UVAS’s Narowal Sub campus inaugurated

LAHORE, March 18 (APP):Federal Minister for Interior, Planning Development & Reforms Prof Ahsan Iqbal has inaugurated University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences’s Narowal Sub-Campus “Khan Bahadur Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad Para-Veterinary School Narowal”.
The school has been named after Ahsan Iqbal’s grand father Khan Bahadur Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad in recognition of his meritorious services for the promotion of veterinary profession.
Vice Chancellor Prof.Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, UVAS Syndicate Member & Ex-President Lahore Chamber of Commerce Mr Abdul Basit, Chairman Pakistan Poultry Association Dr Arshad Hanif Chouhdary, Narowal District Chairman Ahmad Iqbal, School Principle Prof DrRana Muhammad Younus, Manager Regulatory Affairs Engro Food Dr Muhammad Nasir and a large number of public from civil society, UVAS faculty members, farmers and livestock officials attended the ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal said the para-veterinary school in Narowal would bring revolution in the area through education. He said the livestock sector had been neglected in past, therefore it was direly needed to develop our livestock system by producing trained young agrarians and veterinarians in the country.
He said agriculture was the backbone of the country’s economy and livestock was its integral part, so livestock sector development was the key to revival of crisis-hit agriculture sector.
He said the government was willing to give more assistance for the promotion of veterinary profession and producing trained veterinary human resource in Narowal, adding very soon the para-veterinary school would be upgraded to a university.
He said the young veterinarians to be produced by the school would resolve all issues facing livestock, poultry and dairy industries of Pakistan.
He said our young veterinarians would also play a vital role in the development of national economy by enhancing milk and meat production through innovative research and latest methodologies.
He said it was direly needed that every person performs his duty with full dedication for national development.
He said Narowal city would be recognized as one of the best livestock city of Pakistan in future.
The minister said the government was focusing on development of infrastructure, human resource, agricultures and livestock for which collective efforts were needed.
He said: “We should give up leg pulling and not be a part of any kind of political conspiracies which hamper progress of our country”.
He praised UVAS leadership for the completion of Para Veterinary School project successfully in a short period of 15 months. He said there were ample opportunities in livestock/agriculture in the Pak-China Economic Corridor (CPEC) and we should get maximum benefit from them.
He called for enhancing the agriculture productivity through application of innovative knowledge, technology and methodologies. For the promotion of education and research in the area, he said, different universities sub campuses are being set up at Narowal under Vision 2025.
He hoped that Pakistan would soon become an Asian tiger.
Prof.Dr Talat Naseer Pasha said three professional programmes/courses including Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Livestock Assistant Diploma and six-month short course of Artificial Insemination of NAVTTC had been started November 2017 in Narowal Campus. He praised Khan Bahadur Chaudhary Mushtaq Ahmad’s unforgettable efforts for the uplift of veterinary profession.
He thanked Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal for providing assistance in developing the school project.
Dr Pasha said the school had cost Rs.195.280 million and it had been completed in 15 months. The school was equipped with state of the art facilities while four of its faculty members are PhD, he added.
The school was comprised of spacious classrooms, a dispensary, animal shed, administration offices, state-of-the-art laboratories and student hostel, he said.
The Vice-Chancellor said UVAS had been ranked not only among top Asian Universities but also among world universities in Times Higher Education World University Ranking and QS World Top University Ranking.
He said Narowal disease diagnosis system had been made functional for the benefit of poor livestock farming community.
Dr Arshad Hanif Chouhdary and Dr Muhammad Nasir also spoke on the occasion and recommended starting a school meal programme to curb the malnutrition issues especially in school going children by serving them a glass of milk and egg regularly in class rooms.
PPA and Engro food representatives were willing to provide their full support to government for healthy nutrition school meal programme, they said.
Earlier, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal along with Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Pasha visited different laboratories including microbiology lab, biochemistry lab, nutrition lab, anatomy, histology, physiology and computer labs, library, student hostels, classrooms and conference room, etc, of the school.