acquaintance, Aurangzaib Alamgir was murdered last month. The guy was eCommerce head of United Bank Limited (UBL), and successfully launched UBL Omni some time back. Recently married, he went out for shopping with his wife but was kidnapped from the parking area of Naheed Supermarket, Karachi. It's said that there was no ransom demand; rumors say that in his last days he was leading an investigation in an Internet Banking fraud at UBL.

Adsense Statistics, Month 3

1,362 page impressions, 9 clicks and $1.53 in revenue, which means 0.66% CTR. The black swan this month was a click which earned $0.50 (33% of the total revenue). This is much sane as compared to first month (where a single click earned $0.85) or second month (where a single click earned $0.97). The total revenue is 5 cents lower but the number of clicks has increased. Thanks to the little experiment I did!

I created a page on how to get TB certificate for UK visa in Karachi. This information is almost nowhere on the Internet, and the search engine traffic surged! The nice thing about search engine traffic is that everything is measured with reference to a "page" and not with reference to a site. Hence, a single off-topic article can bring lots of traffic. Making them stay and ensuring that they come back is a totally different ball game!

TB Test for UK Visa: Finding IOM

This is one of the series where a location and a process are explained for the common good.

Since March 2007, an additional requirement for Pakistani applicants of UK visas (6 months or more duration) is to have a tuberculosis (TB) certificate. The certificate is issued by International Organization for Migration (IOM). Except for a phone number (which is 051-111 466 472) nothing is listed anywhere on the Internet.

Below is an attempt to show you the location and tell you the process for Karachi residents (something similar would be applicable to Islamabad, Lahore and other cities).

The process itself is as follows:

Step 1: Get Appointment from IOM

Keep your passport number handy, and call IOM call center on Islamabad. As with any kind of visa related issues, be very patient but consistent.

They will ask you for (a) the visa category you are applying, (b) your full name, (c) your date of birth, (d) and your passport number. The person attending the call will tell you a reference number and ask you to deposit TB test fee in the designated bank; he'll also tell you the address of (and time for your appointment with) the Karachi office of IOM. Usually the time given is day after the following day. For your appointment at IOM, you will also be told to carry the following with you (a) your original passport, (b) a copy of your passport, (c) two passport sized photographs (d) and bank deposit slips

Step 2: Deposit Test Fee

Go to Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Gulshan-e-Iqbal branch. It's located on University Road, almost opposite to Masjid Bait-ul-Mukaram. They have special deposit slips for IOM. The fee is Rs. 3500/- (again as of now). You'll need to write down your passport number on the deposit slip---so keep that handy once again.

Step 3: Visit IOM

Now, wait for your appointment day at IOM. The location where you have to go is shown on the map below.


View Larger Map

This is easily reachable if you take a left turn at Karsaz from Shahra-e-Faisal while going towards the airport---cross the first signal and then take another turn left; this is one end of the the Tipu Sultan Road. Another useful hint: you can go there earlier than your appointment time. After taking your passport copy, photographs and a part of the deposit slip, they will give you a sealed envelope which you have to take to main Agha Khan University Hospital.

Step 4: Visit AKUH, and Get Tested

Go to AKHU, Radiology section; there is a dedicated counter for IOM there. Give them your passport and the sealed envelope; wait for your turn and get X-rayed. AKUH will give you back your passport but not any results.

Step 5: Collect the Results

Your TB certificate will have to be collected in person once again from IOM office. The collection timings are 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm (Monday to Thursday), and 12:30pm to 1:00pm on Friday.

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Phew!

Adsense Statistics, Month 2

990 visitors, 6 clicks and $1.58, which means 0.61% CTR. I had another Black Swan this month generating $0.97! The least earning click got me $0.01---that's again a huge difference. What would I do without $1 visitors!

First month statistics were shared earlier.