Pages May-2007.CDR - Higher Education Commission

May 2007 

20 More 

Quality Assurance Cells 

in Universities 

Open-access 

Online Portal 

for Pakistani Journals 

ANOTHER 

HONOUR 

Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman Made Life Fellow 

at Cambridge University

Table of Contents 

ARTICLE 

Virtual University of Pakistan....... by Dr. Naveed A. Malik 

2 

DEPARTMENT 

PROFILE 

5 

Department of Business Administration, University of Sargodha 

HEC News & Views is published every 

month. No part of this publication 

may be reproduced in any form 

without prior written permission of the 

publisher. The views expressed by 

authors in the articles is their sole 

responsibility and not of HEC. 

HEC would like to thank all the 

institutions and individuals who 

contributed information and 

photographs for this magazine. 

Assistant Editor 

Aayesha Ikram 

Graphic Designer 

Raja Ahmad Nadeem 

Reporter 

Waseem Khaliqdad 

Proof Reader 

Riaz-ul-Haque 

RESEARCH 

RESEARCH 

NEWS 

INTERNATIONAL 

Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman Made Life Fellow at Cambridge University 

20 More Quality Assurance Cells in Universities 

Open-access Online Portal for Pakistani Journals 

Seven Projects Approved for Young Innovators Award 

HEC Inks MoU with Leading Korean University 

Workshop for Universities' Senior Management 

Uniform Framework for Engineering Education 

HEC Scholar Gets PhD Degree in Physics 

HEC Gymnasts Excel in National Games 

Returning PhD Scholars Being Placed in Varsities 

HEC to Strengthen Nursing Workforce 

Social Sciences Conference at IIUI 

th 

IIUI Holds 19 Cultural Festival 

st 

Hazara University Holds 1 Convocation 

Greenwich University Convocation 

GCU Lahore, HKBU Sign MoU 

One-day Workshop at GCU, Lahore 

Poverty Alleviation through Agribusiness 

Intel Malaysia Selects Four GIKI Students 

GIKI Holds Industrial Open House, Career Fair 

Seminar on Genetic & Biomedical Engineering 

NIIT Organizes Int'l Workshop on Networking 

Royal College Office at UHS for MRCP Exams 

Understanding Allergies and Asthma 

UAE Team Wins Microsoft Imagine Cup 

Australia Creates $5 Billion Fund for Research 

Diabetes Drug May Help Fight Breast Cancer 

7 

14 

24 

26 

Publisher: D.G. Admn. 

National Research Grant for Universities 

Travel Grants for Teachers 

CDWP Approved Projects 

28

The Virtual University (VU), 

Pakistan’s first University 

completely based on modern 

Information and 

Communication 

Technologies, was 

established by the 

Government in 2002 as a 

public sector, not-for-profit 

institution with a clear 

mission to provide extremely 

affordable world-class 

education to aspiring 

students all over the country. 

Pakistan is a populous 

country of nearly 160 million 

people, with almost half of 

this number below the age of 

30. A study conducted in the 

late 1990s indicated that out 

of the college age cohort 

(18-25 years) only about 3.5 

Virtual University of Pakistan 

Dr. Naveed A. Malik is currently 

Rector of the Virtual University of 

Pakistan. He obtained his Master's 

degree in Physics from the University 

of the Punjab, Lahore and PhD from 

MIT in the field of Electrical 

Engineering and Computer Science 

specializing in Digital Signal 

Processing. Dr. Malik established the 

Spark Source Mass Spectroscopy 

Laboratory at the Centre for Solid 

State Physics at University of the 

Punjab and later, became the founder 

chairman of the Department of 

Computer Science. He has been 

associated with the Virtual University 

project since its inception. He has 

lectured extensively, has been an 

active systems and software developer 

Sketch by 


and has published several papers on various technical subjects. He is a life 

member of the Pakistan Institute of Physics. 

per cent were actually enroled in tertiary education institutions; the absolute majority, i.e. over 96 per cent of this 

age group were not enrolled and therefore not receiving higher education. On the other hand, the established 

universities were full to the brim. Compounding the problem, the existing universities had an acute shortage of 

properly qualified faculty leading to severe quality issues in the tiny segment of the population that actually 

obtained access to higher education. Whereas the problem of capacity shortage could have been overcome by 

providing adequate financial resources, the issue of faculty shortage was not amenable to organic solutions: 

radical measures were called for. 

A feasibility study organized and funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was conducted in 

late 2000 to assess the possibility of utilizing technology to tackle the problem with particular reference to 

developing human resources in information technology, worldwide demand for which was at its peak at that time. 

Simultaneously, a public discussion and debate over the internet was organized by the Minister for Science and 

Technology to develop a coherent policy for information technology in Pakistan. 

Both the feasibility study as well as the public discussion, among other issues, indicated that a new university 

should be established that would use information and communication technologies as force multipliers to 

overcome the capacity and faculty shortage problems outlined above. The establishment of a “virtual” university 

thereby became part of the action plan drawn up by the Government as part of its policy on information 

technology. 

A project plan was drawn up and approved by the Government of Pakistan in 2001 and initial funding for the 

University was released in November of the same year. The new Virtual University of Pakistan opened its “virtual” 

doors to the public in a very short time and the first batch of students was inducted in March 2002 into a four-year 

BS programme in Computer Science/Information Technology. A formal Charter was granted to the new university 

in September 2002, which empowered the University to establish several different faculties or schools. The 

University was granted a “federal” charter that allowed it to offer its programmes throughout the country instead 

2

Article 

of being limited to any single province. The Virtual University has been designed to provide world-class education 

at extremely affordable rates to aspiring students across the length and breadth of Pakistan. Its main focus is to 

provide easy access to high-quality tertiary education, thereby supplementing the capacity of existing universities. 

How Virtual University Works 

The Virtual University of Pakistan delivers education through a judicious combination of broadcast television and 

the Internet. By identifying and utilizing the best professors and domain experts of the country, regardless of their 

institutional affiliations, the Virtual University develops and delivers meticulously designed courses to its students. 

The same high quality courses are also available to students of all other universities in the country through free to 

air broadcasts. 

VU courses are hand-crafted in painstaking detail by acknowledged experts in the field. Lectures are then 

recorded by these experts in a professional studio environment and after editing, insertion of slides, movie clips 

and other material, the lectures become ready for broadcast. The same experts also prepare detailed lecture notes 

and handouts for the students and these handouts become an extremely valuable resource for students. 

Since the University operates in a formal semester system mode, the time-table for lectures is published at the 

start of each semester on the VU web-site (http://www.vu.edu.pk). The lectures are broadcast according to this 

time-table over VU’s own free-to-air television channels. They are also made available in the form of multimedia 

CDs. The multiple formats allow a high degree of flexibility for students who may view the lectures at a time of 

their choosing within a 24-hour period. Additionally, students can use the lecture CDs to review an entire course 

before their examinations – a facility simply not available in a conventional face-to-face environment. 

The Virtual University provides student-teacher interaction through a comprehensive Learning Management 

System (LMS) (http://vulms.vu.edu.pk) hosted on VU Web Servers and accessible around the clock over the 

Internet. All students are provided a password protected account on the LMS and this account is maintained 

throughout their stay at the University. The LMS provides reading material and lecture notes in the form of webenabled 

content for all courses. In addition, open and moderated discussion boards are available on the LMS for 

detailed discussions. The University also provides an e-mail facility to each and every student through its own mail 

server for direct access to teachers and University departments. 

An important feature of the LMS is a Moderated Discussion Board (MDB) whereby VU students can interact with 

faculty members. The MDB provides a very efficient mechanism for students to pose their questions on subject 

matter covered in the lectures and is available 24 hours. The MDB is extremely fine grained, providing separate 

sessions for each lecture of each course. VU faculty monitors this board on a continuous basis and answers to 

questions are provided within a short space of time. The major advantage of the MDB is that all questions asked 

by students are visible to their course community, as are the answers provided by the faculty members and this 

closely mimics the face-to-face question/answer experience. In addition, read-only access is made available to 

previous question/answer sessions and this constitutes an extremely useful study resource for students. Of 

course, this review facility does not exist in a conventional environment. 

Assignments for all courses are distributed through LMS and also submitted by the students through the same 

mechanism with a detailed proof-of-delivery mechanism built in by design. Since the University publishes solutions 

for all its assignments, it is able to enforce a strict due-date regime. Late assignments are not accepted. 

Obviously, assignments are never re-used and past assignments and solutions form another important study 

resource for students. Pop-quizzes and practice tests are also conducted through the LMS. 

Mid-term and Final examinations for every semester are conducted in a formal proctored environment at exam 

centres designated for the purpose throughout the country. Invigilators appointed by the University conduct the 

exams. The formal examination atmosphere assists in critical quality assurance of the student assessment system. 

3

Article 

The University is based entirely on the imaginative and effective use of ICTs and, therefore, its technical divisions 

are designed and equipped with a fault tolerant and redundant infrastructure. The servers deployed by the 

University for its web-site, its email system, (http://mail.vu.edu.pk) and its learning management system are all 

high-end state-of-the-art machines with redundant power supplies and RAID hard disks. The servers are located 

on a 155Mbps fibre trunk that traverses only a few yards to get to one of Pakistan’s main routers located on the 

national backbone. As such, the servers offer a high-availability environment. 

The Virtual University’s television production and broadcast facilities are also state-of-the-art being completely 

digital end-to-end. The University operates its own four free-to-air satellite channels and more are being added as 

per the requirements of the various educational programmes. The channels utilize Pakistan’s first communications 

satellite PAKSAT-I. Although technical problems do arise, the strategic placement of the servers on the national 

backbone and the use of national satellite ensure that any breakdown in international links does not affect the 

working of the Virtual University. 

This combination of technologies and efficient utilization of national infrastructure allows the Virtual University to 

offer an identical educational environment to students all over the country including far-flung areas. For the first 

time, students from small towns and remote areas have access to the same highly-qualified professors that were 

previously accessible to their large city brethren only. The initial results indicate that talent hidden in these regions 

is now becoming visible and empowered. This has far-reaching positive implications for the socio-economic well 

being of the country. 

Students may study from home or at “virtual campuses” that have been established all over the country. These 

virtual campuses provide an enabling electronic environment for students to receive lectures and interact with 

their teachers including television equipped classrooms and Internet connected computer laboratories. A 

subliminal benefit of these campuses is that they also provide the students with an opportunity to interact with 

their peers in a conventional environment and form study groups. A very healthy inter-campus competition has 

already developed in the young Virtual University community and this becomes a strong motivating factor for 

students in their junior years while also providing an opportunity for seniors to become mentors to their junior 

counterpart. 

Conclusion 

The Virtual University of Pakistan is one of the youngest universities in the country, the proverbial “baby” of the 

higher education family. In a very short span of time, it has been able to establish its credentials as an institution 

providing quality higher education. It has established over 100 “virtual campuses” in more than 60 cities of the 

country and more are being established on a continuous basis. Enrolment is increasing every semester and the 

current student strength stands at over 14,000 – more than many much older institutions. 

The public presentation of the Virtual University’s programmes and the caliber of the people associated with them 

have gone a long way in establishing a quality image for the University in a very short time. In fact, the first batch 

of Virtual University graduates has been accepted by top tier institutions within the country as well as abroad in 

their respective graduate schools. Virtual University graduates have also been hired at top market salaries by 

extremely competitive and demanding technology companies and this acceptance by the industry has further 

validated the quality of the university’s programmes and its teaching methods. 

The University has so far kept itself away from offering any programmes that require the use of a physical 

laboratory (other than Computer Science), but the time is fast approaching when such programmes will be 

required by the market. Collaborative programmes are being designed in collaboration with other institutions that 

will provide the necessary physical plant and facilities for these programmes. The Virtual University is thus poised 

to play an increasingly important role in the national higher education scenario. 

By Dr. Naveed A. Malik 

E-mail: rector@vu.edu.pk 

4

Department of Business Administration, University of Sargodha 

5

Department Profile 

Lt. Gen. (R) Khalid Maqbool, Governor Punjab talks to students during a visit to the Department. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Akram Ch., 

VC, University of Sargodha and Dr. Maqbool H. Sial, Dean, Faculty of Management and Administrative Sciences are also present 

FACULTY 

Male 10 

Female 02 

Total 12 

AREAS OF 

SPECIALIZATION 

Marketing 05 

MIS 01 

Accounting 

& finance 

06 

STATISTICS OF DEPARTMENT 

MBA 

BBA 

Session Enrolment Session Enrolment 

2006-2008 119 2006-2010 112 

2005-2009 112 

2005-2007 115 2004-2008 109 

2003-2007 102 

6

Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman Made Life Fellow 

at Cambridge University 

Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Chairman, Higher Education 

Commission has been made Honourary Life Fellow at King's 

College Cambridge. The latest honour was conferred on the 

distinguished scientist on May 1, 2007 at the King's College 

Chapel. 

Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman is the first Pakistani scientist to be made 

Fellow at the King's College, Cambridge for his achievements 

in the field of academic research. 

University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the 

English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the 

world's most prestigious universities. Last year Dr. Atta-ur- 

Rahman was elected Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society. 

Dr. Rahman obtained his PhD degree from Cambridge 

University in 1968 and was later honoured by the degree of 

Doctor of Science by the same University. He has over 778 

publications in leading international journals in several fields 

of organic chemistry including over 600 research 

publications, 15 patents, 93 books and has written 59 

chapters in books published by major American and 

European presses. 

Sketch by 


He is the first scientist from the Muslim world to have won 

the UNESCO Science Prize in the 35-year history of the 

award. The Government of Pakistan has conferred four civil 

awards, including Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i- 

Imtiaz and the highest national civil award Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 

recognition of his eminent contributions. 

20 More Quality Assurance Cells in Universities 

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has 

established 20 more Quality Enhancement 

Cells (QEC) in public sector universities of the 

country. This is in addition to already existing 

10 QECs in the first phase of Quality 

Assurance Agency project. The purpose of 

establishing these cells is to enhance the 

quality of education in institutions of higher 

learning and to take up the cases of plagiarism 

reported in universities very vigorously and 

develop policies to curb this menace. 

HEC is also member of the highly prestigious international 

quality assurance and accreditation networks such as 

International Network of Quality Assurance in Higher 

Education (INQAAHE) and Asia Pacific Quality Network 

(APQN). 

The HEC has benefited from the INQAAHE guidelines in an 

effective and practical way of practicing and sharing 

knowledge with the stakeholders. The INQAAHE guidelines 

have been discussed with all the stakeholders in detail and a 

strategy to consider these guidelines as a way forward for 

7

quality assurance across disciplines. HEC's Quality 

Assurance Division has been encouraging and 

facilitating the process of quality assurance for the 

implementation of various quality enhancement 

programmes by providing guidelines for the 

implementation of quality criteria and capacity 

building through training workshops, meetings and 

conferences on quality issues, on regular basis. 

The QECs are responsible to bring about significant 

enhancement of quality in higher learning and to 

attain the goals of international compatibility and 

competitiveness. 

For monitoring quality of education in different 

disciplines, HEC has also established National 

Computing Education Accreditation Council, National 

Agricultural Education Accreditation Council, 

Accreditation Council for Teachers Education and 

Pakistan Business Education Accreditation Council. 

Besides, MoUs are being signed with already existing 

professional councils such as Pakistan Medical and 

Dental Council, Pakistan Engineering Council, Pakistan 

Veterinary and Medical Council, Pharmacy Council, 

Pakistan Architects and Town Planners to have 

mutually agreed parameters for ensuring adherence 

to the approved standards of quality. 

A significant achievement of HEC is the development 

of criteria for quality assurance in higher education. 

These criteria include eligibility conditions for 

appointment of faculty members in universities and 

DAIs, Tenure Track System, statutes regarding 

promotion to meritorious professors and emeritus 

professors, MPhil and PhD education criteria, criteria 

for affiliation of colleges with universities, assessment 

(ranking) of universities/degree awarding institutes 

and guidelines for self assessment by the universities. 

Open-access Online Portal for Pakistani Journals 

Under Digital Library Programme of Higher Education 

Commission (HEC), an open-access online portal will 

be established through which all journals published in 

Pakistan will be made available for worldwide 

electronic access. 

The portal will allow international exposure of 

research conducted within Pakistan, and will assist in 

the international peer-review process of indigenous 

publications. Once implemented, 'PJOL: Pakistan 

Journals Online” will have a fully searchable web 

interface similar to that of any other international 

electronic journal database. 

HEC's Digital Library has achieved momentous 

achievements in 2006 through its various crosscutting 

programmes and initiatives. It provided access 

to high-quality scholarly information based on 

electronic delivery to the higher education institutions 

in Pakistan. 

In 2006, total downloaded articles from HEC National 

Digital Library Programme were more than 2.2 Million. 

Digital Library usage has gone up by over 100 per 

cent from 2005 to 2006. HEC's Digital Library also 

conducted two research studies in 2006. In first study 

the Pakistani Universities were ranked on the basis of 

their research output in those journals which are 

internationally recognized and indexed by ISI Web of 

Knowledge. Whereas, the second study titled 

"Research Ranking of Universities on the basis of 

Cumulative Impact Factors based on ISI Web of 

Knowledge" was also conducted and advertised in 

national newspapers in April this year. 

In 2006 the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan 

commissioned a case study of its Digital Library by 

International Network for the Availability of Scientific 

Publications (INASP) that covered the content, 

training, marketing, finance, monitoring and 

evaluation and impact of the Digital Library. The 

findings disclosed that the programme is considered 

economical, with an average cost of a downloaded 

article during 2005 being US$2.30. 

Besides, a priority initiative of the Digital Library 

Programme has been to introduce the Electronic 

Library Information Navigator (ELIN@) system. The 

HEC and the International Network for the Availability 

of Scientific Publications (INASP) have linked up with 

Lund Libraries, Sweden, to adapt and extend their 

existing ELIN@) system so that it can be used by 

universities in Pakistan. 

Overall, the Digital Library holds a great promise as 

the Programme is being appreciated by the users 

nationwide. However, the sustainability of the 

programme will be dependent on researchers and 

professionals who have to play an active role in 

managing library and optimizing use of its resources. 

8

Seven Projects Get Presidential Young Innovators Award 

The Higher Education Commission has awarded the 

Presidential Young Innovator (PYI) Awards to seven 

research projects proposed by faculty members and 

researchers based on their educational development 

plans. 

The PYI Programme has been designed by HEC to 

encourage and support the early career development 

activities of young faculty members and scholars in 

public sector universities and R&D organizations who 

show exceptional potential for research and are likely 

to become academic leaders in the future. 

Proposals from scholars are considered who have a 

doctoral degree and are regular employees of public 

sector universities or R&D organizations. They should 

have a PYI development plan relating to their career 

goals and job responsibilities. The award for each 

project is up to maximum of Rs. six million at the 

disposal of the principal investigator over a period of 

three years. 

Out of 43 applications received in response to the 

Scheme advertised in May 2006, 33 eligible projects 

were sent to the focal points for review and 

evaluation. Later, the proposals were forwarded to 

peers in respective fields after which 16 proposals 

were short listed. 

The meeting of the Selection Committee, after 

detailed deliberation, finally selected seven proposals 

for the Award. It was decided that the remaining nine 

proposals will be funded through National Research 

Grants Programme for Universities (NRPU). 

These seven research proposals include 'Finding 

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPS) in Cotton 

Genome', 'Novel Bioactive Compounds 

(Peptides/Proteins) from Potensive Medicinal Plants 

under Stress Conditions', 'Production of Biodegradable 

Plastic From Agricultural Waste: A Lab Scale 

Optimization', 'Laser Induced Breakdown 

Spectroscopy', 'Elimination of Carcinogenic Cr (Vi) by 

Microorganisms in Association with Hydrophytes', 

'Construction of Multiplex Biosensor for the Monitoring 

of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Polluted 

Environments or Industrial Effluent' and 

'Biochemical/Molecular Evaluation of Grain End Use 

Quality Using Glutenin Subunits in Bread Wheat'. 

HEC Inks MoU with Leading Korean University 

In the series of linkages with institutions in 

technologically advanced countries, Higher Education 

Commission (HEC) has signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding with Hanyang University, a leading 

South Korean institution that is among the top 500 

universities of the world. 

The Agreement was signed during the visit of a twomember 

delegation led by Dr. Ki-Jeong Lee, Dean, 

Office of International Cooperation, Hanyang 

University. Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Member Planning 

and Development signed the MoU on behalf of HEC. 

It aims at a coordinated placement of HEC scholars 

and provide them with industry training opportunities. 

According to the MoU, HEC scholars will be offered 

placement in MS (Engineering) programmes offered 

at Hanyang University for the next five years. 

In addition, there will be research exchange 

programmes, establishment of R&D centres in 

Pakistan by leading industries of South Korea. 

The delegation also met Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, 

Chairman HEC. The two sides agreed to explore the 

possibility of establishing R&D centres of leading 

Korean Brands like LG, Samsung and Hyundai etc, in 

Pakistan. The possibility of Hanyang joining the 

consortium of South Korean Universities for 

establishing a UESTP was also discussed. The 

University was also offered to collaborate with any 

leading South Korean group for establishing an 

Engineering University in Pakistan. 

For encouraging linkages between Pakistani 

Universities and Hanyang University, HEC organized 

two meeting sessions in Islamabad and Karachi. Many 

universities identified different avenues of cooperation 

with Hanyang University. These include training of 

Pakistani scholars and faculty members in Hanyang 

University at postgraduate and postdoctoral levels, 

exchange of faculty members for short and long term 

visits, joint supervision of PhD programmes, joint 

research, holding of joint workshops, symposia and 

other such events. 

9

Workshop for Universities' Senior Management 

Participants of the Workshop with Prof. Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Prof. Dr. Riaz Qureshi, Dr. Mary Linda Armacost, 

Dr. Peter Armacost and Ms Noor Amna Malik 

A two-day workshop on “Leading Transformational 

Change for Senior Management of Universities” was 

organized by the Learning Innovation Division, Higher 

Education Commission at Islamabad recently. Senior 

management staff of the public sector universities of 

the twin cities including Registrars, Deans, 

Controllers, Treasurers, Chairpersons and Hostel 

Wardens attended the Workshop. 

Dr. Mary Linda Armacost, Director, Queen Mary 

College, Lahore was resource person for the 

Workshop. Dr. Armacost has more than 40 years 

working experience at senior managerial positions in 

different universities abroad. 

The main objective of the Workshop was to help the 

participants become aware of the HEC mandated 

changes, to gain an understanding of the external 

environment influencing the functioning of university 

administration and to review the major mandates of 

the HEC. The event also gave the HEC an opportunity 

to hear the issues of universities that surround these 

mandates. 

Prof. Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director HEC, who 

was chief guest at the concluding ceremony, said that 

until and unless the academic and administrative staff 

of the universities coordinates smoothly with each 

other, no tangible change is possible in the higher 

education scenario of Pakistan. The Higher Education 

Commission is trying to bring improvement in both of 

these important areas. 

Dr. Naqvi admitted that the university management 

was long neglected by HEC adding that this workshop 

was just a start. “Many more programmes for the 

development and training of universities' 

management are in the pipeline”, he said. 

He stressed that alongside the academic staff, the 

management had a very important role to play in 

brining about a substantial change in the institutions 

of higher learning. 

“If we have to compete at the international level, we 

need to bring change at each and every level and that 

is not possible without your active support”, he told 

the participants. 

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Riaz Hussain 

Qureshi, Adviser Quality Assurance, HEC said that a 

lot of misunderstandings exist between the academic 

10

and administrative staff. “They will have to work in 

harmony with each other to make the institutions real 

seats of higher learning”, he said. 

He said that the HEC is working at a fast pace and it 

also wanted universities to follow the same pace if we 

had to compete at the global level. “But this is not 

possible without good team work”, he added. 

Ms Noor Amna Malik, Director General, Learning 

Innovation, HEC said that the Commission was not 

working in isolation. “Without active support from the 

universities, the HEC will not be able to accomplish its 

challenging tasks”. 

She said that the Learning Innovation Department of 

the HEC has devised special programmes for the uplift 

of academic and administrative staff of the 

universities. 

She said that similar kind of workshops will be held in 

Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. “This process 

will not stop here. This is just a start and we have a 

long way to go”. 

She appreciated the active input of the participants 

during various sessions of the Workshop. She thanked 

Dr. Mary Linda Armacost for helping in designing and 

execution of the Workshop. 

Uniform Framework for Engineering Education 

A meeting of prominent experts from various 

engineering educational institutions of the country 

was held under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Sohail H. 

Naqvi, Executive Director, Higher Education 

Commission at HEC Secretariat recently. 

The purpose was to develop a uniform and 

standardized framework for the development of 

curricula to bring the engineering programmes at par 

with international standards. Ways to improve the 

state of technology and meet the needs of industry 

were also discussed. 

The experts discussed the framework and agreed that 

the engineering programmes being offered at the 

universities in Pakistan would consist of a total of 

130-136 credit hours for the four-year BSc/BE 

degrees and the engineering courses will be 6570 per 

cent of the curricula. 

Emphasis will be given to leadership and 

communication skills, technical report writing and 

professional ethics. Social sciences will also be an 

essential component of the whole programme and the 

curricula will be prepared to develop self-learning and 

analytic thinking to promote research culture in the 

universities. 

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to all 

participants and special thanks to Dr. A. U. Sheikh, 

Rector, Foundation University for his valuable 

contribution for the development of the framework. 

HEC Scholar Gets PhD Degree in Physics 

Dr. Nasir Amin is the first HEC scholar who has completed his PhD under 

'Indigenous 5000 PhD Fellowship Scheme' from Department of Physics, 

Quaid-e-Azam University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. M. Aslam Baig, 

Distinguished National Professor. 

The title of his dissertation is 'Photoionization Cross sections of the Excited 

States of Li, Na and K'. 

The External Reviewers, from technologically advanced countries, for his 

research included Prof. Dr. Massimo Inguscio, University of Florence, Italy; 

Prof. Dr. Peter Zimmermann, Technische Universitat Berlin, Germany; Prof. 

Dr. C. A. Mayhew, University of Birmingham, England. 

Dr. Nasir Amin 

11

HEC Gymnasts Excel in National Games 

The Gymnastics team of Higher 

Education Commission (HEC) and 

Pakistan Universities Sports Board 

(PUSB) won six gold medals in the 

National Games held in Karachi from 

April 9-14, 2007. 

Ms Maryam Wazir Keerio was best 

gymnast of the National Games who 

clinched three gold medals. Ms 

Tabasum Ilimuddin Keerio, Ms Raqoo 

Ilimuddin Keerio and Ms Isran Wazir 

Keerio won one gold medal each. 

Pakistan universities 12 men and five 

men women teams, which were 

selected after a strict filtering process, 

participated in the Games. Overall the 

HEC/PUSB squad bagged eight gold, 

three silver and eight bronze medals in 

different games in the mega event. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the 

Sports Division of the HEC played a 

Group photo of HEC/PUSB gymnasts who won six gold medals in National 

Games 2007. (L to R) Ms Tabasum, Ms Maryam, Prof. Dr. Yasmeen (Manager), 

Mr. Mustaqeem (Coach), Ms Isran and Ms Raqoo Keerio 

significant role to plan, coordinate and organize competitions and 

other sports related activities for the students and sports leaders of 

the Pakistan universities under the policy guidelines of PUSB. 

Honour for HEC Scholar in China 

Mr. Rafiq Muhammad Choudhry, an HEC Scholar pursuing his PhD 

studies under 'PhD Scholarships for Engineering Sciences, China' has 

won ' New Star Award' in the Civil Engineering School at Tsinghua 

University, Beijing, China for the academic year 2006-2007. 

Mr. Rafiq is the first foreign student to get this prestigious award of 

the University. The School of Civil Engineering comprises Departments 

of Construction Engineering and Management, Structural Engineering, 

Earthquake Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Hydraulics 

Engineering and Geo-Technical Engineering etc. 

The award was given jointly to two top researchers, one Chinese and 

one Foreigner, for which 317 students and 80 Professor voted to 

choose the new star of the School. The award makes eligible the 

winners to get the top most scholarship for the following year in the 

1st category for the two winners. 

“I think the whole purpose of this exercise is to recognize, give 

honour for the academic achievements and to motivate students for 

excellence in their performance”, said Mr. Rafiq. 

Mr. Rafiq Muhammad Choudhry 

12

Returning PhD Scholars Being Placed in Varsities 

The Higher Education Commission has processed the 

cases of 60 fresh PhD scholars who are returning 

from abroad after completing their studies for 

placement in universities as well as degree awarding 

institutions countrywide. 

At present, 18 scholars have joined the universities 

while 24 have been accepted by host institutions and 

placement of 18 scholars is under process. The 

Programme is open to all fields. 

It is expected that most of these young scientists, 

engineers, and medical professionals will make career 

in the academia once they are comfortably placed in 

the national universities. 

So far all the placements made are of non-HEC 

scholars as the Placement of Fresh PhD Scholars 

Returning from Abroad Programme is open for HEC as 

well as non-HEC scholars. 

The step is a significant breakthrough in reversing the 

brain drain and is providing an attractive academic 

environment to the highly qualified and talented 

young people to work in. 

This Programme aims at providing occupation to the 

scholars on their return to save them from the agony 

of unemployment. 

The universities benefiting from the first batch of 

PhDs include University of Arid Agriculture, 

Rawalpindi, PIEAS, Islamabad, COMSATS, Abbotabad, 

Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, International 

Islamic University, Islamabad, NWFP Agricultural 

University, Peshawar, Government College University, 

Lahore, University of Karachi, Karachi, University of 

Education, Lahore, Rawalpindi Medical College, 

Rawalpindi, and University of Peshawar, Peshawar. 

HEC to Strengthen Nursing Workforce 

The Higher Education Commission has decided to 

create facilities for innovative and exciting recruitment 

and retention programmes for nursing work force in 

Pakistan. 

“HEC will develop programmes for recruiting and 

retaining new nurses, experienced nurses and nursing 

students”. This was stated by Prof. Dr. Sohail. H. 

th 

Naqvi, Executive Director HEC while chairing 6 Task 

Force Committee meeting on Nursing Education held 

at HEC secretariat recently. 

It was decided in the meeting that all the educational 

institutions of medical disciplines should be involved 

in developing nursing curriculum keeping in view the 

needs and environment of the country. 

In this regard three sub-committees were constituted 

to develop a comprehensive report with reference to 

existing nursing curriculum. 

The report will consist of suggestions and strategies 

to formulate a uniform curriculum which should not 

only be acceptable to all medical institutions but 

should also posses the capability to work as a role 

model for future developmental programmes. 

The meeting also discussed faculty development 

programmes for the discipline through training and 

quality assurance. 

It was also decided that a countrywide survey should 

also be conducted to know various problems being 

faced by the discipline and to point out strategies for 

the development of skill enhancement in the nursing 

profession. 

Dr. Naqvi asked the participants to develop a project 

proposal (PC-I) with mutual consultation. “For this 

purpose HEC will provide all the financial assistance”, 

he said. 

The meeting was attended by the representatives of 

all the educational institutions of medical disciplines 

from across the country including Aga Khan University 

Karachi, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, 

Islamabad, Shifa International Islamabad, AINC 

Lahore and JPNC Karachi etc. 

13

Social Sciences Conference at IIUI 

Dr. Ishrat for Leading Role of Social Scientists 

Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Chairman, HEC's Committee for Development of Social Sciences and Humanities , Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, 

President, IIUI and others address concluding ceremony of the Conference 

Giving a wake up call to Pakistani teachers and 

students of social sciences, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, 

Chairman, HEC's Committee for Development of 

Social Sciences and Humanities has said that the 

world is moving towards a knowledge-based economy 

and Pakistan will be left behind if our teachers and 

students do not come forward with empirical research 

in Social Sciences. 

He was addressing the concluding ceremony of the 

International Social Sciences Conference organized by 

the Faculty of Social Sciences, International Islamic 

University Islamabad. The theme of the conference 

was 'Teaching of Social Sciences in Pakistan: The 

Search of Community and Paradigm'. The Conference 

was funded by the Higher Education Commission 

Urging the social scientists for a more active role in 

research and development, Dr. Ishat said that all 

kinds of social problems existed in Pakistan that await 

attention of social scientists. “Issues like gender 

discrimination, poverty, balance among Islamic and 

global values, extremism and a large number of other 

issues deserve serious attention and practical 

involvement of social scientists for empirical 

research”, he stressed. 

“There are many questions that cannot be answered 

by one discipline of social sciences. Coordinated 

research with interdisciplinary approach is need of the 

hour to answer questions of national importance with 

knowledge-based research”, he added. 

Dr. Ishart said that the present government had made 

historic increase in educational budget and a large 

amount is available for research, scholarship, faculty 

development, infrastructure and libraries etc in the 

field of social sciences. He urged teachers, 

researchers and students of social sciences to come 

forward and utilize the funds available in abundance 

for development of social sciences. 

Dr. Ishrat appealed senior faculty of universities not to 

discourage junior faculty with new ideas of research 

and asked to remove barriers of hierarchy, age and 

seniority in accepting original ideas of young and 

energetic researchers. 'Promote the culture of 

questioning and encourage your students and juniors 

to discuss their ideas openly and make research 

proposals. I appeal to social scientists of Pakistan to 

utilize the funds available at HEC and make a visible 

difference in the teaching, research and working of 

social scientists”, concluded Dr. Ishrat. 

Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, President IIUI, 

appreciated the concern developing in the HEC for 

balancing importance of social and pure sciences and 

said that solid research and significant publications in 

the field of social sciences is imperative for taking the 

nation out of social evils. 

Earlier, Dr. Khurram Qadir, Head, Department of 

History, IIUI, while elaborating the objectives of the 

conference said that development of a community of 

social scientists was one of the most important 

motives behind holding the conference. 

He thanked the HEC for funding the event and giving 

an opportunity to the social scientists of Pakistan to 

re-think their role in social development of country. 

14

The International Islamic University, 

th 

Islamabad (IIUI) organized its 19 

Cultural Festival at its H-10 Campus 

recently. Mr. Ali Awad Al-Asiri, Saudi 

Ambassador to Pakistan was chief guest 

at the inauguration ceremony. 

th 

IIUI Holds 19 Cultural Festival 

Highlighting the cordial relations 

between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Mr. 

Asiri said that Pakistan has vital position 

in the Islamic world and IIUI is playing 

its due role in disseminating Islamic 

knowledge in the societies including 

South Asia, Central Asia, and even in the 

Far East. 

He said that IIUI was a unique institute 

where the students were getting 

education in all fields of knowledge and 

they are equipping themselves culturally 

as well in a view to present a role model 

in this era. 

Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, President, 

IIUI said the present strength of 10,000 

students at the University will reach to 

about 30,000 students during next 10 

years. He said that Muslim cultural 

activities were held at women campus of 

the university for female students 

separately. 

Students from 27 countries highlighted 

the culture and common living of their 

countries at their separate stalls. They 

included stalls from Pakistan, Azad 

Kashmir, Jordon, Somalia, Nigeria, 

Nepal, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, 

China, Thailand, Indonesia, Saudi 

Arabia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. 

Mr. Ali Awad Al-Asiri, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia and Dr. Anwar Siddqui, 

President IIUI view a model of Masjid-e-Haraam at the cultural festival 

In addition, various faculties and departments of the University also 

arranged their stalls which included Iqra Centre for Technical 

Education, Da'wah Academy, International Institute of Islamic 

Economics, Islamic Research Institute, Shariah Academy, Faculty of 

Management Sciences, Faculty of Shariah and Law, Faculty of Basic 

and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Usuluddin, Faculty of Arabic, 

Faculty of Language Literature and Humanities and Faculty of Social 

Sciences. 

A literary gathering was also held in Arabic language which was 

largely attended by students from various countries. They recited 

their poems in Arabic language. An Urdu Mushaira was separately 

arranged as part of the cultural festival. Other activities of the 

festival included calligraphic competition, debates in Arabic, English 

and Urdu, Husn-e-Qirrat, Programming Competition, Teachers Race 

and Tug of War, Sports, Hifz ul Quran and Hifz ul Hadith and 

Interfaculty quiz competitions. 

The ceremony was attended by various ambassadors and diplomats 

based in Islamabad. On second day of the cultural festival, a cultural 

night was held where students presented plays. 

Dr. Azhar Javed, Head, Department of Law, Faculty of Shariah and Law, 

International Islamic University, Islamabad died of cardiac arrest recently. He 

was fifty. Dr. Azhar did his doctorate from Leeds University, UK before 

serving IIUI for about two decades. He was laid to rest at his native town 

near Wah Cantt. His Namaz-e-Janaza was attended by a large number 

of people including IIU faculty members, students and staff 

members. Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, President IIUI paid rich 

tributes to Dr. Azhar for his services to the University. 

15

st 

Hazara University Holds 1 Convocation 

Lt. Gen. (R) Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, Governor NWFP and Prof. Dr. Ihsan Ali, Vice Chancellor, Hazara University 

st 

speak during the 1 convocation of the University 

The first convocation of Hazara University was held 

on March 22, 2007. Lt. Gen. (R) Ali Muhammad Jan 

Aurakzai, Governor, NWFP, who is also Chancellor 

of the University, was the chief guest. 

Speaking at the occasion, the Governor said that 

the youth should step forward to herald dawn of a 

new era of peaceful co-existence and enlightened 

moderation. He appreciated the achievements of 

Hazara University despite the devastating 

earthquake of October 2005. 

While addressing the students, he said that 

learning was a continuous process. He advised the 

graduates to achieve professional excellence in 

their respective fields. “You have embarked upon a 

new journey in your lives. Education and training 

are the tools that will help you to face the 

challenges of life”, he said. 

In his welcome address, Prof. Dr. Ihsan Ali, Vice 

Chancellor, Hazara University talked about the 

challenges faced by the University. He, however, 

vowed to make the University a prime seat of learning 

and research. 

In the end, the Governor awarded degrees and 

medals to the graduates. In all, 553 MSc, MBA, MA, 

BBA, BSc (Hons) graduates received their degrees, 

while 57 graduates were awarded gold medals. 

NEWS 

in Picture 

Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Executive Director, Higher 

Education Commission (HEC), inaugurates the new 

website (www.iba-suk.edu.pk) of the Institute of 

Business Administration, Sukkur during his recent visit 

to the Institute. Mr. Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, Director 

IBA, briefed him about the vision of the Institute. Dr. 

Naqvi appreciated the efforts of the Director and 

faculty members of IBA for providing merit based 

quality education to the students. He assured full 

support from HEC for uplift of the Institute. 

16

th 

Greenwich University Holds 4 Convocation 

Ms Seema Mughal, Vice Chancellor, Greenwich University confers Honourary Doctorate degree on 

Mr. Hameed Haroon, CEO, Dawn Group of Newspapers 

“In this age of globalization, the role of education 

cannot be over emphasized. All stakeholders have to 

realize that Pakistan will never be able to get out of 

the quagmire of socio-economic backwardness 

without bringing about qualitative and quantitative 

improvements in our education system," said 

th 

President Musharraf, in his message on the 4 

convocation of Greenwich University. 

At the Convocation, held on March 24, 2007, degrees 

in different disciplines at Masters, Bachelors, and 

Baccalaureates levels were conferred on a total of 362 

students, while gold medals were awarded to twelve 

students who had excelled in various disciplines. 

In her address, Ms Seema Mughal, Vice Chancellor, 

Greenwich University said, “A Convocation represents 

a landmark in the academic life of a graduating 

student. It marks the end of one journey and 

beginning of another. It is a day not only of rejoicing 

but also of thanksgiving, both for the graduating 

students and their proud parents". 

"We at Greenwich have discarded the obsolete 

approaches to education which had confined learning 

to classrooms, laboratories, and libraries. Greenwich 

has a more innovative, dynamic and more 

comprehensive approach to education”, she added. 

Ms Mughal said that the graduates of Greenwich 

University are exposed to a variety of formal and 

informal learning situations, where they are trained to 

cope with all kinds of stressful situations, without 

losing their equanimity. 

The most outstanding aspect of Convocation 2007, 

however, was the conferment of Honorary Doctorate 

degrees on Mr. Hameed Haroon, CEO, Dawn Group of 

Newspapers and Prof. Dr. M. Riad H. Ismat, Syrian 

Ambassador to Pakistan. 

The degrees were conferred on the two distinguished 

personalities for their contributions to Print Media and 

Drama, respectively. 

'Greenwich Alumnus Excellence Award' went to Ms. 

Farah Agha, Chief Executive Officer of the largest 

open end spinning mill in the country. 

17

A delegation from Hong Kong Baptist 

University (HKBU) led by its Vice- 

President Prof. Y. K. Fan visited 

Government College University, Lahore 

recently. 

A Memorandum of Understanding was 

signed to collaborate and establish links 

between the two universities. The MoU 

stipulates the faculty and student 

exchange programmes. 

GCU Lahore, HKBU Sign MoU 

On the occasion, Prof. Fan informed the 

hosts about different disciplines and 

research being carried out at the 

HKBU. He also proposed setting up of 

Pakistan Chair at his University as a 

step forward towards establishing 

relationship in Academic Exchange 

Programmes. 

Prof. Dr. Khalid Aftab, Vice Chancellor, 

GCU, Lahore apprised the delegation 

about growth and progress of his 

Institution and various disciplines in 

emerging fields being offered to the 

students. 

The guests also visited the Sustainable 

Development Study Centre, 

Department of Economics and 

Postgraduate Library. 

Vice Chancellor, GCU Lahore and Vice President HKBU sign the Agreement 

Meanwhile, another MoU was signed with the Hong Kong University 

on academic links and collaboration in research and development 

programme during a visit of Prof. John A. Spinks, Senior Adviser to 

Vice Chancellor of Hong Kong University. 

According to this Agreement, HKU will offer undergraduate 

scholarships to the students of GCU and this will be reciprocated by 

GCU on same terms and conditions. Both the universities also 

committed to provide assistance to the students for visa facilitation 

and the other support with respect to boarding and lodging. 

Application of Strategic Management Process for Entrepreneurs 

One-day Workshop at GCU, Lahore 

A one-day workshop titled 'Enterprise 

Growth Skills: Application of Strategic 

Management Process for 

Entrepreneurs' was arranged under the 

auspices of GC University, Lahore- 

Cranfield Joint Higher Education Link 

Programme in the Department of 

Economics, GCU, Lahore on April 24, 

2007. 

The link has been established under 

HEC-British Council Joint Link 

Programme. The Workshop, which was 

part of the activities planned for the third year of this link, focused 

on developing the enterprise growth skills for entrepreneurs. Mr. 

Abdul Hamid Malik, Management Consultant and visiting faculty 

member at the Department of Economics, GCU was the resource 

person. 

Prof. Dr. Khalid Aftab, Vice Chancellor, GC University Lahore, while 

inaugurating the workshop, welcomed the participants and 

encouraged them to learn new management skills for achieving the 

competitive advantage in the increasingly competitive global 

business environment. 

Mr. Abdul Hamid Malik, the resource person, explained the 

18

entrepreneurial process and various steps involved in 

the strategic management process to the participants. 

He described the industry life cycle and asserted the 

role of innovation and creativity in attaining and 

maintaining the sustained competitive advantage. 

He classified the various organizations as cash cows, 

star, question mark and dog companies, according to 

their performance with reference to market share and 

anticipated growth rates. He also explained the 

strategies which could be adopted by entrepreneurs 

to innovate and remain a leader in their respective 

industries. After his presentation, the entrepreneurs 

were asked to categorize their companies according 

to their market shares and growth rates and 

formulate a strategy to remain at the top among their 

competitions. 

The entrepreneurs were assisted by few 

representative students, teachers, and bankers 

community in this process. The entrepreneurs then 

gave presentations about their organizations. 

NEWS 

in Picture 

The Fine Arts Department of Government College University, Lahore organized a three-day exhibition and 

competition of Fine Arts. More than 12 colleges and universities participated in the competition. Dr. Shaukat 

Mehmood (Maxim cartoonist), who was chief guest on the occasion, inaugurated the Exhibition. Dr. Khalid Aftab, 

Vice Chancellor, GCU Lahore and Mr. Erfan Ullah Babar, Chairman, Department of Fine Arts were also present. 

More than 60 paintings were displayed at Salam Hall, GC University. Dr. Shaukat appreciated the creative work 

done by the students. In the competition, Queen Mary College, Lahore; Lahore College for Women University, 

Lahore and Govt. College for Women, Gulberg got first, second and third positions respectively. 

19

'Poverty Alleviation through Agribusiness’ 

An inter-university seminar on “Poverty Alleviation 

through Agribusiness” was conducted by Economics 

Department of the Lahore College for Women 

University (LCWU), Lahore recently. 

An introduction to the topic was given by Ms. Tallat 

Yazdani, Associate Professor of Economics at LCWU. 

She highlighted the significance and core relationship 

between two major issues i.e. poverty alleviation and 

an improvement cum advancement of agriculture in 

Pakistan. 

In her presentation, Prof. Ms Riffat Saqlain, Dean of 

Social Sciences, LCWU gave a detailed and 

comprehensive analysis of both the issues 

accompanied with several suggestions for improving 

the quality and expanding the size of agribusiness 

activities. 

Prof. Dr. Zakir Hussain, Chairman, Economics 

Department, University of Sargodha discussed at 

length the inverse relationship between the level of 

agricultural productivity and extent of poverty 

prevailing in different regions of Pakistan. It was 

accompanied with presentation of data from different 

regions and different crops and fruits. 

Prof. Dr. Khalid Mustafa, Chairman, Department of 

Marketing and Agribusiness, University of Agriculture, 

Faisalabad presented an elaborate and technical 

analysis of the problems of agriculture like water 

availability, quality of seeds, types of fertilizer and 

marketing of product. 

The final presentation was made by Ms Saima 

Ghafoor, District Project Officer, DCO Office, Gujrat. 

(L to R) Dr. Sohail Zafar Cheema, Punjab Minister for 

Commerce and Investment, Prof. Dr. Bushra Mateen, VC, 

LCWU and Prof. Ms. Riffat Saqlain pose for a photograph 

She provided a detailed analysis of the various steps 

being taken by the Government of Punjab for tackling 

the concerned issues. She also gave a report on the 

project of Punjab Government being executed in 

twelve districts of the Province. 

Dr. Sohail Zafar Cheema, Minister for Commerce and 

Investment Department, Government of Punjab, was 

chief guest on the occasion. He highlighted various 

measures being taken by the Punjab Government for 

tackling the issue. 

In her address, Prof. Dr. Bushra Mateen, Vice 

Chancellor, LCWU emphasized the quality and 

standardization aspects for increasing the extent of 

market for agricultural products at home and abroad. 

Prof. Dr. Said Khan Khalil, Vice Chancellor, NWFP Agriculture University, 

Peshawar attended a two-day consultation workshop at International Centre 

for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Kathmandu, Nepal. The 

title of the Workshop was Postgraduate Fellowship and Consortium 

Development with Universities in the Greater Himalayan Region: 

With Initial Focus on Capacity Building of Kabul University. The 

meeting was attended by vice chancellors and other 

representatives from Afghanistan, China, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and other relevant regional and European 

organizations. The two-day deliberations mainly focused on the forging of a strong alliance of teaching, research, 

training and policy advocacy, especially on ways of supporting the development of Kabul University. The 

consultation workshop ended with the recommendations to create a broad-based consortium of universities and 

institutions embedded in the region to be called “Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), develop curriculum, 

knowledge networking, policy advocacy, and promoting the concept, practice of sustainable mountain development 

and map the academic and fellowship resources available in the member universities and institutions. 

20

Design, Build and Flying Contest Held 

Design, Build and Flying Contest was held at 

GIK Institute recently. Air Marshal Khalid 

Chaudhry, Chairman, Pakistan Aeronautical 

Complex, Kamra was chief guest on the 

occasion. 

In his address, Mr. Khalid said that the Contest 

had proved that our youth could excel even in 

the limited resources available to them. “The 

st 

21 century is extremely competitive but the 

habit of reading and desire to excel can lead 

our youth to attain their goal”, he said. 

The PAC Chairman said that it was 

encouraging and appreciable to see the 

excellent design, build and flying efforts made 

by the young engineers. “The level of 

professionalism and design is really attractive,” 

he added. 

The experts from PAC Kamra could visit the 

GIK Institute to guide our students,” said 

Rector, Dr. Abdullah Sadiq. 

Dr. Muhammad Abid, Coordinator of the 

Contest, said, “The contest is aimed to provide 

a platform to the undergraduate engineering 

students from all over Pakistan to participate 

in a multi-disciplinary field of aero-modelling, 

with a view to increase awareness, promote 

Aero Modelling display at GIKI 

creativity, learn practical implementation of designs and 

improve presentation skills”. 

Meanwhile, a three-day All Pakistan Mechanical Engineering 

Competition was also held at GIK Institute. The competition 

was organised by American Society of Mechanical 

Engineering, GIKI chapter. 

The students belonging to engineering varsities from all over 

the country participated in the competition. The contest 

encouraged the students to design models that demonstrate 

creativity and technical feasibility. The engineers competed in 

speed modelling and design using pro-E software. Technical 

papers related to the field of mechanical engineering were 

also presented. 

Intel Malaysia Selects Four GIKI Students 

Intel Malaysia has selected four students of 

GIK Institute for Summer Internships. This 

was stated by Mr. Hoo Tan, Manager Intel 

Cyberjaya and Edwin Lae, Innovation Centre 

Manager Intel Malaysia at the concluding 

ceremony of their four-day visit to the GIK 

Institute. 

Intel officials interviewed 11 students short 

listed from the Faculty of Computer Science 

and Engineering and the Faculty of Electronic 

Engineering. However, four students were 

finally selected to go to Malaysia for their summer 

internships. 

The visitors held talks with the GIKI academic staff to explore 

ways of mutual collaboration. They discussed various options, 

including launching of joint research projects. 

“The GIKI-Intel strong relations will continue to grow more in 

future. We were very impressed by the quality of education, 

world-class curriculum and talented faculty as well as GIK 

Institute students”, Mr. Hoo Tan said. 

21

GIKI Holds Industrial Open House, Career Fair 

Forty-one multinational and national companies 

participated in the GIK Institute 'Industrial Open 

House and Career Fair' held from April 11-12, 2007. 

The main purpose was to provide a meeting place to 

the students and their prospective employers. 

During the Industrial Open House, a poster 

presentation session was held in which the students 

presented their final year projects in the form of 

posters and other demonstrations. The event 

provided an opportunity to professionals from the 

industries and research organizations to meet the 

faculty and students and discuss linkages between 

academia and entrepreneurs. 

Mr. William Toh, Managing Director and CEO, Pakistan 

Tobacco Company, was chief guest at the concluding 

ceremony. He visited projects of the students and 

highly appreciated their work and skill. 

Speaking on the occasion, he said every project was 

outstanding which showed that the educational 

standard and confidence among the GIKI students 

was remarkable. 

Dr. Abdullah Sadiq, Rector GIKI said that the Institute 

was striving to contribute to the rapid technoindustrial 

transformation of the country and region by 

producing professionals of the highest caliber. 

“GIKI is a partner of the Asia-Link Programme of the 

European Union comprising seven universities from 

six countries. It has also successfully competed for 

the newly launched Pak-US Project and is perhaps the 

first Pakistani University to get research grants of the 

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air 

Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Islamic 

Development Bank”, he said. 

Seminar on Genetic & Biomedical Engineering 

Dr. Nasir Jamali, Dr. A.Q.K. Rajput, Dr. Aijaz Patoli and Dr. B. S. Chowdhry address participants of the Seminar 

Dr. Nasir. Z. Jamali, Research Associate, Sunny 

Downstate Hospital, New York, USA delivered a 

lecture during a seminar on “Importance of Basic 

Research in Genetic and Biomedical Engineering” at 

Mehran University of Engineering and Technology 

recently. 

In his presentation Dr. Jamali pointed out that a 

successful basic science research programme needs 

an environment that encourages free and open 

inquiry, which provides supportive services for 

academic achievement, scholarship, and creativity. 

“When you are heading for a research education you 

will get the deeper knowledge about research and 

development, increasing possibilities to make active 

choices among the multitude of biomedical research 

fields and to establish productive national and 

international contacts. Every aspect of health and 

disease, from the molecular mechanisms of gene 

action to population studies of global illnesses 

contributes to improve understanding of the cause of 

diseases and better treatment and prevention of 

many disorders. Researcher, educators, and clinicians 

can help each other to reach the common goals of 

improving people's health and alleviate suffering from 

disease”, he said. 

Dr. AQK Rajput, Vice Chancellor, MUET and Prof. Dr. B. 

S. Chowdhry, Chairman, Department of Biomedical 

Engineering also spoke at the occasion. 

22

NIIT Organizes Int'l Workshop on Networking 

NUST Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) 

organized a one-day international workshop on 

"Connection-Oriented Networks, MPLS, GMPLS and 

Optical Networks" on April 26, 2007. 

Dr. Harry G. Perros, an expert in Optical Networking, 

was keynote speaker from USA besides local experts. 

Dr. Perros is credited with four books on networksrelated 

subjects. He is a Professor of Computer 

Science, an Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor, 

and the Programme Coordinator of the Master of 

Science degree in Computer Networks at NC State 

University, USA. 

In his opening address Dr. S. M. H. Zaidi, Dean, NIIT 

underscored the importance of the workshop as a 

means of stimulating young researchers' interest in 

new research areas. 

Dr. Muhammad Yasin, Technical Member, termed the 

current boom of information and communication 

technology a welcome opportunity for multi million 

dollar investments in optical networks, radio 

frequency identification and nano technologies. 

During the second session, faculty and students from 

NIIT also presented their research findings and 

developments in the relevant fields. Dr. Harry Perros 

delivered a series of talks at different intervals in the 

second session. His main themes included areas like 

Wavelength Routing Networks, Protection schemes, 

and WDM rings; Multi-protocol Label Switching; 

Optical Burst Switching; Next Generation Networks 

(NGN). 

In his presentation, Dr. S. M. H. Zaidi focused on 

Broadband Access Technology Evolution Patters: 

Strategy and Recommendations for the Asian Region. 

Later, he presented the architecture, simulation set-up 

and results of his team's proposed NUST-Hybrid 

Passive Optical Network. 

Air Vice Marshal Khalid Masood Rajpoot, Deputy Chief 

of the Air Staff (Engineering), Pakistan Air Force was 

chief guest at the concluding session along with the 

Guest of Honour Admiral Mohammad Mushtaq, Pro- 

Rector National University of Sciences and 

Technology. 

Mr. Masood praised NllT's efforts in disseminating 

vitally needed technological awareness through 

international workshops and seminars. He indicated 

PAF's interest in benefiting from NUST's expertise in 

high-speed access network. 

Royal College Office at UHS for MRCP Exams 

The Federation of Royal College of Physicians, UK, has 

announced establishment of its office at the 

University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore for 

holding first MRCP examinations in Pakistan from 

2008. The University has received intimation in this 

regard from the College. 

The Royal College has appointed Prof. Dr. M. Akbar 

Chaudhry as chairman of the examination committee 

and has asked him to convene a meeting of Fellows 

of Royal Colleges to plan for the clinical examination 

from 2008. 

The Royal College of Physicians, London, will also 

conduct training courses for educators and examiners 

at the UHS. The courses will be conducted by a 

special team, headed by Prof. Parveen Kumar. Prof. 

Mubbashar Malik, UHS Vice Chancellor has welcomed 

the decision, saying it shows the Royal College's 

confidence in the varsity's examination system. 

He said now the Pakistani medical graduates would 

not face difficulties in getting British visa for postdoctoral 

studies, and they would also not have to go 

to Cyprus, India or China for getting the degree any 

more. 

The decision to set up its central office in UHS came 

after the visit of Royal College's Academic Vice- 

President Prof. Parveen Kumar and Medical Director 

Dr. Neil Dewhurst to the University. 

MRCP, a postgraduate examination, is usually taken 

during the period of general professional training in 

medicine, which follows registration with General 

Medical Council of the UK. 

23

ESEARCH 

Understanding Allergies and Asthma 

Allergic diseases and asthma have created havoc around the globe. They are prevalent in various parts of the 

world and it is believed that their incidence is escalating at an alarming rate. They affect the people of all ages 

and are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in all age groups, especially children. World Health 

Organization (WHO) has documented 300 million asthma sufferers and has reported 2,55,000 deaths due to 

asthma in 2005. 

Asthma and allergy remain a continuous cause of the loss of precious school and working hours and lack of 

productivity among the general masses. They bring about enormous financial burden on the society and cast a 

major impression on a nation's economy in terms of medications, hospitalization, lost working hours and reduced 

work output. 

Dr. Muhammad Anwar Waqar (left) is a Distinguished 

National Professor and Senior teacher of Cell and 

Molecular Biology at Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular 

Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), University of 

Karachi. Mr. Yahya Noori (right) is a PhD scholar at 

PCMD, University of Karachi. 

We belong to a developing country and unfortunately 

our population suffers at the hands of allergies and 

asthma as much as those of the developed countries. A 

place where quality basic medical care is available to a 

few, the sufferings of the poor are made worse not only 

because of the inaccessibility to the medical care, but 

also due to the lack of awareness about health and 

hygiene. They suffer both at the hands of disease and 

mismanagement because proper treatment requires 

understanding of asthma and allergic disorders in a 

broader perspective, which is usually deficient in our 

population. 

Most of the developed and many developing countries 

are running programmes on Allergy and Asthma 

research, but we are lagging far behind. It is the irony 

of fate that we do not even have the true 

epidemiological picture of our environment to depict the 

actual scenario, we also lack the information about the 

possible allergens present in our ambience. This data is 

much needed to comprehend the situation in its actual colours because we need to assess the damage already 

done and problems which are coming forth, because if a solid strategy is not devised to control these diseases, 

our population will continue to suffer from diseases which are easily manageable. 

Allergic diseases and asthma have a very well defined modus operandi. They are hypersensitivity disorders, which 

mean that they are a result of our body's excessive response to minor offenders, generally not supposed to incite 

such a response of great magnitude. These offenders are called allergens. These allergens are present both in our 

indoor or outdoor surroundings. Outdoor allergens can be pollen from grasses, trees, weeds or fungal spores, 

while indoor allergens can be fecal material from cockroaches, dust mites, cat or dog dander, fungal spores and 

many other objects. When they interact with our body, they sensitize us and are capable of throwing us into the 

frenzy of coughing, sneezing, urticaria and lachrymation, making us useless for many hours. 

To understand asthma and allergic disorders, it is very important to be aware of the events which take place at 

the cellular and molecular level. It is a type-I hypersensitivity response, which is mainly meant to protect the body 

against parasitic infections. In allergic patients, this response is misdirected and causes damage to the body itself. 

Type-I hypersensitivity response is mediated by IgE antibodies secreted by plasma cells in response to antigenspecific 

TH2 helper T cells. These antibodies bind to tissue mast cells and basophils and make them sensitized. 

Subsequent exposure leads to cross linking of these IgE antibodies, which causes degranulation of mast cells and 

24

Research Research 

basophils with the release of vasoactive molecules like histamine, heparin, prostaglandins, and cytokines that 

cause increased vascular permeability, mucous secretion, contraction of bronchial smooth muscle and other effects 

that lead to the symptoms of asthma and allergy. This does not occur in all individuals, but is specific for some 

people called atopic. This atopicity shows strong familial predisposition and the affected people are said to have 

some immune dysfunction, which leads to the hyper-reactivity of the immune system, that is otherwise not 

supposed to happen. These days, the treatment employed for these disorders is symptomatic rather than curative, 

and people are treated with antihistamines or immunosuppressants, that do not cure but rather alleviate the 

condition of the patient. 

Another possible treatment, which is now increasingly being used to treat allergies and asthma, is the 

immunotherapy. The concept is not very new but dates back to early twentieth century when Noon and Freeman 

tried to perform inoculation against hay fever. The antigens are isolated, treated and purified to be used as 

desensitizers that decrease the hyper-reactivity of the immune system. They shift the immune response from a 

predominant TH2-IgE to TH1 that does not lead to the formation of IgE antibodies and thus prevents the patients 

from effects of hypersensitivity leading to allergies and asthma. Immunotherapy is performed by either sublingual 

or subcutaneous route. It is generally safe, and studies have shown that they are efficient in decreasing the 

hyper-responsiveness of the immune system of the atopic individuals. 

In Pakistan, allergy and asthma have been a hot topic due to suffering of the people of the Federal Capital. For 

long, Paper Mulberry has been known as the culprit and all efforts have been made to eradicate it from 

Islamabad. But in spite of all the efforts, yet allergy remains a major problem for citizens that haunt them more 

than before. This signifies that Mulberry was only used as scapegoat, and an excuse for chopping off thousands of 

trees. Allergy is still there, and is still a problem for the people of Islamabad. As a matter of fact, the mulberry 

myth should ring some bells that it might not be the sole agent responsible for all the mayhem in Islamabad, 

there may be other factors, such as fungal spores, which could be a cause of the problems of the Federal Capital. 

It is high time that we should stop believing in myths, and start thinking scientifically and take pragmatic steps 

towards allergy research in Pakistan. This would not only help the ailing masses of our country but would also be 

a great service to the humanity. 

There is a problem with the allergy vaccines that they have to be prepared locally and they must contain extracts 

from local allergens because allergens are specific for specific areas and they also vary from season to season. As 

a first step in the basic Allergy Research, we at Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research 

(PCMD) have shouldered the responsibility to create a database of aerobiological agents present in the 

atmosphere of Pakistan. PCMD works under the umbrella of International Centre for Chemical and Biological 

Sciences, located at the University of Karachi. 

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has generously provided the funding for this project. We have already 

initiated our work at Karachi and Islamabad and have started collection of pollen and spore samples in these 

cities. Epidemiological studies are also being carried out to find out the pattern of symptoms in the general 

population. This database will be used to find out the actual culprits in the causation of allergies and preparation 

of local allergy calendar for the masses. This allergy calendar can be used to forecast about the allergens and 

warn the sensitized individuals to take precautionary measures. The identified offenders would be used in the 

preparation of allergy vaccines in Pakistan, which could be used to desensitize the allergy patients. 

This project is being run in collaboration with King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in 

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as the Director of Allergy and Aerobiology Unit, KFSHRC, Dr. Syed M. Hasnain has a vast 

experience in conducting Allergy Research. This allergy calendar can be used to forecast allergens and warn the 

sensitized individuals to take precautionary measures and prevent themselves from illness and loss of working and 

school-hours. 

25

UAE University Team Wins Microsoft Imagine Cup 

The winning team to compete in the world 

championships in Seoul, Korea in August 2007 

The United Arab Emirates University Team was recently 

announced as winner of the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2007 in 

Dubai, after competing head to head against three other 

teams. 

Microsoft Gulf, in partnership with Centre of Excellence for 

Applied Research and Training (CERT), i-mate and Emirates 

Integrated Telecommunication Company, opened registration 

to Imagine Cup 2007 last November for students from the 

UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait at an event held in 

Abu Dhabi, in conjunction with the global launch of the 

competition. 

Two hundred and twenty students from universities across 

the region entered the competition, and nine project 

proposals were short listed. The panel of judges chose the 

best four entries submitted to be presented in finals in Dubai. 

"Imagine Cup, the world's premiere student technology 

competition, represents the next generation of technology 

and business leaders," said Charbel Fakhoury, General 

Manager, Microsoft Gulf. "Microsoft is proud to announce the 

inclusion of the Gulf countries in this competition, as we 

believe that these students have a lot to contribute in terms 

of both innovation and technology to really make a difference 

in peoples' everyday lives", he said. 

Dubai sets an ideal environment for fostering innovation and 

enabling people to realize their full potential. The technology 

available for students coupled with state-of-the-art university 

facilities enables students to expand on their knowledge, and 

see their innovative and creative ideas materialize into 

inventions that can help improve people's lives. 

More than 65,000 students from 100 countries competed in 

Microsoft Corp.'s Imagine Cup 2006 competition, using their 

technology skills and talent to create new technologies that 

can benefit mankind. The theme for the Imagine Cup 2007 

revolves around education, and it asked the brilliant minds of 

the future to "imagine a world where technology enables a 

better education for all." 

Now in its fifth year, Imagine Cup challenges students to 

bring their ideas to life in a multifaceted competition that 

comprises nine categories, each catering to a different 

technological or artistic affinity. Students' work reflected 

valuable, real world solutions, while giving them the 

Imagine cup winners 

opportunity to compete for cash prizes. When 

coupled with the power of technology, the 

potential of young people is unlimited and the 

ideas they develop for the Imagine Cup could 

significantly improve the lives of millions of 

people around the world. 

Students competed in nine categories 

spanning from software design and short film 

to challenges involving algorithms and 

programming. Students' work reflected 

valuable, real-world solutions that addressed 

the pressing global issue of education while 

giving them the opportunity to compete for 

generous cash prizes. 

The United Arab Emirates University Team's 

project entitled 'Mobile Learning - A 

Specification of SMS Quiz Engine' was 

developed by four young students Eiman Al 

Mansoori, Hifa Ahmed Jarah, Fatema Al 

Mansoori, and Ghalyah Ali, and was able to 

succeed in winning the Microsoft Imagine Cup 

2007. 

The young students will travel to Seoul, Korea 

where they will compete in the world 

championships in August 2007, to present 

their entries to a panel of judges from 

academia and the technology industry. 

The finalists will be selected, and a worldwide 

winner from each category will be announced. 

Prizes for Imagine Cup 2007 will total more 

than US $170,000 across the nine categories. 

Courtesy: www.zawya.com 

26

Australia Creates $5 Billion Fund for Varsity Research 

Australia will create a A$5 billion ($4.1 billion) fund 

for universities and will spend more money on schools 

and teachers, Treasurer Peter Costello said. 

The fund will be used to pay for research and repairs 

to crumbling buildings and other works at universities 

and colleges. The government will also spend A$3.5 

billion to increase numeracy and literacy among 

school children, providing vouchers for private 

tutoring and summer schools for teachers to train. 

“This is a bold and innovative fund that will invest in 

our future,'' Costello told reporters in Canberra as he 

released the 2007-08 budget. “It is the greatest 

educational endowment that will set Australia up for 

generations.'' 

The A$5 billion endowment fund, to be created from 

the 2006-07 budget surplus, will earn dividends of 

between A$300 million to A$400 million a year. The 

income will be allocated to universities. Costello said 

money from future cash surpluses would be added to 

the fund. 

The Australian government forecast a A$10.6 billion 

surplus in the year ending June 30, 2008, and A$12.9 

billion the following year. 

“We will add to the fund out of the next financial year 

and in the years after that,'' Costello said. “We have 

the aim of building a perpetual fund, which will create 

first-class institutions”. 

Courtesy: Bloomberg.com 

Diabetes Drug May Help Fight Breast Cancer 

Drugs developed to tackle obesity and diabetes may 

also fight breast cancer, scientists have found. They 

believe they work by blocking an enzyme behind two 

out of five cases of the cancer. 

The drugs have already been tested for safety in 

clinical trials for their original use. That means they 

could be fast-tracked into trials on breast cancer 

patients, and reach the market much more quickly. A 

brand new drug would take many years to research 

and develop. The scientists, from McGill University in 

Montreal, looked at the role an enzyme called PTP1B 

plays in breast cancer. 

It is already known to be an important factor in 

diabetes and obesity, but it is also found in high levels 

in around 40 per cent of breast cancer patients. 

Using mice genetically engineered to be prone to 

breast cancer, the researchers found that blocking 

production of the enzyme significantly slowed tumour 

development - and in some cases stopped tumours 

from forming altogether. Cutting off the supply of the 

enzyme also stopped the cancer from spreading to 

the lungs. 

Researcher Dr. Michel Tremblay, whose findings are 

reported in the journal Nature Genetics, described the 

find as "very important and surprising". 

"The excitement is we are not going to have to wait 

for seven years of research. The compound has 

already been developed in many cases. 

"Clinical trials for diabetes have shown that the drug 

has very low toxicity in comparison to other anticancer 

treatments, so the side effects are minimal, 

especially when it's administered for a very short 

period. 

"Today, we are starting to look at the role of PTP1B in 

other types of cancer, like ovarian cancer and certain 

deadly kinds of adult leukaemia. We hope to start 

those studies in the months ahead." 

Dr. Philip Branton, of the Canadian Institute of Cancer 

Research, said: "This is already halfway or more than 

halfway down the pipeline. 

The mice involved were genetically engineered to 

make a rogue protein that fuels the growth of up to a 

quarter of breast cancers in women. The best 

treatment for this type, which grows and spreads 

particularly quickly, is the drug Herceptin. 

Dr. Tremblay said that combining the new drugs with 

Herceptin could provide 'a two-way kill'. 

Courtesy: Daily Mail 

27

National Research Grant for Universities 

Under Research Grant Project of Higher Education Commission, creative researchers of the country working in 

various fields of science and technology as well as social sciences are awarded research grants to enable them to 

conduct R&D in priority areas of science and technology, relevant to national needs. 

Twenty projects are being included in this issue. The other project proposals will continue to be published in the 

forthcoming issue of the magazine. 

Principal Investigator Subject Institution Amount 

Rs. 

Period 

Dr. Hamidullah Shah 

Mycotoxins in cereal crops as a risk 

factor for food safety in Pakistan 

NWFP Agricultural 

University, Peshawar 

1,901,117 3 Years 

Dr. Nasir Ahmad Saeed 

Molecular genetic study of NBS-LRR 

super-family of resistance (R) 

genes for developing leaf rust 

disease resistance in wheat (T. 

aestivum) 

Quaid-i-Azam University, 

Islamabad 

1,968,600 3 Years 

Dr. Abdul Hakeem Shaikh 

Ecology, dynamics and potential of 

some micro-organisms on 

population health of Karachi 

district 

Federal Urdu University of 

Arts, Sciences & 

Technology, Karachi 

1,974,995 3 Years 

Dr. Raheel Qamar 

Mapping the genes responsible for 

autosomal recessive retinitis 

Pigmentosa 

COMSATS Institute of 

Information Technology, 

Islamabad 

5,964,450 3 Years 

Dr. Abdur Rab 

Evaluation of heat treatment 

methods for the posthaevest 

quality and storage life of citrus 

(sweet orange) fruit 

NWFP Agriculture 


1,032,240 2 Years 

Dr. Hidayat -ur-Rahman 

Production of modified double cross 

maize hybrids as source of low cost 

seed 

NWFP Agriculture 


1,705,170 3 Years 

Dr. Shahla Siddiqui 

An assessment of expectations of 

families of patients admitted in the 

intensive care unit 

The Aga Khan University, 

Karachi 

56,304 3 Months 

Dr. Dileep Kumar Rohra 

Quantification of cell free foetal 

mRNA in maternal plasma: An 

approach towards the development 

of a predictive biochemical marker 

for preeclampsia 


Karachi 

3,105,900 2 Years 

Dr. Asifa Ahmed 

Differential proteomic analysis of 

human ocular fluids 

COMSATS Institute of 

Information Technology, 

Islamabad 

1,099,050 2 Years 

28

Amount 

Principal Investigator Subject Institution Period 

Rs. 

Dr. Tahira Nasreen Arshed Postgraduate “Diploma in Physics 

Education” - Training physics 

graduates for the teaching 

profession using research - Based 

interactive techniques in quality 

Education 


Arts, Science and 

Technology, Karachi 

3,723,500 2 Years 

Dr. Zahid Mahmood Parent – child relationship : 

attachment styles, parental – rearing 

and children behavioural problems 

GC University, Lahore 2,099,645 3 Years 

Dr. Yasin Raashid 

The release trial: a randomised trail 

of umbilical vein oxytocin versus 

placebo for the treatment of retained 

placenta 

King Edward Medical 

University, Lahore 

829,770 3 Years 

Dr. Farooq Latif 

Strain improvement of humicola 

specie/s for over production of 

cellulase and application in the 

finishing of garments 


Islamabad 

3,704,640 3 Years 

Dr. Muhammad Raza Shah Synthesis of nanotubes and ring 

polymers from realm of scientific 

curiosoty to reality 

University of Karachi, 

Karachi 

1,899,451 3 Years 

Dr. Sumayya Saied 

Evaluation of disinfection by-products 

(DBPs) and mutagen level and their 

formation potential associated health 

risk in the various sources of drinking 

water of Karachi 


Karachi 

1,948,000 2 Years 

Dr. Majid Mumtaz 

Evaluation of heavy metals pollution 

in the edible fishes of Arabian sea 

along the Karachi coastal region 


Karachi 

764,000 1 Year 

Dr. Muhammd Afzal 

Ghauri 

Biotechnological applications of 

microorganisms in bioleaching and 

bioremediation of metals 


Islamabad 

3,598,927 3 Years 

Dr. Tahira Iqbal 

Molecular heterogeneity of 

acetylation of different probe drugs in 

local populations 

University of Agriculture, 

Faisalabad 

4,384,470 2 Years 

Dr. Sheikh Abdul Saeed 

Effect of chronic treatment with the 

constituent s of nigella sativa seeds 

extract on reproductive parameters 

in male rat 


Karachi 

972,391 3 Years 

Dr. Nasrullah Khan 

Minimum ignition energy study of 

combustible fuel gases 


Arts, Science & 

Technology, Islamabad 

9,477,735 3 Years 

29

Travel Grants to Teachers 

Following travel grants, for the faculty members of public sector universities, were sanctioned in February 2007: 

Name & Address of applicant Title of Conference Venue Date(s) of 

Conference 

Recommended 

grant in PKR 

th 

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Saeed, D/o 

9 Int’l Symposium on 

Karachi 11-14.01.2007 19,555 

Chemistry, Gomal University 

Protein Structure 

D. I. Khan 

Ms. Asma Saeed, Lecturer, D/o 

Biological Science, Gomal University, 

D. I. Khan 

Mr. Abdul Raziq, PhD Scholar, D/o 

Livestock Management, U/o 

Agriculture, Faisalabad 

Dr. Muhammad Younas, Professor, 

D/o Livestock Management, U/o 


Mr. Kashif Altaf, Lecturer, D/o 

Electrical Engineering, CIIT, Islamabad 

Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, 

Professor, Dean, D/o Teacher 

Education, AIOU, Islamabad 

Dr. Mulazim Hussain Bukhari, Asst. 

Prof., D/o Pathology, King Edward 

Medical University, Lahore 

Mr. Muhammad Ishfaq Khan, 

Lecturer/PhD Scholar, D/o Weed Sc. 

NWFP Agri. University, Peshawar 

Mr. Abrar Ahmad, Associate Prof., 

D/o Management Science, Iqra 

University, Islamabad 

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Ch., Dir 

(Acting), HEJ Research Institute, U/o 

Karachi. 

Ms. Imrana Muzammil Sial, PhD 

Scholar,Marine Reference Collection 

& Resource Centre, U/o Karachi 

Ms Fariha Muniza, PhD Scholar, 

Marine Reference Collection & 

Resource Centre, U/o Karachi 

Ms Farhana Shafiq Ghory, PhD 

Scholar, D/o Zoology, U/o Karachi 

Ms Hala Bano, PhD Scholar, D/o 

Zoology, U/o Karachi 

Dr. Faisal Manzoor Arain, Asst. Prof., 

D/o Management, IBA, Karachi 

Mr. Sh. Muhammad Nawaz, Asst. 

Prof., D/o Fibre Technology, U/o 

Agriculture Faisalabad 

Mr. Saif Ullah Khan, PhD Scholar, 

D/o Geography, U/o Peshawar. 

Ms. Farah Naz, Research Associate, 

National Centre of Excellence, U/o 

Sindh, Jamshoro 

Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal, Associate Prof, 

D/o Land and water Management, 

SAU, Tandojam 

th 


Protein Structure 

Int’l Camel Conference on 

Recent Trends in Cameild 

Research 

Int’l Camel Conference on 

Recent Trends in Cameild 

Research 

WSEAS Int’l Conference on 

signal Processing 

th 

19 Annual at -Risk Youth 

National Forum 

Int’l Conference Recent 

Advances in Clinical Oncology 

International Conference on 

Environment Survival and 

Sustainability 

th 

9 South Asian Management 

Forum Conference 

th 

11 ISCB Conference (Int’l 

Conference on Advance in 

Drug 

th 

27 Pakistan Congress of 

Zoology 

th 


Zoology 

th 


Zoology 

th 


Zoology 

th 

5 Int’l Conference on 

Construction 

Textile Institute 85th World 

Conference, 2007 

International Conference 

by USEPAM 

th 

5 Int’l Congress on Food 

Technology 

Int’l Conference on Water & 

Flood Management 

Karachi 11-14.01.2007 18,180 

India 16-17.02.2007 51,680 

India 16-17.02.2007 50,000 

Greece 16-19.02.2007 125,615 

USA 17-21.02.2007 149,500 

UAE 19-22.2.2007 95,200 

Cyprus 19-24.02.2007 95,500 

Bangladesh 24-25.02.2007 75,810 

India 24-26.02.2007 43,750 

Multan 27 Feb. to 01 

March 2007 


March 2007 

14,770 

14,770 


March 2007 

14,770 

Multan 27 Feb. to 01 14,770 

March 2007 

Singapore 1-2.03.2007 98,350 

Colombo, 

Sri Lanka 

1-3.03.2007 109,900 

Hanoi, 05-08.03.2007 74,750 

Vietnam 

Greece 9-11.03.2007 93,580 

Bangladesh 12-14.03.2007 55,800 

30


Conference 

Recommended 

grant in PKR 

Syed Hameed Qaiser, PhD Scholar, 

D/o Computer Engg. (CASE), UET 

Taxila 

st 


Physics & Technology of 

Rectors 

Morocco 14-16.03.2007 97,750 

Ms. Maria Mahar Shaikh, MS 

Student, D/o Computer Science, 

PAF-Karachi Institute of Eco & Tech, 

Karachi 

Mr. Ayaz ul Hassan Khan, Asst. Prof., 

D/o Computer Sc., MAJU, Karachi 

Mr. Muhammad Mahrrof Khan, Asst. 

Prof., F/o Administrative Sciences AJK 

University 

Prof. Dr. Shahida Hasnain, Dean, F/o 

Life Sciences, U/o the Punjab, 

Lahore 

Mr. Imran Raza, Lecturer, D/o 

Computer Science, CIIT, Lahore 

Mr. Arshad Ali, Chairma n, D/o 

Management Sciences, U/o 

Malakand 

Dr. Fahim Uddin, Professor & 

Chairman, D/o Chemistry, U/o 

Karachi 

Mr. Ghulam Murtaza Arain, Ph.D 

Scholar, D/o High-Tech Central 

Resource Laboratory, U/o Sindh 

Jamshoro 

Ms Amber Rehana Solangi, 

Research Officer/Lecturer, NCE in 

Analytical Chemistry, U/o Sindh 

Jamshoro 

Ms Arfana Mallah, Lecturer, I/o 

Chemistry, U/o Sindh, Jamshoro 

Ms Sobia Baig, PhD Scholar, F/o 

Electronic Engg., GIKI, Topi, 

Mr. Shakeel Ahmad, Asst. Prof., I/o 

Computing & IT, Gomal University, 

D. I. Khan 

Dr. Dileep K. Rohra, Assoct Prof., 

D/o Biological & Biomedical 

Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 

Mr. Zaheer Abbas, Ph D Scholar, D/o 

Business Administration, MAJU, 

Islamabad 

Dr. Waseem Akram, Associate Prof., 

D/o Agri-Entomology, U/o 


Mr. Zeeshan Alam Nayyar, Lecturer, 

D/o Applied Physics, U/o Karachi 

Prof. Dr. Nasrullah Khan, D/o 

Electrical Engg., CIIT, Islamabad 

Int’l Conference on Internet 

& Multimedia System 

rd 


Intelligent Computing and 

Information System 

Representation of 9/11 

Conference 

th 

12 Conference on 

Microbiology 

Int’l Multi Conference of 

Engineers and Computer 

Scientists 2007 

SAM International Busines 

Conference 

th 

7 Int’l Conference & 

Exhibition on Chemistry and 

Industry 

th 



Industry 

th 



Industry 

th 



Industry 

IEEE Int’l. Symposium on 

Power Line 

Asia Modeling Symposium 

2007 

th 


Diabetes and Pregnancy 

th 

14 Global Finance 

Conference 

rd 

73 American Mosquito 

Control Association Annual 

Meeting 

rd 


Energy and Power System 

IASTED Asian Conference: 

Asia PES 2007 

France 14-16.03.2007 119,340 

Cairo 15-18.03.2007 96,210 

London 16-17.03.2007 82,930 

Egypt 18-20.03.2007 80,000 

Hong Kong 21-23.03.2007 122,025 

USA 25-28.03.2007 165,700 

Bahrain 26-28.03.2007 72,090 

Bahrain 26-28.03.2007 67,400 

Bahrain 26-28.03.2007 72,400 

Bahrain 26-28.03.2007 73,000 

Italy 26-28.03.2007 107,180 

Thailand 27-30..03.2007 101,900 

Turkey 29-31.03.2007 120,710 

Australia 1-4.04.2007 162,400 

USA 1-5.04.2007 181,240 

Thailand 2-4.04.2007 103,460 

Thailand 2-4.04.2007 109,400 

31


Conference 

Recommended 

grant in PKR 

Mr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD Evo 2007 Spain 11-13.04.2007 113,750 

Scholar, Centre for Advanced Studies 

in Engg., U/o Engg. & Technology, 

Taxila 

Dr. Shaukat Iqbal Malik, Asso. Prof. 2007 APQN Conference & AGM Malaysia 4-7.02.2007 101,200 

D/o Biotech. & Informatics, BUITMS, 

Quetta 

Ms Syedah Zahra Atiq, Research UKCBR 2006 + AL-2006 UK 11-13.12.2006 125,005 

Associate, D/o Computer Science, 

Lahore University of Management 

Sciences, Lahore 

Ms Adila Rani, Scientific Officer, To persue PhD Studies Australia 40,000 

Materials Science Research Centre 

Mr. Nisar Ahmad Jamil, Associate 

Professor, D/o Fibre Technology, 

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 

nd 

2 International Conference 

of Applied Research on 

Textile 

Tunisia 30 Nov- 

2.12.2006 

12,000 

Dr. S. M. Saqlain Naqvi, Associate 

Prof. Biochemistry, Arid Agriculture 

Univ.Rawalpindi 

International Symposium 

2006 

Sri Lanka 12,655 

GRANTS TO ORGANIZE SEMINARS 


Conference 

Recommended 

grant in PKR 

Dr. Nadeem ul Haque, Director 

Pakistan Development Economics 

nd 

22 Annual General Meeting 

and Conference of Pakistan 

Society Development 

Economists 

Lahore 19-1.12.2006 450,000 

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zafarullah, 

Director, I/o Management Sciences, 

BZU, Multan 

Prof. Dr. Mira Phailbus, Principal, 

Kinnairad College for Women, 

Lahore 

Mr. Zahir Ali, Chairman, D/o 

Biotechnology, U/o Malakand 

Ms Samra M. Khan, Director, 

D/o Theatre, National College of Arts, 

Rawalpindi 

Dr. Anjum Halai, Head, Research & 

Policy Studies Unit, AKU-IED, Aga 

Khan Univ. Karachi 

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sarwar, 

Director, I/o Animal Nutrition & Feed 

Technology, U/o Agriculture, 

Faisalabad 

Prof. Zaman Shaikh, Chairman 

Organizing Committee, Dow 

University of Health Sciences, 

Karachi 

Prof. Dr. Abdul Rauf Shakoori, 

President ZSP, School of Biological 

Sc. U/o the Punjab, Lahore 

Prof. Dr. Parveen Shah, Director, I/o 

Women Development Studies, U/o 

Sindh, Jamshoro 

Semester System of 

Education: Challenges & 

Prospects 

Wiscomp Women Insecurity 

Conflict Management & Peace 

Multan 24-25.1.2007 125,000 

Lahore 15-9.02.2007 100,000 

st 

1 National Symposium on 

Biotechnology: Recent 

Advances 

Malakand 20-23.2.2007 300,000 

Folk and Traditional Sources: Rawalpindi 21-4.02.2007 390,000 

Towards Contemporary 

Pakistani Theatre 

Teacher Status Karachi 22-23.2.2007 260,000 

Int’l Nutrition Conference - 

2007 

rd 

3 Annual Symposium of 

Dow University of Health 

Sciences 

th 


Zoology (International) 

Legal Status of Women 

(International Women's Day) 

Faisalabad 23-24.2.2007 450,000 

Karachi 23-6.02.2007 888,000 


March, 2007 

500,000 

Jamshoro 08.03.2007 150,000 

32


Conference 

Recommended 

grant in PKR 

Prof. Dr. Abdul Hameed, Professor, 

D/o Microbiology, QAU, Islamabad 

6th Intel Biennial Conference 

of Pakistan Society for 

Microbiology 

Islamabad 18-1.03.2007 1,197,500 

Dr. Mian Aftab Ahmad, Chairman, 

D/o Psychology & Applied 

Psychology, U/o the Punjab, Lahore 

Dr. Mian Aftab Ahmad, Chairman, 

D/o Psychology & Applied 

Psychology, U/o the Punjab, Lahore 

New Trends in Psychological 

Research 

International Conference on 

Psychosocial Factors 

Affecting Extemism. 

Lahore 6-7.4.2007 0 

Lahore 6-8.12.2007 0 

CDWP Approved Projects 

Following projects were approved in the recent meeting of Central Development Working Party (CDWP) held in 

April, 2007: 

Project: Post Earthquake Development 

Plan for Hazara University 

Capital Cost: Rs. 340.337 million 

Project: Strengthening of Library Facilities 

at Islamia University, Bahawalpur 


Project: Establishment of BZU College of 

Textile Engineering 


Project: Dairy Training and Development at University of 

Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 


Project: Strengthening and Up-gradation of the Institute of Food 

Sciences and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 


Project: External Development of Land (356 Acres) in Sector H- 

12 at Islamabad for NUST (Phase-IV) 


A group of senior students from the College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences of the Sultan Qaboos University 

(SQU) gave a detailed presentation of their recent study tour of Pakistan at Faculty Club of the University in 

Muscat. Mr. Javed Hafiz, Pakistan's Ambassador was the chief guest. He was accompanied by Dr. Ali Al Bimani, 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the SQU and other leading officials of the university management. 

Apart from getting first-hand experience of Pakistan's agricultural successes, the students had also met some top 

officials including Governor of Punjab Lt. Gen. (R) Khalid Maqbool. They also visited the offices of Pak-Oman 

Development Bank in Karachi. 

33

Higher Education Commission 

Universities of Engineering, Sciences and Technology 

of Pakistan-Technology Park 

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is establishing universities in collaboration with foreign partners 

under the UESTP-Tech Park Programme. Work on three universities has started and is expected to begin 

shortly on the others. Classes are expected to start by 2009 on the main campus sites. 

The HEC is looking for four or more Project Coordinators for implementation of these Mega Projects. These 

will be senior management positions reporting directly to the Executive Director/Chairman, Higher 

Education Commission. 

The position holders will be responsible and accountable for: 

? Developing and leading a project development team 

? Tendering, contractor selection, award, and commissioning of the project; Liaison/coordination with 

relevant government organizations to get all approvals/consents 

? Coordination, implementation and monitoring of all contract agreements; General project planning 

and management in Pakistan in consultation with foreign partner universities 

Candidate's Profile: 

Appointment of Project Coordinators 

? Should have a university degree in a branch of Engineering and/or Masters in Business 

Administration or similar qualification from a reputable University 

? Managerial experience in large projects 

? Knowledge of technical, operational, commercial and contractual aspects of project implementation 

and modern computer assisted management techniques 

? Should have strong interpersonal and communication skills and be motivated and focused on 

project details 

? Age limit is 60 years, relaxable subject to physical fitness 

HEC is an equal opportunity employer and offers a conducive work environment, average salary of 

Rs. 200,000/- per month plus fringe benefits. 

Interested candidates should send their detailed resume along with a recent passport size photograph 

latest by June 5, 2007. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

Apply to: 

Ahmer Rafi 

Senior Project Manager 


UEST Programme, 368-D, Street No. 26 

Sector 1-8/2, Islamabad 

Phone: 051-9235443; Fax: 051-9259047 

E-mail: arafi@hec.gov.pk 

34

Foreign Scholarships from UNESCO-L'Oreal 

For Short-term PhD Research Network in Life Sciences 

Higher Education Commission invites applications from bright Pakistani/AJK nationals, possessing very good 

standing/grades, for award of UNESCO-L'OreaL scholarships. 

Eligibility Criteria: 

? Only Female Candidates 

? born after 01-01-1973 

? Enrolment n PhD programmes in local HEC recognized institutions (programmes may be HEC sponsored or 

through any other funding source) 

? PhD course work should be completed (proof is required) 

? PhD research proposal must be approved by the authorized forum of their existing university (proof is 

required) 

? GRE International (obtained after 30-06-2005) OR NTS-HEC scholarship test score (equal to or above 

50), obtained after 30-06-2006 

? a placement in world renowned university/laboratory, preferably in an advanced country (proof of host 

institution's letter of acceptance is required where PhD research work will be carried out) 

Proposed Field of Study: 

Life Sciences (Biology, Bio-Chemistry, Bio- Technology and Physiology) 

Number of Scholarships: Four (04) 

Duration of Scholarship: 

Announcements 

st 

st 

? Phase-I: 12 months (starting from 1 March, 2008 to 1 March, 2009) 

? Phase-II: 12 months (optional) 

General Instructions: 

Kindly visit our website. 

www.hec.gov.pk/unesco to get information on: 

A. Eligibility Criteria set by funding agency 

b. Download Application Form (4* UNESCO- L'Oreal, application forms and 1* HEC application form) 

c. How to send your Application Form 

d. Documents to be attached with the application form 

1. Attach an original Bank Draft of Rs. 200/- (nonrefundable, as processing fee), drawn in favour of DG 

(Finance), HEC, along with your application form (mandatory) 

2. Applicants will have to give undertaking to HEC, that after completion of their studies they will serve in 

Pakistan for a period equivalent to their sponsored duration of studies abroad 

3. Incomplete application forms will summarily be rejected 

4. Completely filled application form should reach the HEC on or before 30-06-2007 on the address given below: 

Rezwana Siddiqui 

Project Director (FFSP/UNESCO) 

E-mail: ffsp@hec.gov.pk 


Sector H-9, Islamabad 

35

Announcements 

Scholarships for General Medicine Studies 

in Cuba for Session 2007 (Batch-II) 

Who can apply? 

All Pakistani/AJK nationals- attaining age between 17-25 year as on closing date of the advertisement -who have 

obtained at least 60 per cent marks in FSc/A-level (Pre-Medical), are eligible to apply. 

Scholarship Details 

Language 

All students will be required to learn Spanish language and undergo one-year language training programme in Cuba 

Programme 

Regular Graduate Programmes in General Comprehensive Medicine (equivalent to MBBS), spread over a period of 

five years, subject to successful completion of Spanish language course 

Funding 

Programme is fully funded by the Republic of Cuba and the Government of Pakistan 

How to apply 

1. Download application form available at HEC website (www.hec.gov.pk/cuba) 

2. Type or fill the application form using black ink and CAPITAL LETTERS 

3. Attach attested photocopies of following documents with your application form: 

? SSC/O-level certificate(Science Group) 

? FSc/A-level certificate (Pre-Medical) 

? Computerized NIC or B-Form, whichever is applicable 

? Domicile Certificate 

? Father's computerized national identity card and domicile certificate 

? Four attested passport size recent photographs 

? Original Pay Order /Bank Draft or Postal Order for Rs. 200/- (non refundable, as processing fee), drawn in favour 

of DG (Finance), Higher Education Commission, Islamabad (Photocopy of the pay order will not be acceptable) 

Closing Date of Advertisement 

Send the filled application form duly completed in all respect along with attested copies of all testimonials and 

th 

original bank draft/postal order on or before Saturday, 9 June 2007 during office hours to the address given below. 

Important Note 

? Selection will be based on merit, using the following merit formula and observing regional quota as prescribed by 

the Government of Pakistan 

Merit Formula = 0.3 * % in SSC + 0.7 *% in HSC 

? Quota seats will be filled on the basis of domicile 

? O-level/A-level applicants have to provide equivalence and proof of grades/percentage from IBCC (Mandatory) 

? Those who have previously applied for Batch-I under the scheme mentioned are required to apply again 

? List of selected candidates will be declared on HEC website: www.hec.gov.pk/cuba 

Closing Date 

Saturday, June 9, 2007 (during office hours) 

Project Director 

HRD Division 

E-mail: cuba@hec.gov.pk 

Phone: 051-9080252, 9080266 


Sector H-9, Islamabad 

36

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