Sindh university students groups clash

Clash at Sindh university, 2 students injured
Hyderabad, Jan 21: Two students were injured, one of them seriously, in a clash between activists of two nationalist organisations at the gate of Sindh University hostels on Friday evening.

Shahbaz Khaskheli, said to be of Jeay Sindh Students Federation (A), suffered a bullet wound. Safiullah Sohriani of Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party who was hit in the head by an iron rod was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Liaquat University Hospital in Jamshoro. He underwent an operation on Saturday.

Shahbaz Khaskheli was taken to the city branch of the hospital. Jamshoro police have registered an FIR against nine people on the complaint of Safdar Ali Sohriani. An FIR has been lodged on behalf of the other injured.

On Saturday, a group of students tried to force others to boycott classes but police moved into action against them and reportedly arrested Iqbal Magsi and Awais Bachkani.

However, police have denied arresting any student. Sources in the university said that on Friday five armed men had come to the university in a car without a number plate. They were caught and handed over to police but police have denied the claim. Dawn

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Pak students to attend Nobel Laureates meeting
Karachi: Six Pakistani students have been selected by the German Council and sponsored by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to attend the 2010 Meeting of Nobel Laureates to be held in Lindau, Germany from June 27 to July 3. This year, 64 Nobel laureates will grace the occasion, says a press release.

HEC has been sponsoring the visit of about eight highly talented Pakistani graduates every year to participate in the annual one-week Nobel Laureates Meetings, where some 500-600 young scholars from over 60 countries participate. The purpose of these annual meetings, which started in 1951, is to create knowledge through the interaction of talented young scholars with the Nobel laureates.

The meetings are rotated annually in the subjects of Physics, Chemistry and Medicine/Physiology. The finally selected students for this year's meeting include Dr Uzair Luqman, Army Medical College; Dr Gormert Kumar, Khyber Medical College; Dr Zaman Khan Assir, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore; Ms Um-e-Aiman, Agricultural University, Peshawar; Safi Asim bin Asif, University of Karachi; and Saima Kalsoom, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. These students are selected in a transparent manner, strictly following the merit, to participate in these meetings and have earned a good name for Pakistan due to their excellent performances.

The participation of female students and their quality have also been appreciated by the Lindau authorities. Since 2003, about 52 such talented Pakistani graduates/young scholars had the opportunity to participate in the Lindau Nobel Laureates Meetings and most of them are continuing higher studies in good universities in USA, UK, Germany, Australia, China, etc.

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Revitalisation of universities
Karachi: Pakistan cannot effectively communicate with any country, including India, unless Pakistani universities are brought at par with international standards, said Hameed Haroon while speaking on Saturday at the Sarwar Nasim Memorial Lecture on "Communicating Pakistan to India".

The lecture was organised by the Karachi University Teachers Guild (KUTG) at the University of Karachi (KU). "Universities in Pakistan are groaning under the yoke of insufficient funds, absence of towering figures who can guide universities to the height of excellence, appropriate infrastructure and neglect from society.

It is surprising that journalists, parliamentarians, NGO personnel and businessmen can go to India without any obstacles, but academics have to channel their application through the governor. We are looking at bigotry, it is unfortunate," he remarked. Haroon further drew the attention of the audience towards the fact that an elite system of education has been developed in Pakistan, where the affluent send their children abroad for education.

Those who are not as fortunate have to go to public sector universities, which are substandard. The former group of people, he said, are not interested in doing anything that does not help them, while the latter have no proficiency in such things. This does not leave any avenue to talk with our eastern neighbour, he said.

"There could be no progress in the country, and other countries will continue to view us as ignorant and unreliable if we, the government, and society continue to ignore universities," he asserted. Haroon said that strategic faults remain even while communicating within Pakistan, claiming that a factional society, which in turn is divided on different issues, was responsible for such a phenomenon.

He said that communicating with India becomes more difficult due to the lack of cohesion in the government. "Who will do that? The president, prime minister or the masses," he asked. Haroon said that Pakistan has to adopt a dignified, rational approach for self-identity.

India with superior education and better political understanding has ignored or does not understand Pakistan. "We have to be accepted by others as a dignified state. India does not accept Pakistan as its equal. It patronises Pakistan," he maintained. "A country must show vibrancy, dynamism and qualities to communicate with their own people and other countries.

It is a harsh fact that Pakistani rulers have been unable to take note of the masses that are suffering with deprivation, illiteracy and poverty. We have to tolerate people from other religions too.

A safe and satisfied society is the base for a strong country. We have to achieve that goal," he said. The KU vice-chancellor hoped his university will come out of the deep slumber and apathy that has been the rule for a long time. Dr Aqeel Ahmed, Dr Shakeel Farooqui and others also spoke on the occasion. The news

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Pak graduates celebrations
Karachi: The Pakistani graduates of Peoples' Friendship University of Russia observed the 50th anniversary of the University. In this regard, they organised a splendid ceremony at Friendship House to commemorate their academic period at the University and paid tribute the service of University in the education sector on Saturday.

The ceremony was participated by several Pakistani graduates who studied in the Friendship University including former senator Tahir Bazenjo, Dr Istiaq Rasool, Andul Waheed and others. Government of USSR laid foundation of the said varsity on February 5, 1960 while renamed it as "Peoples' Friendship University of Russia on February 5, 1992.

The Pakistani graduates highlighted the role of the University among the students and as well as in the other parts of the world. In February 1975 the University was honoured with Peoples' Friendship Order for the contribution in the Asian, African and Latin American development.

They said that today People Friendship University was one of the leading state higher educational institutions of Russia. It is a renowned research centre well known in Russia and abroad. More than 65,000 graduates of the university work in 170 countries, among them more than 5,000 are Ph.D. and Doctorate degrees holders.

Many PFUR graduates are prominent state and public figures in Russia, CIS and other countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. They help Russian and their native countries to establish new direct ties in development of economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.

The university has a multiple-profile structure faculties and specialties, typical for classical universities of Europe. It has structural subdivisions. The studies at the University began on September 1, 1961. On June 29, 1965 the first 288 young specialists from 47 countries graduated from the University. By the year of 1975 there had been already about 5600 graduates including 4250 foreigners.

The University personnel number ran to 7500 including more than 1000 teachers, among them 100 professors and associate professors, 460 doctors and assistant professors, 5000 graduate and post-graduate students from 89 countries. The University stuff includes 2112 employees; among them there are 332 professors and associate professors, 807 doctors and assistant professors, 61 academicians and Corresponding Members of academies of Russia, 50 Honoured Men of Science of the Russian Federation, 26 PFUR teachers and professors are full members of the international academies and scientific societies.

They informed that PFUR is a member of the International University Association, the Eurasian University Association and has more than 160 association agreements with foreign universities and research centres. The PFUR collaborates with the International Organization of Francophone, the European Capitals University Association, and the European Association of International Education.

The PFUR is a participant of UNO, UNESCO, CE and other international and intergovernmental organizations, programmes and forums. The PFUR is one of the founders of the Association of Universities of Europe and Central Asia Network.

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City schools Competition
Karachi: Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world with a huge presence in Pakistan, has initiated a poster competition among select schools in Karachi.

The competition, which formally kicked off Saturday, is a part of the company's public awareness campaign against smoking and a contributor in Pfizer's drive to continue working on social responsibility projects.

The main objective of the competition is to create awareness amongst the school-going children especially teenagers, about the hazards of smoking and to involve young souls to step ahead with a vision of a smoke free world; hence, "A World without Smoking" is the chosen theme of the poster competition.

The role art can play in addressing social ills can not be undermined and therefore, respected critic and author of many books on Pakistani art and an artist herself, Marjorie Husain is heading this project.

While renowned personalities in the field of art like Noorjehan Bilgrami, Nahid Raza, and Tapu Javeri, will be judging the entries submitted by the participating schools. Expressing her views on the poster competition, Mrs. Marjorie Husain said, "In an effort to create civic awareness, a sense of being part of a contributing society, our hopes are directed towards young people.

In numerous areas work is to be done and it is the school children who are the hopes of the future. In this context we plan to evolve a number of projects highlighting the ways and aspects of a healthier world for all."

Students from different schools including The City School-PAF Chapter, CAS School, St Joseph's Convent School, and The Citizen's Foundation - North Karachi have been invited to participate in the anti-smoking poster competition.

The age groups for the competition are divided into three, 12-14 years, 15-17 years and 18-19 years of age. A selection of 15 entries from each school, comprising of all age groups will become a part of an Art Exhibition. Pfizer Pakistan also intends to hand out gold medals to the three prize-winning entries, one from each category of age group.

The Art Exhibition, which is the essence of this entire poster competition, is scheduled towards the end of March, 2010. In the final meeting with schools, Mrs. Marjorie Husain, concluded with the following words, "This is a beginning. Through art and colour and the forceful exuberance of the youth of the country, we believe lessons can be learned."

Every year in Pakistan, around 0.1 million people die of complications caused by tobacco smoking. According to estimates of Pakistan Medical Society a total of 1.8 million youth between 10 to 24 years of age are at high risk of getting cancer and other diseases from smoking. The nation

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