ISLAMABAD
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar Khan addresses the Pakistan Prosperity Forum about National Industrial Policy
ISLAMABAD
Didactic & Dialogue Centre inaugurated at PU
LAHORE, Nov 12 (APP):A state-of-the-art Didactic and Dialogue Centre (DDC) was inaugurated at the Institute of Industrial Engineering and Management (IIEM), University
of the Punjab.
According to spokesperson, the newly established facility is equipped with an advanced video conferencing system featuring an 86-inch interactive smart LED, aimed at enhancing didactic learning, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The DDC has been set up under the Erasmus+ European co-funded project titled “Sustainability and Quality Assurance for Academic Governance and Redesigning Engineering Studies.”
The initiative marks a significant milestone as it is the first-ever project awarded to the University of the Punjab by the European Commission. Director IIEM and Project Leader Dr. Muhammad Shafiq said the project was an international capacity-building initiative focused on strengthening engineering education and fostering innovation.
He added that the establishment of DDC reflects the vision of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali to promote quality education, research excellence, and technological advancement at Punjab University. The DDC will serve as a pivotal platform for interactive learning, research, and industry-academia collaboration, facilitating meaningful dialogue, applied research, and effective knowledge exchange among students, faculty, and professionals.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Dean Faculty of Quality and Industrial Systems Engineering, Director IIEM, Director IQTM, and senior faculty members.
Meanwhile, PU Examinations Department has declared the result of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm-D), Final Professional, Annual Examination 2025. Details are available at www.pu.edu.pk.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in a meeting with Tajik Parliamentary delegation headed by Deputy Speaker Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Aziz Giyozoda at Parliament House
ISLAMABAD
Deputy Speaker Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Aziz Giyozoda calls on Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq at Parliament House
ISLAMABAD
Senator Rubina Khalid holds E-Katcheri to address public grievances & ensure transparency at BISP
ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP):Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Senator Rubina Khalid, held an E-Katcheri session at BISP Headquarters, aimed at providing a direct platform for citizens to voice their concerns, highlight their issues, and ensure swift redressal of grievances.
During the interactive session, which lasted for over an hour, 39 callers from across the country contacted the Chairperson to share their problems. Director Generals and other relevant officers of BISP were also present to facilitate the immediate resolution of complaints.
Most of the grievances were related to the ongoing re-survey process, biometric verification, programme enrollment, and disbursement of stipends.
The Chairperson attentively listened to each caller and directed the officials concerned to take prompt and effective action, stressing that negligence or delay in addressing beneficiaries’ concerns would not be tolerated.
Senator Rubina Khalid urged beneficiaries to promptly report any irregularities, misconduct, or injustice by BISP staff so that timely disciplinary action could be taken against those responsible. She emphasized that BISP is a public service institution dedicated to serving the people with transparency, integrity, and accountability.
The Chairperson reaffirmed that BISP remains fully committed to upholding the spirit of public service. She said that comprehensive measures are being undertaken to strengthen transparency, reinforce integrity, and maintain public trust in all operations.
“No negligence will be tolerated in addressing public concerns. Any irregularity or misconduct by BISP staff should be reported immediately, and strict action will be taken against those responsible,” the Senator asserted.
4,500 flood victims provided financial assistance in Chiniot district: minister
FAISALABAD, Nov 12 (APP): Provincial Minister for Health and Population Khawaja Imran Nazir said on Wednesday that for the first time in the history of country as well as Punjab province, the CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif had allocated funds for flood victims from her own resources.
He said that financial assistance had been given transparently to 4,500 victims in Chiniot district and the remaining 10,000 would also get soon.
During his visit to the Chiniot district, he observed the process of providing financial assistance to flood victims at the flood rehabilitation centre set up at the hockey stadium.
Deputy Commissioner Chiniot Safiullah Gondal briefed about the ongoing process of providing financial relief to flood victims.
The minister also visited the Bank of Punjab and health counters, ATM machine and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements.
He also talked to the victims, inquired about the provision of food and drinking water and also distributed ATM cards among them.
Later, talking to the media, the minister said that immediately after the worst flood, a door to door survey was conducted transparently in flood hit areas to ascertain the losses of the people, adding that today the financial assistance was being provided to victims in the light of such survey reports.
He said that Maryam Nawaz Sharif had truly played the role of a mother, sister and daughter and would not take rest until the last flood victim was provided with financial
assistance.
The provincial minister thanked the media representatives for their positive reporting on the flood situation.
He said that health teams worked together to provide treatment facilities to the victims during the flood, and even, the clinic on board reached those areas where access was not possible/difficult.
He said that 250 cases of snake bites were reported during the flood, but there was no death reported due to timely treatment.
The minister also appreciated the district administration for taking timely measures to cope with flooding situation in the district.
PTA conducts successful raids in Lahore, Mansehra against illegal SIM activities, grey traffic Operations
ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP):The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in close collaboration with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), has successfully conducted two separate raids targeting grey traffic setup and illegal SIM-related activities in Lahore and Mansehra.
In Lahore, the PTA Zonal Office, in close collaboration with the NCCIA, carried out a raid on a Grey Setup operating in New Lahore City.
The setup was involved in the origination of spam messages using illegally activated SIMs. During the raid, 660 and 22 active SIMs, two gateways of 256 and 128 ports, and two laptops were recovered.
One individual was apprehended at the site, and an FIR has been registered by NCCIA, which is continuing investigations. The raid followed a complaint filed by PTA regarding the illegal termination of international traffic bypassing lawful gateway exchanges.
Meanwhile, in Mansehra, the PTA Zonal Office Abbottabad, along with NCCIA Abbottabad, conducted a raid at Berkund Bazar against the illegal issuance and sale of pre-activated international SIMs.
The team confiscated mobile phones, a desktop monitor, CCTV cameras, and four inactive UK SIMs, while summoning three individuals for further investigation.
These enforcement actions underscore PTA’s unwavering commitment to curb illegal SIM issuance, spam messaging, and grey trafficking.
The public is urged to report any unauthorized SIM issuance through PTA’s toll-free helpline 0800-55055 or online complaint portal at https://complaint.pta.gov.pk/userlogin.aspx
Holistic grooming of university graduates imperative to harness their qualities: VC
FAISALABAD, Nov 12 (APP):Government College Women University Faisalabad (GCWUF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Kanwal Amin said on Wednesday that holistic grooming of university graduates was imperative to harness their qualities to successfully brace the emerging challenges despite fast changing curricula and general circumstances in Pakistan across the globe.
During a meeting with Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) President Farooq Yousaf Sheikh, she discussed issues to enhance industry-academia relations to give a gear up innovation, creativity and out-of-the-box solutions in addition to developing relevance between industrial sector and passed-out university graduates.
Commenting on social evolution, she said that many professions had become obsolete with the addition of artificial intelligence (AI), but we must equip the younger generation with capabilities to exploit AI in addition to keeping intact their creativity and critical thinking.
“What we are teaching today may become irrelevant in the next six months; therefore, students must be prepared to effectively face the emerging challenges of every new era”, she remarked.
The GCWUF VC emphasized strengthening industry-academia linkages, stating that a Business Incubation Center had been established at the university, and the ORIC (Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization) had also been activated.
She mentioned that the FCCI President was an ex-officio member of the ORIC committee; however, she proposed that before sending university interns, industry representatives should hold special orientation sessions for students to brief them about their facilities and requirements.
“This would help students in identifying their professional direction for the future”, she added.
Dr Kanwal Amin further said that small industrial units often cannot afford to hire professional researchers, but they could utilize university interns to conduct research on their industrial issues.
She stressed the importance of research aligned with the needs of local industries and suggested that through the FCCI, the coordination between universities and industries should be strengthened.
“This will not only provide industries with a skilled workforce according to their requirements but also keep them informed about the latest academic research being carried out in higher education institutions”, she said.
Speaking on the occasion, FCCI President Farooq Yousaf Sheikh appreciated the Vice Chancellor’s positive vision and said that as a nation, we must rise above personal considerations to transform educated students into good human beings with high moral values.
He said that he would discuss the formulation of long-term policies with the head of the FCCI’s Standing Committee on Industry-Academia Collaboration so that the initiatives introduced during his tenure could be sustained in the future as well.
Sheikh also announced that he would hold another meeting with Prof. Dr. Kanwal Amin to finalize decisions for enhanced mutual cooperation between the FCCI and GCWUF.
Later, president Farooq Yousaf Sheikh presented the FCCI’s honorary shield and souvenirs to Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Kanwal Amin.
Senior Vice President Naveed Akram Sheikh, Vice President Engr Asim Munir, Abdullah Qadri, and Muhammad Haroon Waheed were also present on the occasion.
Senate session commences
ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP):The Senate session commenced at 5:18 p.m. on Wednesday with Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan Nasar in the chair.
The House was set to hold a condolence reference for Senator Irfan-ul-Haque Siddiqui, a sitting member of the Senate who passed away on November 10.
Newly elected Senator Khurram Zeeshan takes oath
ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP): Newly elected Senator Khurram Zeeshan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took oath as member of the Senate on Wednesday.
Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan administered the oath to the new senator, who later signed the roll of members as required under the rules.