06-16-2006, 09:16 PM
<b>Indian chartered accounting far below than Pakistan'
RECORDER REPORT </b> KARACHI (February 03 2006) President International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Graham Ward on Thursday said that Pakistan has done well in the chartered accounting profession compared to India, adding though India is a vast country with more than one billion people, its standard in chartered accounting is far below to that of Pakistan.
He and IFAC chief executive Ian Ball are visiting Pakistan to attend a two-day conference on "The Role of IFAC in Restoring Public Confidence in the Accounting Profession". The conference was organised by the Institute of chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) in a local hotel on February 1.
Business Recorder talked to Ward and Ball on the concluding day of the conference to get their ideas about the conference, its purpose and general notion of these two stalwarts from the world of accounting about the accounting profession in this part of the world.
Ward has more than 30 years of experience in the accountancy profession and has served various professional institutions of repute. Ian Ball has a long association with the accountancy profession. He has a Ph.D in Local Government Finance and Administration from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Currently, he is a professor of Accounting and Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW Graham Ward was the main contributor to the formal talk that was held in the hotel lobby. Ward said that the main purpose of the conference was to have assessment and enhancement of the accounting profession in Pakistan in relation to the world.
The main idea was to create more awareness about the profession, as the number of the chartered accountants in Pakistan is minimal to its population. It is much more in UK or New Zealand where the population of the country is only 4 million. The accountancy profession is a specialised education and it needs careful teaching and professional guidance to bring it to the world standards.
There was not any truth in the conjecture that MBAs were pushing out the chartered accountants from their pedestal. chartered accountants still hold the top cadre jobs such as chief financial officers of the big businesses.
Pakistan was an important destination for the tourists and business magnates of the world. The media in Pakistan has to play a vital role in the projection of Pakistan as a safe place to visit and investment. Unfortunately, western media is giving a stereotyped picture of Pakistan that is not helping in creating favourable condition for the visitors, who intend to visit or invest in Pakistan. Our visit was as normal as it could be anywhere in the world.
We arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday and it is difficult to predict about the financial scene and opportunities in Pakistan. But at the same time, it could be safely said that the country is bouncing with energy and there is no dearth of human resources in Pakistan. In contrast to the many western countries where longevity has given a large proportion of old and retired people, Pakistan has more population that is young and vying to work in full throttle.
Pakistan has great potential in the field of business and finance. The country needs an increased literacy rate and more competency in English language that has truly become an international language.
[Business Recorder - February 04, 2006][/blue][/blue][/font=Georgia]
RECORDER REPORT </b> KARACHI (February 03 2006) President International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Graham Ward on Thursday said that Pakistan has done well in the chartered accounting profession compared to India, adding though India is a vast country with more than one billion people, its standard in chartered accounting is far below to that of Pakistan.
He and IFAC chief executive Ian Ball are visiting Pakistan to attend a two-day conference on "The Role of IFAC in Restoring Public Confidence in the Accounting Profession". The conference was organised by the Institute of chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) in a local hotel on February 1.
Business Recorder talked to Ward and Ball on the concluding day of the conference to get their ideas about the conference, its purpose and general notion of these two stalwarts from the world of accounting about the accounting profession in this part of the world.
Ward has more than 30 years of experience in the accountancy profession and has served various professional institutions of repute. Ian Ball has a long association with the accountancy profession. He has a Ph.D in Local Government Finance and Administration from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Currently, he is a professor of Accounting and Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW Graham Ward was the main contributor to the formal talk that was held in the hotel lobby. Ward said that the main purpose of the conference was to have assessment and enhancement of the accounting profession in Pakistan in relation to the world.
The main idea was to create more awareness about the profession, as the number of the chartered accountants in Pakistan is minimal to its population. It is much more in UK or New Zealand where the population of the country is only 4 million. The accountancy profession is a specialised education and it needs careful teaching and professional guidance to bring it to the world standards.
There was not any truth in the conjecture that MBAs were pushing out the chartered accountants from their pedestal. chartered accountants still hold the top cadre jobs such as chief financial officers of the big businesses.
Pakistan was an important destination for the tourists and business magnates of the world. The media in Pakistan has to play a vital role in the projection of Pakistan as a safe place to visit and investment. Unfortunately, western media is giving a stereotyped picture of Pakistan that is not helping in creating favourable condition for the visitors, who intend to visit or invest in Pakistan. Our visit was as normal as it could be anywhere in the world.
We arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday and it is difficult to predict about the financial scene and opportunities in Pakistan. But at the same time, it could be safely said that the country is bouncing with energy and there is no dearth of human resources in Pakistan. In contrast to the many western countries where longevity has given a large proportion of old and retired people, Pakistan has more population that is young and vying to work in full throttle.
Pakistan has great potential in the field of business and finance. The country needs an increased literacy rate and more competency in English language that has truly become an international language.
[Business Recorder - February 04, 2006][/blue][/blue][/font=Georgia]