Karachi University semester examinations postponed

KU Friday's papers postponed
Karachi, May 21: However, the University of Karachi has once again decided to postpone the semester examinations' papers scheduled for Friday.

A spokesman for the university said on Thursday that the semester examinations would not be held on Friday and new dates for the postponed papers of Thursday and Friday would be announced later.

However, the university's administrative offices would remain open on Friday, he added.

The Registrar of the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Javed Aziz Khan, said that teaching at the university would continue as usual on Friday.

The university worked peacefully on Thursday as well, he informed.

An official of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi said that a new date for the postponed paper of Thursday would be announced later.

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FUUAST closed
Karachi: The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) announced that its Gulshan campus would remain closed on Friday.

However, the university offices would remain open.

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Schools, colleges reopen today
Karachi: Schools and colleges in the city will reopen on Friday after a gap of one day.

The secretary of the provincial education department, Mohammad Siddique Memon, said on Thursday evening that the government had decided that there would be no holiday on Friday for schools and colleges of Karachi and academic activities would be carried out as usual.

The government had ordered the closure of all private and government schools on Thursday in the wake of the breakdown of law and order on Wednesday.

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Most educational institutions remain closed
Karachi: Most educational institutions remained closed in the city on Thursday owing to the law and order situation following the murder of at least 21 people in political clashes a day earlier. Examinations at schools, colleges and universities had to be postponed because of the announcement by the Sindh government late Wednesday night to keep all educational institutions closed. Government and private schools and colleges as well as public universities such as University of Karachi (KU), Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology and private institutions including the Institute of Business Administration, College of Business Management and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology remained closed. However, regular classes took place at the NED University of Engineering and Technology and students were also provided transport through the university's shuttle service. According to officials of the British Council Karachi, O and A levels examinations were carried out as per schedule. Examinations which were postponed included semester examinations at KU and DUHS, practical examinations of SSC Part I and II, and the last remaining exam of HSC Part II (Pre-Engineering group) which had been scheduled for Thursday after already being postponed once before, on account of Saturday being declared a public holiday. No notification regarding closure of educational institutions on Friday (today) was issued till the filing of this report. Daily times

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Aggrieved professor seeks contempt of court case against NED VC
Karachi: The incumbent vice-chancellor (VC) of NED University of Engineering and Technology, Abul Kalam, has been served a contempt of court notice by former VC NED University Prof. Dr. Mohammad Munir Hasan whose pension has not been paid for 16 years despite specific orders by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In a contempt application filed in the Supreme Court (SC) by Prof. Hasan with Kalam as respondent it was stated that the SC took suo moto notice on Criminal Misc. Application No. 226 of 2006, made by Advocate Haji Muhammad Ismael Memon in the pension case of Prof. Ghazi Khan Jakhrani. In a vide order dated May 18, 2006, the SC directed all concerned for finalisation of pension cases of retiring civil servants in accordance with the West Pakistan Servants Pension Rules, 1963. The case is quoted in PLD 2007 SC 35, and operating paras (8 and 11) of order dated May 18, 2006 are reflected as under:

"We... direct that all the government departments, agencies and officers deployed to serve the general public within the limits by the

Constitution as well as by the law shall not cause unnecessary hurdle or delay in finalisng the payments of pensionary/retirement benefits cases in future and violation of these directions shall amount to criminal negligence and dereliction of the duty assigned to them...

"We direct all the chief secretaries of the provincial governments as well as the accountant generals and the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues, Islamabad to ensure in future strict adherence of the pension rules reproduced herein above and clear such cases within a period not more than two weeks without fall."

"We also direct that in future if there is any delay in the finalisation of pension benefits cases of the government servants, widow or orphan children and matter is brought to the notice of this court, the head of the concerned department shall also be held liable for the contempt of the court and shall be dealt with strictly in accordance with law."

Being aggrieved and dissatisfied with the attitude of the aforementioned respondent for the extraordinary delay of 16 years in the finalisation of the pension case, Prof. Hasan wrote the following facts in his application to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

(1) The applicant joined NED Engineering College (now university) in 1964 as a lecturer, got promoted as professor, and finally was appointed as the VC of NED Engineering University in 1991.

(2) Prior to the assignment as VC, the applicant had opted for voluntary premature retirement in February 1990 conditionally, after completing 26 years of qualifying service. However, the order of retirement was issued after 18 months in August 1991 without meeting any condition.

(3) The applicant challenged this decision. The syndicate of the university reviewed its decision, and soon after that, under the rules, the applicant withdrew the option of voluntary premature retirement. The legal advisor of the university in his legal opinion dated February 2, 1994 confirmed that:

"In view of the resolution of the syndicate bearing No. 76.14, the previous decision of the syndicate bearing No. 74.8 stands reviewed, as prayed in the application dated August 10, 1991, which was allowed. Since the previous resolution stands superseded, the decision for premature retirement stands withdrawn."

(4) On leaving the position of the VC in April 1994, the applicant again opted for pre-mature voluntary retirement as professor after serving the institution for 30 years. However, the pension was not paid to the applicant.

(5) Prof. Hasan further wrote: "The vice chancellor (Abul Kalam) may be held responsible for giving mental torture to the applicant for the last 14 years.

He may be ordered to pay damages to the applicant for this torture at the rate of Rs. 100,000 per month (This amount is only half the salary of a professor in private sector) for 168 months (from the date the committee was formed (May 1996) till today (April 2010), which add up to Rs 16.8 million.

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Research MoU inked
Karachi: The International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi (KU), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Herbion Pakistan to initiate official coordination between the two organizations, especially in the field of toxicological and pharmacological studies.

The Director, ICCBS, Dr Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhary, on behalf of ICCBS and the Director, Herbion, Nadeem Khalid, signed the MoU at a meeting held on Thursday at the ICCBS. Herbion is a research-based global company with its focus on natural healthcare products.

An official of the ICCBS, in a statement, said that both the parties had agreed to have exchange of professionals programme between the two organisations, and to make feasibility of conducting toxicological studies on Herbion products at ICCBS.

He said that the MoU would remain valid for one year after the date of its signing. It will be renewed automatically for the same period unless either of the signing organisations gives an advance written notice of 30 days for its termination.

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Teachers hold protest rallies across Sindh
Hyderabad: The Government Secondary Teachers Association took out a rally here on Thursday. The rally started from the Government High School No 1 and ended outside the Hyderabad Press Club.

A large number of teachers participated in the rally led by the President Government School Teachers Association (GSTA), Mahmood Ahmed Chohan, and other office-bearers of the organisation. Addressing the participants of the rally, they said the education system was facing constraints and teachers were holding protests on a daily basis, which was badly affecting the learning process in the government schools.

They said inaction of the government had created unrest and disappointment among the teachers. They called for acceptance of their demands, including provision of teaching allowance, time-scale and regularisation of teachers who had passed the entry tests. The teachers also called for providing them the same facilities which were being provided to teachers in other three provinces of the country.

Our Dadu correspondent adds: Teachers took out a protest rally here on Thursday on the third consecutive day to press the authorities for acceptance of their demands. The rally was organised jointly by the All-Sindh Primary School Teachers (PTA), the Government Secondary Teachers Association (GSTA) and the Sindh Professors and Subject Specialists Association (SPSSA).

The rally started from the Pilot Higher Secondary School and culminated at the Dadu Press Club after marching on several city streets. Participants of the rally staged a sit-in at the press club. They were carrying placards inscribed with slogans in support of their demands and chanting slogans against the provincial government.

Addressing the protesters, the representatives of teachers accused the government of depriving the teachers of their basic rights. They condemned the rejection of the summary of time scale and teaching allowance by the Sindh chief minister. Protesters demanded of the provincial chief secretary, secretary education and the Education Department and Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Pir Mazharul Haq to resolve the issue as early as possible.

Our Larkana correspondent adds: Schoolteachers here on Thursday decided to hold classes on roads from the next week to protest against non-approval of a summary regarding time-scale and teaching allowance by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

They boycotted classes in primary and secondary schools and took out rallies across the province for the second consecutive day. Addressing on the occasion, Government Secondary Teachers Association (GSTA) President G M Abro said that around 50,000 teachers would benefit once the summary was approved. The news

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