Karachi University postponed MA papers

Postponed KU MA papers to be held on 14th
Karachi, July 12: The University of Karachi has announced that all postponed papers of MA Previous (Regular and External) Annual Examination originally scheduled for July 8 will be held on July 14 (Wednesday). These papers were postponed due to unavoidable circumstances, and now will be held on July 14. The centre and timings of the papers will be as already announced in the schedule/programme. app

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KU finds almost all referred degrees genuine
Karachi: The University of Karachi has completed the verification process of academic certificates of legislators and found 105 degrees genuine.

The university administration is likely to make a formal announcement in this regard on Monday.

The process was initiated when the Higher Education Commission (HEC) referred to the University of Karachi 106 academic certificates of legislators in the beginning of this month for verification and set July 13 as deadline to complete the scrutiny. The initiative was taken on the directives of the election commission.

Subsequently, the university set up a three-member committee comprising Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Nasiruddin Khan, Registrar Prof Kaleem Raza and Prof Aqil Burney to carry out the investigation.

Some of the legislators and ministers whose academic certificates were referred for verification included Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Federal Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro and Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed and IT Minister Raza Haroon, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Minister of State Nabeel Ahmed Gabol, MNA Dr Farooq Sattar, Senator Raza Rabbani, Sindh Sports Minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, MNA Fauzia Wahab and MPA Shazia Marri.

According to sources, the university tallied the information of the submitted documents with the official record of its examinations and enrolment sections as well as with tabulation data. It found 105 of the 106 degrees genuine.

The university administration did not comment on validity of the degree of Mr Yaqub Bizenjo, an MPA from Balochistan, in its report on the grounds that the matter was pending before a court of law, according to the sources.

It is worth mentioning that the university has found the academic certificate of Senator Faisal Raza Abidi genuine. Mr Abidi, belonging to the Pakistan People's Party, had done his BA as a private candidate last year. However, his degree became a hot issue in the media when it was reported that Mr Abidi had failed in one paper and the records were allegedly tampered with in order to declare him "pass".

Prof Maqsood Hussain, the KU controller of examinations at that time, had resigned during the course of the controversy. Dawn

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KU discusses death of Congo Virus-infected butcher
Karachi: In order to discuss the recent death of a Congo Crimean Haemorrhagic Virus (CCHV) infected butcher at Landhi Abattoir, who visited several hospitals for treatment and eventually expired, a joint meeting of the Pakistan Society for Microbiology (PSM), the Infection Control Society of Pakistan (ICSP) and the Bio-Safety Association of Pakistan (BSAP) was held at the University of Karachi (KU).

The meeting was held with special reference to exposure of healthcare personnel who may have attended this patient and the possible source from where he contracted the infection, said a press release issued here on Sunday.

Prof. Dr Shahana Kazmi (KU) and Dr Rafique Khanani (DOW), who attended a meeting in the Health Department Sindh on July 9, informed the participants about the measures taken by the government to control the spread of CCHV in Karachi.

All the participants, including Sikandar Sherwani (FUUAST), Dr Ghulam Fatima (Civil), and Prof Dr Aqeel Ahmad (KU) agreed that CCHV is endemic in some parts of Pakistan. According to them, such cases are reported sporadically and there is nothing to worry.

They, however, stressed on the need of an effective national strategy to contain such infections. The participants highlighted that Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a widespread tick-borne zoonotic viral infection caused by Nairo Virus that may affect humans seriously with mortality rate of 30 per cent.

In 75 per cent cases, signs of haemorrhage appear within three to five days of the onset of illness, mood instability, mental confusion, bleeding nose, bleeding gums, vomiting, bloody urine, bloody stool.

Diagnosis is suggested on clinical grounds when the patient has a tick bite or exposure to the infected products of blood, body secretions or excretions of the patients. For diagnosis, IgG and IgM antibodies can be detected in the laboratory from sera samples of the infected individuals by ELIZA method. PCR is a more sensitive and reliable diagnostic tool for CCHF, which is currently available at very few centres in Karachi, they said.

There is a vaccine available for this infection except an antiviral drug called ribavirin. Most of the participants recommended, "In order to control the spread we should organise awareness and Bio-safety training sessions for health care workers, lab technicians and paramedical staff, butchers, livestock and agriculture farmers to enhanced capacity for the proper surveillance".

Diagnosis of CCHF should be established at designated centres to avoid unnecessary exposure of healthy citizens to the infected and to control such spreading infections, they added.

During the discussion Prof. Shahana Kazmi also disclosed that the KU has developed a comprehensive project on "Emerging Zoonotic Pathogen Surveillance Program (EZPSP), in view of increasing incidence and deaths due to zoonotic or vector borne viral and bacterial diseases.

She said, "The problems cause is especially severe in underdeveloped and developing countries like Pakistan where surveillance and monitoring of pathogens is poor and our public health infrastructure is not optimally developed".

All bacterial and viral pathogens represent potential public safety threats; however, some of them "especially dangerous pathogens" or EDPs - Plague, Anthrax, Dengue and CCHF are of particular concern because of their ability to cause lethal infections which spread rapidly and trigger outbreaks or epidemics with potential of neurodegenerative complications like Multiple Sclerosis(MS), Sub-acute Sclerosing Pan-encephalitis (SSPE), she further said.

According to her there is an urgent need to improve knowledge concerning the prevalence, distribution, and basic biological properties of EDPs worldwide. The emergence and spread can be rapidly detected and closely monitored, and appropriate science-based prevention, treatment, and containment strategies should be developed, she told the participants.

The primary objective of the proposed multi-pathogen project is to determine the baseline of occurrence and the basic biological characteristics of selected EDPs of concern in Pakistan, she said. The appropriate education, eradication and treatment efforts can be planned to protect the Pakistani citizenry and economy from the effects of disease outbreaks, she mentioned.

Dr Shahana added that a very significant aspect of the proposed project is that it will stipulate surveying and studying multiple EDPs at the same time, which will enable a comprehensive and simultaneous screening for several highly virulent bacterial and viral pathogens.

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SSUET's new semester begins
Karachi: The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) is providing quality education to prepare them to face the challenges of modern age. This was stated by SSUET Chancellor ZA Nizami in a pre-semester meeting held to review the progress of development work and preparations for the new semester scheduled to start from Monday (today).

Nizami gave instructions to the faculty members to keep an eye on students' performance and academic progress. He emphasised to make sure that students are taking interest in their studies, regularly attending classes in full uniform and abiding by all the rules and regulations of the university.

Deans, chairmen and heads of departments informed the chancellor about the progress of development work and the preparations so far done. They said that the laboratories had been upgraded and improvements were continuing. They further said that the maintenance work was done in all departments.

The Electronic Engineering Department was ready to start Robotics experiments from this year, the chancellor of the university said. The meeting was attended by Professor Dr Saiyid Nazir Ahmed, Vice Chancellor, Shah Mahmood H. Syed, Registrar, Deans, all chairmen of teaching department and senior faculty members. The news

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