Higher Education Commission, Pakistan

March/April 2016

HEC Launches
EDUCATION
TESTING
COUNCIL
Free Standardised Test for University Admissions
P-2

NA Body Lauds HEC's Holistic Approach

Towards Development of HE Sector
P-3
Maiden Meeting of National Technology
Council
P-5

HEC Forms Innovation Steering Committee

P-6

HEC Body Discusses Plagiarism Complaints

against Researchers HEC Chairman,
P-14 Executive Director
NBEAC 3rd Deans and Directors Conference Awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz
P-16 P-13
 HEC Launches
Table of Contents
2 Education Testing
Council
4 HEC, Microsoft Organize National Final for
Imagine Cup 2016

1st Meeting of National Technology

5
Council held at HEC
NA Body Lauds HEC's
Workshop on Secure Software
Holistic Approach 7
3 Towards
Development of HE
Sector 8
Development

President Turkish Council of Higher

Education Visits HEC

9 VCs of Belarusian Varsities Call on

Chairman HEC
HEC Forms

6 Innovation Steering
Committee
10 HEC Eyes Joint Industrial-based Research
Projects with France

12 HEC, Huawei Sign DoU for Development

of Technology, R&D Activities

News & Views is published after every
two months. No part of this
publication may be reproduced in any
form without prior written
permission of the publisher.
HEC Chairman, Executive Director
13
Awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz
HEC Body Discusses Plagiarism
14
Complaints against Researchers

The views expressed by authors in the
articles is their sole responsibility and
not of HEC. The Commission would
like to thank all the institutions and
individuals who contributed
information and photographs for this
Magazine.
HEC, Pink Ribbon Award Winners of Breast
15
Cancer Awareness Programme
NBEAC 3rd Deans and Directors
16
Conference
Afghan Envoy, Chairman HEC Discuss
17
Collaboration in Higher Education

Editor
Aayesha Ikram

Graphic Designer
Raja Ahmad Nadeem
Publisher:
Reporter Higher Education
Waseem Khaliqdad Commission, Pakistan
 Free Standardised Test for University Admissions
HEC Launches Education Testing Council
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has
announced the launching of countrys first
government testing body for education sector to
conduct free, standardized tests for university
admissions.
Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning,
Development and Reforms formally launched the
Education Testing Council (ETC) during a ceremony
held at HEC Secretariat. Engr. Baleegh-ur-Rehman,
State Minister for Federal Education and
Professional Training, Mr.
Amirullah Marwat, Chairman,
National Assembly Standing
Committee on Education, Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman
HEC, representatives of KPK and
AJK governments and VCs of
different universities were also
present on the occasion.
Congratulating HEC on the
launch of ETC, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal
said that establishment of
Council is part of Governments efforts to achieve
targets of Vision 2025. He hoped that ETC will prove
to be a credible and transparent entity to adopt a
testing mechanism of international standard and will
have experts from both public and private sectors.
He said the Government is providing all possible
resources for the uplift of education in the country.
2
Speaking at the occasion, Engr. Baleegh ur Rahman
also appreciated HEC for taking a much-needed
step for standardization of education in the country.
He described various programmes of his Ministry to
develop minimum standards for primary and
secondary education through consensus among all
regions of Pakistan.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, while elaborating the
objectives of launching ETC, said that the Council
will be a self-governed body, which will be
operational from Spring 2017.
He said that all public and
private universities of the
country will be required to
adopt ETC entry tests for
admissions. ETC will arrange a
standardized entry test for
university admissions, for which
the respective university will
determine weightage of the
test, he added.
The Chairman said that initially
tests will be conducted for undergraduate
admissions and subsequently for MS and PhD
admissions, and it will be valid for a period of two
years. He announced that Government will bear the
cost of this test, which will be held twice a year. The
test will be free for all students desirous of taking
admission in public and private universities.
 Chairman Briefs MPs on HEC Programmes
NA Body Lauds HEC's Holistic Approach Towards
Development of Higher Education Sector
th
The 14 meeting of the National Assembly Standing
Committee on Federal Education and Professional
Training was recently held at HEC Secretariat.
Dr. Amirullah Marwat, Chairman of the Standing
Committee, presided over the meeting that was
attended by Committee members, Mr. Baleegh-ur-
Rehman, Minister of State for Federal Education, Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC as well as senior
management of the Commission.
Welcoming the Committee members to HEC, Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed apprised them of the functions and
achievements of HEC since its inception in 2002. He
briefed the meeting about allocation of grants to
public and private sector universities during 2015-
16, proposed development projects of HEC in the
PSDP for financial year 2016-17, Prime Minister's
Fee Reimbursement Scheme for Less Developed
Areas, Overseas Scholarship Scheme for MS, MPhil
and PhD Programmes, and steps taken for
promotion of higher education in FATA.
The Chairman said that HEC releases no direct funds
to the private sector universities, however it helps
them if they fulfil HEC criteria, adding that both the
sectors are given equal opportunities for award of
scholarships and research grants.
He said HEC is actively taking steps to ensure access
of higher education at district level. He informed the
Committee about HECs recurring as well as
3
development grants for 2015-16, and elaborated
the development in universities across the country,
particularly during last three years. He said during
2015-16, Rs. 2000 million were allocated for
promotion of research, Rs. 3000 million for Tenure
Track System, Rs. 625 million for Pakistan Education
and Research Network, Rs. 935 million for Digital
Library, Rs. 650 million for Inter University Academic
Activities, Rs. 450 million for Technical Assistance for
Capacity Building, Rs. 598 million for different
university programmes, in addition to Rs. 42.2
billion recurring grant for different universities,
including engineering, medical, and agriculture.
He said that HEC has formulated the PSDP 2016-17
proposal keeping in view the anticipated allocation
of Rs. 25 billion for its ongoing and new initiatives in
line with Vision 2025 and Governments priorities
for socio-economic development of the country.
Terming HECs overseas scholarship scheme for MS/
MPhil and PhD a flagship programme, Dr. Mukhtar
said that since its inception in 2002, the Commission
has initiated various HRD scholarship programmes
from undergraduate to PhD and post-doctorate
level for development of human resource in
different fields for socio-economic development of
Pakistan. Describing different programmes for
research, he also highlighted HECs zero-tolerance
policy towards plagiarism. He also briefed the
members about international collaborations for
promotion of higher education in the country.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed underscored the scope of
Aghaz Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package and said
that 600 scholarships including 200 overseas and
400 indigenous are being awarded to students from
all districts of Balochistan.
He said that HEC is taking stringent steps for
promotion of higher education in Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, including establishment
of a university.
HEC, Microsoft Organize National
Final for Imagine Cup 2016
The National Final for Imagine Cup 2016 was
organized by the Higher Education Commission
(HEC) and Microsoft at the Commission Secretariat.
Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC was chief
guest on the occasion. Mr. Nadeem A. Malik,
Country Head, Microsoft Pakistan and Mr. Anwar
Amjad, Director General (IT) HEC were also present.
Imagine Cup is a global student technology
programme and competition that provides
opportunities for students across all disciplines to
team up and use their creativity, passion and
knowledge of technology to create applications,
games and integrate solutions that can change the
way we live, work and play. This year there were over
100 projects from universities across the country. A
total of 187 students participated in various kinds of
projects that have been broadly placed in Gaming,
Innovation and World Citizenship catagories.
The contest in Innovation was clinched by team from
Comsats Institute of Information Technology,
Sahiwal comprising Ms. Nida Karim, Mr. Sohaib
Hanif and Mr. Umairullah.
The team from National University of Computer and
Emerging Sciences (FAST), Faisalabad including Mr.
Roger Nazir and Mr. Usman Khan topped the World
Citizenship category, while Mr. Kasra Zunnayyer
from University of Karachi won the Gaming
competition. The winner teams will participate in
world semi-finals to be held online.
4
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Amirullah Marwat
re c o g n i z e d i m p o r t a n c e of va r i o u s H E C
programmes and assured HEC of their complete
support. He also assured HEC of their support to
take action against illegal campuses of universities
so that future of students could be safeguarded. He
directed the HEC for releasing parent/student alerts
after every three months to inform the masses
about illegal universities, their campuses and
programmes.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive
Director, HEC stressed the need for increase in the
number of projects developed in various parts of the
country. He emphasized that both Microsoft and
HEC should set targets while evolving ideas followed
by a strong strategy for effective materialization of
their ideas. Recalling the Imagine Cup final 2008-09
in Egypt in which he participated as a judge, he said
the activity is developing spirit of competition
among the youth.
The Country Head Microsoft lauded HECs support
for Microsoft and its commitment to promote
literacy of technology among the youth.
Out of the 100+ projects this year, 17 projects were
received from the South Region, including a project
from Quetta, and the students were invited to
present their solutions at Microsoft Innovation
Center, Karachi. Similarly, 56 projects were judged at
Microsoft Innovation Center Lahore, and 27 projects
were judged at Microsoft Islamabad.
 st
1 Meeting of National Technology
Council held at HEC
The maiden meeting of the National Technology
Council (NTC), an accreditation council established
by Higher Education Commission (HEC) to monitor
and accredit technology related degree
programmes, was held at HEC Secretariat.
Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC,
inaugurated the meeting held under the aegis of
Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), HEC.
Maj. Gen. Akbar Saeed Awan (Retd.) and Dr. Kausar
Malik have taken charge as Chairman and Vice
Chairman of the Council. NTC shall be responsible
for accreditation of educational programmes
leading to degrees in Technology disciplines.
NTC shall take into consideration different aspects
for accreditation of degree programmes in
technology related subjects, including overall
structure and scope of the programme, curricula,
requisite infrastructure, faculty, level of compatibility
with international standards and trends, level of skill
development by the programme, level of
integration of science and technology, student
support, laboratory facilities, facilities for student
activities and other amenities, financial assistance,
level of job placement of graduates, etc.
Different programmes whose accreditation will
come under NTC's purview include, though not
limited to, B-Tech Honors, BSc/BS Technology,
Animal Production and Technology, Biotechnology,
Medical Laboratory Technology, Emergency and
Intensive Care Technology, Medical Imaging
5
Technology, Dental Technology, Operation Theatre
Technology, Mortuary Technology, Food Sciences
and Technology, Nanotechnology and Information
Technology.
While inaugurating the meeting, Dr. Mukhtar
Ahmed hoped that establishment of National
Technology Council will be of great help in
streamlining all the technology-related education.
The Chairman HEC said that the Commission will
provide all possible support for smooth functioning
of the Council. He appreciated Maj. Gen. Akbar
Saeed Awan (Retd.) for accepting the challenge to
lead the Council and bring much-needed reforms
and restructuring of the technology. He also
appreciated other Council Members for their
interest and participation.
NTC has representation from HEC, Ministry of
Science and Technology, Ministry of Information
Technology and Telecommunication, Ministry of
Federal Education and Professional Training,
Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and
Coordination, Ministry of Industries and Production,
Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, Ministry of
National Food Security and Research, PEC, PMDC,
National Agriculture Education Accreditation
Council, National Computing Education and
Accreditation Council, National Vocational and
Technical Training Commission, Vice Chancellors of
public and private sector universities offering
technology programmes, one from each province
including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan
and Federal Area.
HEC Forms Innovation Steering Committee
Boosting Entrepreneurship & Innovation
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has
established an Innovation Steering Committee to
further strengthen innovation and
entrepreneurship activities in Pakistani universities
that will ultimately help creating job opportunities
and improving country's economy.
Though some institutions and individuals have
performed very well in the recent years, yet there is
dire need to encourage maximum number of
faculty members, researchers and students to
embrace innovative and entrepreneurial
endeavours. This was decided in a meeting held at
HEC Secretariat in Islamabad chaired by Dr. Arshad
Ali, Executive Director HEC.
The session was attended by a number of industry
representatives, entrepreneurs and HEC team
including Dr. Muhammad Latif, Adviser (R&D) HEC,
Mr. Imtiaz Rastgar, Chairman, Rastgar Group, Mr.
Muhammad Murtaza Zaidi, CEO Cyber vision
International, Syed Ahmed, CEO DPL (Pvt) Ltd, and
others.
The meeting unanimously selected Mr. Imtiaz
Rastghar as Chairman of the Innovation Steering
Committee. The Committee decided to review and
further develop parameters to assess Office of
Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC),
develop a start-up academy as well as take steps to
encourage female entrepreneurs. Each participant
presented SWOT analysis regarding their
interaction with the universities.
6
Promoting Innovation thru
Academia-Industry Linkage
The Committees second meeting discussed
means to strengthen links between academia and
industry through the Offices of Research,
Innovation and Commercialization in universities.
Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC, briefed the
gathering about the urgency to create a framework
and a mechanism to promote innovation.
Making Universities
Powerhouse of Innovation
In another meeting of the Committee, different
opportunities and challenges for tapping potential
of faculty members and students were discussed at
length and the members were tasked to come up
with models and format to make role of Offices of
Research Innovation and Commercialization more
proactive and target-oriented.
Improving ORICs Output
During the third meeting, the Committee
suggested engaging with senior management of
universities to improve output of their Offices of
Research, Innovation and Commercialization. The
meeting discussed at length the monitoring and
evaluation process, development of success
parameters and outreach and marketing strategy
for startup businesses in universities.
 Dr. Arshad Ali appreciated continuous support of
the industry and said that HEC will welcome the
industrys suggestions to improve progress of
ORICs. He said the population of youth is increasing
in the country increasing the need for more higher
education opportunities. The youth are a national
asset and we need to work together to develop a
road map linking our youth to the solution of rising
national requirements, he stressed.
Dr. Arshad said that HEC looks forward to the
positive role of business community for
strengthening country's economy. He also
informed that HEC has also planned to convene
meeting of ORICs Directors to listen to their
Workshop on Secure Software Development
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) organized
a daylong workshop on Secure Software
Development in collaboration with Cloud Security
Alliance (CSA), Pakistan Software Houses
Association (PASHA), and PIEAS.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive
Director HEC highlighted the significance of
software security and the security of other IT
systems. HEC will continue to support such
activities for the betterment of students, he said.
Dr. Irfan-ul-Haq, President CSA Pakistan shed light
on cloud computing and the CSA contributions
towards software security. He said that since the
establishment of CSA in 2014, it is putting efforts to
boost the culture of cloud technology in Pakistan. He
said the CSA Global is likely to hold an international
summit in Islamabad in 2017 on software
7
problems to identify areas where they could be
helped to achieve their objectives. He said that the
establishment of Committee will serve as a
backbone to the newly approved HEC's Technology
Fund for which the Government has approved
funds amounting to Rs. 2.91 billion.
Dr. Muhammad Latif, Adviser, Research and
Development, HEC briefed the forum about HEC's
new project on Technology Development Fund for
PhD scholars. He informed the gathering that the
new project is specifically designed to support
researchers for prototype development and
marketing their research project to benefit the
community and economy at large.
certification. The workshop, attended by people
from academia and IT research and development
institutions, covered various dimensions of software
security, web application security, control of cyber
attacks, and principles of secure application designs.
Some real life security case studies were also
presented during the activity.
Mr. Israr Khan, resource person of the workshop, said
that proper upgradation of modern software
security systems is necessary to protect data on IT
networks. He briefed participants about types of
security threats, reasons to bother them, motivation
of hackers, and methods of their mitigation.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Muhammad Aslam, Rector
PIEAS said the workshop has brought academia and
representatives of IT sector on a single platform to
discuss prevailing software security threats.
 Exploring Prospects of Collaboration
President Turkish Council
of Higher Education Visits HEC
A Turkish delegation led by Prof. Dr. M A Yekta Sarac,
President, Council of Higher Education (CoHE),
Turkey visited Higher Education Commission (HEC).
Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC,
accompanied by other senior management,
welcomed the delegation.
The delegation comprised Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal,
Executive Member CoHE, Prof. Dr. Rahmi Er, Member
CoHE, Dr. Muhammet Emin Zararsiz, General Board
Member CoHE, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Unal, Rector,
Akdeniz University, Prof. Dr. Naci Gundogan, Rector,
Anadolu University, Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak, Rector,
Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Halil Toker Academian in
Urdu, Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Camsari,
Rector, Mersin University, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ulcay,
Rector, Uluda University, Turkey.
On the occasion, an MoU was signed by both
countries to enable collaboration in different fields.
The two sides agreed that Pakistan and Turkey have
a number of similar priorities for higher education
and both the countries need to synergize their
potential in addressing future educational, scientific
and technological challenges. It was agreed to
initiate joint research, faculty and student exchange
programmes, and setting up centres of excellence in
fields of respective expertise. It was also decided
that Turkey will provide technical expertise for
establishment of a Technology Park in Pakistan,
while Turkey sought help for strengthening of Urdu
8
departments in Turkish universities. It was also
discussed that Turkish universities will initiate
signature projects in Pakistan.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed briefed the visitors about
development of Pakistans higher education sector
since HECs inception in 2002 and how different
initiatives taken by Commission to improve
equitable access, ensure quality, develop human
resource and promote research have borne fruit.
The President CoHE gave an overview of Turkeys
higher education sector. He appreciated the reforms
brought about by HEC during the last decade and
hoped that their visit would strengthen bilateral
cooperation in higher education. He said it is a good
sign that Pakistan and Turkey have a strong basis of
collaboration which can be further expanded. He
shared the Turkish experience and said that access
to education was increasing but they were well
aware of the quality challenge that confronted them.
He said that at present there are 185 universities in
Turkey and over 150,000 faculty members and
around 6.8 Million students.
The VCs of International Islamic University, Quaid-e-
Azam University, Fatima Jinnah Women University,
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Air
University, Riphah International University, Hi-Tech
University and representatives of NUST, IST, CIIT and
Additional Secretary Higher Education, KPK shared
their areas of expertise.
VCs of Belarusian Varsities Call on Chairman HEC

A delegation of Vice Chancellors from universities of
the Republic of Belarus headed by Mr. Vadim
Bogush, First Deputy of the Ministry of Education
visited HEC and called on Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed,
Chairman HEC and the top management to explore
avenues for collaboration and knowledge exchange
with Pakistani higher education institutions.
The Chairman HEC welcomed the delegation and
appreciated Belarusian expertise in scientific
research and development including nano-
technology, biotechnology, innovation, commerce,
vocational education and green technology. Mr.
Vadim Bogush said that he would make use of the
opportunity the visit has provided them and
encourage exchange of knowledge in areas of
nanotechnology, space technology and sports. He
informed the gathering that Belarus has 50
universities for 10 million people.
Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC shared an
overview of HEC responsibilities and achievements.
He said that HEC has been taking steps for human
resource development, improving equitable access
to higher education, boosting quality and excellence
in learning and research, defining relevance of
national priorities, and providing universities with
leadership and governance hierarchy.

Rector RIVE Visits HEC

A delegation of the Republican Institute for
Vocational Education (RIVE), Belarus visited HEC
Secretariat. The delegation, headed by Prof. Arkady
Shklyar, Rector RIVE, met Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed,
Chairman HEC.

The two sides agreed that Pakistan and Belarus have

many similar priorities for higher education and
both the countries need to synergize their potential
in addressing future educational, scientific and
technological challenges. The Chairman HEC said
that Pakistan and Belarus have an agreement at the
Government level for academic collaboration. He
informed the delegation that establishment of three
new vocational and skill development universities,
one each in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Punjab, are in the pipeline.
Prof. Arkady Shklyar informed the Chairman HEC
that RIVE develops strategy for vocational training,
adding that it is focusing on different education
systems. The Rector also explained the ongoing
projects of RIVE on skill development, vocational
training, energy, besides achievements of Centre of
Excellence in Renewable Energy in Belarus.
The Chairman HEC expressed his desire to have a
Centre of Excellence on the same pattern with
guidance from the Belarusian Institute.

9
 French Senators Visit HEC
HEC Eyes Joint Industrial-based
Research Projects with France
A delegation of French Senators visited Higher
Education Commission (HEC) Secretariat. Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, accompanied by
other senior management, welcomed the
delegation.
The delegation, led by Ambassador of France to
Pakistan Martine Dorance, comprised Pascal
Allizard, Francoise Cartron, Patricia Morhet-Richaud,
and Pierre-Michel Vaunthelin. Briefing the visitors,
the Chairman said that Pakistan has a large
population of which a big percentage comprise
youth which is a great asset for the nation. He also
informed the delegation about the role and
responsibilities of HEC.
Appreciating the French Government for their
academic collaboration with Pakistan, he said that
France is providing a number of opportunities to
Pakistani scholars and students. The Chairman said
that Pakistan and France have agreements for
collaboration in higher education sector, adding
that the French Embassy has been helping HEC in
Need-based Scholarship Programme.
Referring to the plan of setting up a French
university in Pakistan, he said the two sides have
agreed to initiate work on it. He expressed a desire to
develop university level collaboration between the
two countries alongside exchange of students and
faculty under joint programmes. "France has
10
remarkable achievement in industrial growth and
HEC would like to launch industrial-based research
projects with France so that Pakistan could also
efficiently cope with its industrial challenges," Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed stressed.
He said the two countries collaborate in various
fields including agriculture and Social Sciences,
however they also need to consider mutual
endeavours in S&T. "We need to have a signature
project to devise a technology transfer mechanism
for stronger ties," the Chairman emphasized.
The French delegates said that the purpose of their
visit was to discuss issues related to bilateral
cooperation in higher education. They said it is a
good sign that Pakistan and France have a strong
basis of collaboration which can be further
expanded.
Appreciating Pakistani students studying in France,
they said that those students were recently invited to
visit the French Senate. They also met many
Pakistanis in various fields and gained a useful
understanding of the country.
They said the French Senate has a Pak-French
Friendship Group which remains active to find new
areas of bilateral relations. "When we discussed the
relations between the two countries, the topic of
education occupied first place," a Senator said.
 HEC holds Follow-up Workshop
for Pakistan-US University Partnerships
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan in
collaboration with US Embassy organized a Follow-
up Workshop for Pakistan-US University
Partnerships to share outcome and best practices in
these partnerships.
In his welcome address, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive
Director, HEC said the partnerships among the
higher education institutions of the two countries
will go a long way in achieving remarkable outcomes
and targets. Stressing the need for a way-forward to
sustain these partnerships, he said the constraints
lying in the way of accomplishing objectives of this
flagship programme should not be allowed to
disturb it. He admired the US Government, people
and the US Embassy in Islamabad for their generous
support to the people of Pakistan.
Mr. Jeffery Sexton, Minister Counselor, US Embassy,
Islamabad shared an overview of the partnerships
between the universities and appreciated HEC for its
endeavours to make the programme a success.
"These partnerships show HEC's commitment to
academic uplift," he maintained.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mahmood-ul-Hassan
Butt, Consultant HEC shared core aims of HEC with
the workshop participants. He said when HEC was
established, it concentrated on three areas including
increase in equitable access to higher education,
quality, and relevance of programmes to countrys
socio-economic growth. He also highlighted the key
expectations associated with the Partnerships
11
Programme. He said the programmes covered many
subjects including architecture, psychology,
computer science, post-doctoral research,
development of English language faculty, social
sciences, and business management. He said the
programme helped learning different ways of
university administration, various kinds of research,
and classroom management skills, adding that it
paved the way for Pak-US strategic dialogue in
various fields including S&T.
Referring to the concept of Pakistan-US Knowledge
Corridor, Dr. Butt said the idea will help Pakistani
universities learn about the system of US higher
education institutions and will lead to the transfer of
this system to Pakistan. He said that under Pakistan-
US Knowledge Corridor, as many as 10000 new PhDs
will be produced during next 10 years.
During the course of workshop, participants from
different universities shared the outcomes of
different projects. Mr. Ahmed Saeed, Deputy
Director, Arizona State University (ASU) shared how
the ASU is helping National University of Sciences
and Technology (NUST), Islamabad and University of
Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar in
setting up Centres of Advanced Studies in energy.
In her presentation, Ms. Sarwat Rasool, a
representative of Fatima Jinnah Women University
(FJWU), Rawalpindi briefed the participants about
the experience of FJWU partnering with the
University of Texas, Austin. Mr. Mujahid, Lecturer at
National College of Arts told the workshop
participants about the MoU signed between the
NCA and University of Texas, Austin.
Prof. Dr. Zakariya Zakir from University of the Punjab
apprised the participants of the PU partnership with
Arizona State University in Sociology and
Development Studies. Mr. Zahid Majeed, Director,
International Collaboration & Exchange Office,
Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Prof. Nisar
Siddiqui, Director/ Vice Chancellor, IBA Sukkur, and
Mr. Waseem Hashmi Syed, Adviser, HRD, HEC also
Celebrating 10 Years of Partnership
HEC, Huawei Sign DoU for Development of
Technology, R&D Activities
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. have signed a
Document of Understanding to collaborate through
research and development initiatives aimed at
encouraging higher education institutions for joint
development of technologies in Pakistan. For this
purpose, Huawei will assist HEC to setup its R&D
Laboratory in Pakistan.
The DoU was signed during a recent visit of
Chairman HEC and a group of Vice Chancellors to
China. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC and Mr.
Swift Liu, President (Network and Security Product
Line) Huawei Technologies signed the agreement.
The DoU will help higher education institutions in
Pakistan to benefit from the expertise of Huawei
especially in R&D and technology development. In
addition, the Huawei R&D facility in Pakistan will
12
gave presentation on Pakistan Distance Education
Enhancement Programme, a partnership between
AIOU and San Jose State University, community
colleges, and Pakistan-US Fulbright Scholarship
Programme respectively.
Later, the workshop participants took part in a
discussion on ''How to Sustain the Partnerships after
Formal Conclusion'' and ''Challenges and
Opportunities in Partnerships''. They termed
continuation of Pakistan-US collaboration
imperative for transfer of ideas and experiences.
conduct trainings for researchers and scientists on
technologies being deployed in Pakistan. Further,
the facility will provide capacity building
opportunities and programmes to laboratory staff
and professionals for R&D activities.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman HEC
highlighted that this year both organizations will be
celebrating 10th year of their partnership, as we
started working together in September 2006. Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed said that this is a good time to take
our partnership to next level and make it as a
strategic partnership.
Mr. Swift Liu appreciated the visit of Chairman HEC
and the Vice Chancellors/Rectors. He highlighted
Huawei's commitment and continuous support for
R&D laboratory and associated activities along with
necessary equipment required in Pakistan.
 HEC Chairman, Executive Director
Awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman
Higher Education Commission
(HEC) and Dr. Arshad Ali,
Executive Director HEC were
conferred upon Sitara-e-Imtiaz
on Pakistan Day for their services
and remarkable achievements.
A distinguished graduate of the University of
California and a visionary executive, Prof. Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmeds experience spreads over 28 years
in educational policy and development, leadership
and management at the national and international
level. He has greatly contributed to the
development of higher education and is presently
spearheading the HEC. His leadership has played a
key role in implementing the higher education
reforms in the country that have led to renaissance
of the sector. Being the Chairman of HEC, Dr.
Mukhtar has recently been elected Chairperson of
the SAARC University Grant Commission
Committee. Earlier, he was also elected to the
position of the Deputy Director General, ISESCO in
Rabat, Morocco from amongst 50 states and held
that position for over two years before returning to
Pakistan for taking up the distinguished
assignment as the Executive Director of HEC.
Chairman HEC Meets Hungarys Minister for Education
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC held a meeting
with Dr. Lszl Palkovics, Hungarys Minister of State
for Education. During his recent visit to Hungary, the
Chairman called on the Minister and discussed with
him bilateral cooperation in higher education. The
discussion was held with specific reference to the
MoU signed in December 2015 between the two
countries for award of 240 scholarships to Pakistani
students to pursue higher studies in Hungarian
institutions. First group of 80 Pakistani student will
start classes from the coming Fall session.
Dr. Palkovics expressed desire to establish long-term
relationship under the umbrella of Stipendium
13
Dr. Arshad Ali, who has recently
joined HEC as Executive
Director, he has also recieved
Pride of Performance for his
creative and strategic thinking
and proven academic
leadership skills.
His association with the academics and research
spreads over 33 years. He is the former Rector
National Textile University and founding Principal
of NUST School of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Sciences. He has more than 100
publications to his credit. He is also the recipient of
various other awards including gold medal from
Pakistan Academy of Sciences and COMSTECH for
IT research, Presidents Gold Medal for being the
Best NUST Researcher of the Year 2005 and the
Distinguished Scientist of the Year 2006 by the
Pakistan Academy of Sciences. He has
demonstrated laudable initiative, tremendous
diligence and true professionalism in establishing
not only an elaborate academic infrastructure but
also played active role in maintaining quality
education. He has played a leading role in initiating
research collaborations with several international
entities.
Hungaricum Scholarship Programme. He
highlighted that among the list of 48 countries,
number of applications from Pakistan was the
highest. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed expressed gratitude for
the scholarships offer by the Hungarian
Government. He also gave a brief introduction of the
higher education sector of Pakistan. It was agreed to
establish close linkages between top-ranked
universities of both the countries through joint
research programmes, workshops, conferences,
exchange of faculty and scholars, joint research and
development programmes, in fields of mutual
interest. In this context, a delegation of Pakistani
academicians will soon visit Hungary.
HEC Body Discusses Plagiarism Complaints
against Researchers
The 22nd meeting of Higher Education Commission
(HEC) Plagiarism Standing Committee was held at
the Commission Secretariat, wherein plagiarism
complaints against faculty members and scholars of
10 universities were discussed. The meeting was
chaired by Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC.
The Committee, comprising senior educationists
and experts, deliberated upon complaints which are
lying pending with respective universities even after
passage of the stipulated period of 90 days after
reporting of the case.
Engr. Muhammad Ismail, Consultant Quality
Assurance, informed the members about the
process followed by Quality Assurance division for
processing plagiarism complaints. He shared
concerns about universities not following plagiarism
HEC Represented in International
Congress on Higher Education
Mr. Famanullah Anjum, Director General, HEC and
Mr. Tahir Abbas Zaidi, then Project Director, HEC
represented Pakistan in the 10th International
Congress on Higher Education organized recently in
Cuba by the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education,
Havana.
The theme of the conference was "Innovative
University for Sustainable Human Development". It
brought together professionals from the Cuban
higher education sector and Latin American
education departments as well as delegates from
14
policy in letter and spirit. He stressed that HEC
nominees in the Plagiarism Standing Committee
need to be responsible for proper compliance of
HEC policy on plagiarism.
The Committee discussed 22 plagiarism complaints
and directed for issuance of reminders in 11 cases
with clear warning to universities where plagiarism
complaints are pending. It also blacklisted faculty
members in two cases who have not complied with
HEC directives. Six cases were closed as per policy
and two others were referred to the Expert
Committee.
The Executive Director stressed the need to follow
merit while evaluating such complaints and
emphasized upon formulating a mechanism to
develop quality research culture in universities.
more than 60 countries. The congress covered
lectures, speeches and panel discussions focused on
issues such as state policies for higher education
and bonds of the teacher community with society.
HEC officers also interacted with a number of
delegates from other countries at various forums
and obtained information regarding different
international models of higher education.
On the sidelines of the Congress, the delegation also
held meetings with the officials from University of
Havana and discussed various aspects of how
linkages can be established between universities of
Pakistan and Cuba. It also visited National Institute
of Physical Education and Recreation, and Institute
of Physical Culture and Higher Education.
The delegation thanked the Government and the
people of Cuba for an unprecedented support to
Pakistan after the 2005 devastating earthquake.
 HEC, Pink Ribbon Award Winners
of Breast Cancer Awareness Programme
Programme Accessed 640,000 Girls with HEC's Help
Pink Ribbon Pakistan, in collaboration with the
Higher Education Commission (HEC), recently
organized an award ceremony to acknowledge
assistance of the universities and colleges in the
PINKtober Youth Awareness Programme.
Since October is known as a breast cancer awareness
month all over the world, Pink Ribbon Pakistan
observes the month as PINKtober. Different
activities including seminars, walks, poster
competitions, panel discussions, material
dissemination, bake sales and human ribbons are
organized to highlight the issue.
National Textile University secured 1st position,
Institutes of Home Sciences, University of
Agriculture Faisalabad 2nd position and Lahore
School of Economics 3rd position in the category of
universities, whereas Islamia Girls College, Quetta
secured 1st position, Government Girls College,
Hyderabad 2nd, and Government Postgraduate
College for Women D.G. Khan 3rd position in the
category of colleges. Special awards were given to
Department of Home and Food Sciences,
Government College Women University, Faisalabad
and Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi.
Lahore University of Management Sciences, Forman
Christian College, University of Central Punjab,
Kinnaird College for Women University, University of
Karachi, University of Haripur, Government College
University Faisalabad, Lahore College for Women
University, CMH Medical College, University of
Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of
Poonch, Government Degree College for Women,
Kot Khwaja Saeed Lahore, Women Institute of
Learning Abbottabad, Sarhad University and
University of Education were recognized for their
maximum support to PINKtober Campaign. Some of
these institutions have been involved since
inception of the programme.
Addressing the ceremony as chief guest, Dr. G. Raza
Bhatti, Member (Operations) HEC stressed the need
15
for understanding gravity of the breast cancer as a
disease. He highlighted the role of HEC in sensitizing
the universities on the issue. He said that universities
located in far-flung areas have also made it possible
to reach out to the communities and create
awareness among them.
He suggested the use of campus radio stations to
further spread the awareness. He said HEC has been
working with Pink Ribbon since 2012 with an aim to
empower young girls with knowledge and
techniques to detect the diseases at an early stage.
Mr. Omer Aftab, CEO, Pink Ribbon Pakistan, recalled
the hardships faced at initial stage of the Youth
Awareness Programme, adding that Pink Ribbon has
so far reached out to over 150 institutions with the
help of HEC.
He said the focus of Youth Awareness Programme is
to highlight the importance of early detection of the
disease, as it increases more than 90 per cent
chances of survival. So far, the Programme has
reached out to over 640,000 girls through
institutions with the help of HEC, he underlined. He
said the students are sensitized on global standards
and techniques of early detection, enabling them to
make better healthy choices in future.
Mrs. Shaheen Khan, Adviser Learning Innovation,
HEC said that a large percentage of women in
Pakistan are suffering from breast cancer, which is an
alarming situation. She appreciated the services of
Pink Ribbon by informing masses about the disease.
Unless we jointly fight this disease, we cannot
defeat it, she emphasized.
 rd
NBEAC 3 Deans and Directors Conference
Strengthening Business Schools
through Academia-Industry Partnerships
The National Business Education Accreditation
Council (NBEAC) recently organized a conference
entitled Strengthening Business Schools through
Partnerships, the third of a series of four strategic
level conferences, in Lahore.
The conference provided a platform to deans,
directors and heads of business schools to interact
with one another and with industry professionals.
The key objectives of the conference also included
strengthening the business schools through
industry-academia partnerships, proposing ways to
enhance research activities in business schools
through par tnerships, providing focused
recommendations to the business schools for
enhancing employability skills of business
graduates, and strengthening business schools by
sharing ideas, resources and infrastructure.
The desirable outcomes of the conference were to
identify the critical steps to align education with
business needs and to identify and recommend
actions to the emerging challenges in business
education.
Out of 180 business schools and their campuses
nationwide, deans and directors of 160 business
academic units participated in the conference along
16
with international representation from 15 business
schools from USA, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Russia,
Malaysia, and SAARC countries. The conference was
inaugurated by the Zachary V. Harkenrider, US
Consul General. More than 500 faculty members as
well as 100 industry experts and 15 foreign speakers
also attended the conference.
The conference was a venue for experience sharing
based on the discussions and perspectives of
business school heads, industry professionals and
entrepreneurs. The participants shared their
experiences in establishing linkages and fruitful
contributions made to the development of business
education, industry and economy.
Distinguished speakers from academia included Dr.
Ishrat Husain, Dean/ Director, IBA, Prof. Dr. Syed
Zahoor Hassan from LUMS, Prof. Ralf Boscheck, MBA
Programme Director, IMD, Switzerland, Dr.
Christophe Terrasse, Director Projects, EFMD,
Belgium, Prof. Dr. Zaher Zain, Dean, University of
Malaysia, Dr. Nauman Farooqi, HoD, Mount Allison
University, Canada, Prof. Konstantin Krotov,
Managing Director, St. Petersburg University, Russia,
Prof. Kerry L. Laufer, Director, Tuck School of Business
at Dartmouth, USA, Prof. F. Robert Wheeler,
Founding Dean, KSBL, Mr. Javed Hamid, Senior
Adviser, International Executive Service Corps,
Washington DC, USA, Dr. Ehsan ul Haq, Dean, and
Suleman Dawood School of Business LUMS.
The conference was divided into various sessions
including Essential Components of a Strategic
Plan, which was chaired by Dr. Zahoor Hassan Syed,
Professor, LUMS; Roles and Responsibilities of
Business Schools, Teachers: Students Perspective,
moderated by Dr. Abdul Sattar Abbasi, HoD
COMSATS, Lahore; and, Hiring and Motivating
Qualified Faculty, moderated by Dr. Ali Ahsan,
Chairman Centre of Advanced Studies in
Engineering. As a key message of all the sessions, the
importance of managing the governance and
quality issues, and the openness to the world in
order to reach out to others for global assistance
and human resource development was underlined.
Two workshops were simultaneously conducted
after the first session. It was proposed in the
Afghan Envoy, Chairman HEC Discuss
Collaboration in Higher Education
Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, Ambassador of Afghanistan
to Pakistan, accompanied by Mr. Jallat Khan Zahid
Fayaz, Second Secretary for Education and Cultural
Affairs, visited HEC Secretariat.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC welcomed the
delegates and presented an overview of HECs
initiatives and achievements during last 13 years. He
explained how Governments commitment to
develop higher education and a considerable
17
workshop entitled Engaging your Faculty in
Management Consulting; Benefits to the Business
School and the Faculty to emphasize consulting
faculty whenever needed.
During the workshop entitled Developing
Entrepreneurs; Refining the Curriculum and Guiding
yo u r Fa c u l t y , i t w a s p ro p o u n d e d t h a t
entrepreneurship is a new management paradigm.
Many experiences were shared through videos as to
how entrepreneurial learning can be enhanced. In a
policy roundtable entitled How to Cultivate a
Research Culture in Business Schools, it was
recommended to set up realistic targets so that the
faculty is pushed towards research culture.
Session four covered Industry Expectations from
the Business Graduates, while session five
discussed Making Business Schools More Relevant
for Industry- Challenges and Opportunities for
Forging Linkages and Partnerships.
increase in funding has brought remarkable
changes in the sector. Areas having a direct impact
on countrys socio-economic growth have been
prioritized. Encouraging and funding innovative and
relevant research, entrepreneurship, ensuring
adherence to quality assurance criteria, developing
physical and technological infrastructure, improving
governance at universities are some of the key areas
where HEC has put its maximum effort, he said.
Dr. Mukhtar said that both Afghanistan and Pakistan
have a number of commonalities in their society and
culture and have always enjoyed a brotherly
relationship, adding that education is the biggest
tool to further strengthen this association.
The Ambassador thanked the people of Pakistan for
hosting three million refugees for over three
decades. Both sides agreed to work on a joint
mechanism to be finalized with approval of both the
countries.
 An Entrepreneurial Leap to Counter Cyber Crime
What It Takes of an Entrepreneur to Create
Core Detection Mechanism
According to Forbes Magazine, as of March 2014,
there are 1646 billionaires in the world. Mr. Ashar
Aziz has just made it on that elite list. His company,
FireEye Inc. went public with a valuation of more
than $ 1 billion on the Cyber Security landscape. No
other company comes close to what Mr. Ashar and
his team have achieved. Today, the largest networks
and governments around the world deploy the
robust and resilient solution that FireEye offers.
What makes FireEye unique is its ability to identify
very subtle and sophisticated cyber attacks. In the
past, an attacker used to be a teenager hacking out
of his parents basement and most of the attacks
were low intensity threats. Today, the attacker is a
country, military intelligence operations and well-
funded cyber-criminal organizations. The amount
of funding that is available to plan those attacks has
grown astronomically over the last several years,
explains Mr. Ashar.
Given that threat landscape, the defensive
architecture needed to evolve substantially. Amidst
the existing widely deployed IT products, the
defensive technologies are based on very dated
techniques such as anti-virus, firewalls and IPS
technologies that do not really have the ability to
detect and block advanced attacks because these
attacks do not have any known signature or pattern
that they can match. So, an unknown attack is a
difficult one to find. This is the problem FireEye
solved very successfully. FireEye created an
enterprise-wide architecture using Virtual Machine
Analysis as the core detection mechanism instead
of anti-virus engine. We changed the engine that
the industry has been using for many decades and
came up with a new and innovative way to solve this
problem. The market responded very positively,
he said.
Mr. Ashars approach towards a problem was
unique, which resulted in a solution only he could
have developed. It is his effort and impact that
makes his story so profound and exceptional.
18
Profile of Mr. Ashar Aziz,
Founder CEO, FireEye Incorporation
Mr. Ashar was born in
Karachi and grew up in
Islamabad, but left in the
mid 1970s for Turkey on a
scholarship to study in the
Middle East Technical
University, Ankara. He
transferred to MIT and
has been in the US
ever since.
FireEye: Interest, Will and Outcome
Ashar enjoys solving problems. He has a knack for
identifying solutions to problems most people do
not see. Being a brilliant engineer, he was working in
the areas of Networking, Security and overall system
design. It was the time when he became interested in
how security was getting in the way of technology.
Data centres could not be deployed with the same
efficiency when you had to add layers of security. It
was really a closed and archaic approach to Cyber
Security. It was a problem people were experiencing
but did not know how to solve. That is what spurred
Mr. Ashars creation of TerraSpring, a company that
focused on datacentre automation and
virtualization. Ashar was onto technology that was
at least seven years ahead of its time.
Since TerraSpring was his first venture, Mr. Ashar
demonstrated maturity in dealing with crisis in 2001.
TerraSpring was eventually acquired by Sun in 2002
and Ashar went looking for the next big problem to
solve with many lessons learned.
The overall interest in the Cyber Security landscape
has increased in the past few years. With more
companies ramping up their intellectual and virtual
capabilities to defend and attack, the problem has
become a lot more difficult to solve.
The idea for FireEye germinated from the search for
a complex and important problem. He spent several
months looking at the varying degrees of problems.
Finally, he converged on this one. As an
entrepreneur, I look for hard problems to solve that
have a wide domain of applicability. The solution
meets the needs of a lot of people, which simply
translates to a total available market. If youre going
to construct a business, you have to be sure that
there are a large number of people to buy that
product.
The team of engineers and technologies at FireEye
worked under Mr. Ashar to solve the core problem.
Tr a d i t i o n a l a n t i - v i r u s
companies have spent a lot of
marketing dollars convincing
companies that they are safe,
when in fact, they are not.
Mr. Ashar said it used to be
beyond their comprehension
how a threat could bypass
their practiced levels of
security and get into their
protected level of security and get into their
architecture. When someone would humor us with
our product demonstration, they would quickly
discover what we were telling them was the truth.
The attackers today are much more advanced than
they used to be and have the ability to infiltrate.
The 21st Century is an age of information where
virtually everything we do is either enabled by some
kind of information system of facilitated or in some
fashion by it. If the information system is
fundamentally fragile, then civilization itself is at risk.
Mr. Ashar explained, this can pose a risk to the very
existence of civilization as we know it. I was very
motivated to solve this problem because I
19
understood that if you wiped the financial or critical
infrastructure like power or telecommunications,
society as we know it would cease to exist. I also
knew that such an attack would be enabled by a
cyber attack so the fact that I would have to go and
convince some people that there was a problem that
competitors would stand in the way was not
significant enough for me to turn back or stop me.
Mr. Ashars belief in the importance of the problem
and the need for a solution that could be effective
against this is very insidious kind of threat was
unwavering. This is actually a bigger threat than
nuclear weapons or climate change because it can
be done at a greater speed in
s te a l t h a n d w i t h f e we r
resources than the other
global challenges we face, Mr.
Ashar said.
There are a lot of opportunities
for entrepreneurs also in the
case of Cyber Security, but the
problems are so unique and
massive. Startups should be
identifying problems and aligning their solutions or
offerings with them.
Businesses that grapple with such monumental
problems do not appear overnight. They require a
great deal of planning, insight and experience. They
also need strong leadership to be able to sustain the
business the way up. Nevertheless, the first and
foremost requirement that makes it possible is an
entrepreneurial will.
News & Views has launched a series of write-ups on
the achievements of Pakistani entrepreneurs in order
to promote entrepreneurship in the country. This is
the first write-up of the series.
 Technology Incubator

Since its conception, Plan9 has incubated over 102 startups. A project of the Punjab
Information Technology Board, Plan9 is Pakistans Largest Tech Incubator that was
launched in August 2012 to give budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to change their
business dreams into a reality using technology as the key component. Today, after four
years, Plan9 has evolved into more than just a technology incubator. It is now a whole
eco-system for technological innovation and entrepreneurship along the lines of the
Silicon Valley, with impact all over Pakistan.

Damascus Marks: a Startup Modernizing Knife Making Industry

Wazirabad, a Pakistani city covering only 2.5 square
kilometers with annual export of $ 30 million i.e., 1.5
percent of the countrys GDP, exports as many as
150,000 knives per month. To the surprise of many,
some of the swords, daggers and body armours
used in some Hollywood movies were made in
Wazirabad. Neither you, nor even the movie makers
know this, surely, because our craftsmanship is
being sold under international brands. This is the
tragedy the Damascus Marks, a startup currently
incubated at Plan9, is coping with. It is saddening
that lack of awareness among masses has reduced
the number of skilled craftsmen from 7000 to 1000
during the last 12 years.

What compelled me to initiate this startup was not

just the fascination with the products, but the fact
that this is our legacy and its being sold under
international brands and Pakistani craftsmanship is
nowhere to be heard or seen, Nauman Khokhar,
Founder of Damascus Marks.
According to a research conducted by the startup, a
few local manufacturers are earning good money by
exporting the product, but no one seems visionary
enough to learn and introduce new trends, and
compete with market leaders. Other craftsmen seem
to be demotivated, because they are not paid well
enough. They do not even want their descendants to
continue their legacy at the cost of a poor life.
Damascus Marks is bringing this ancient but still
useful craft with a brand new appearance on
electronic media through online design portal,
social media and blogs. They are not only educating
the client about the use and significance of this craft
as a tool or souvenir, but are also giving them the
liberty to customize their products, which in turn will
also help improve the skills of craftsmen.
Damascus steel is produced by combining different
types of steel through a special technique at a high
temperature. Crafted by the skillful hands of
craftsmen, each knife gets a unique design and

20
decorated with beautiful handle grip made of camel
bone, buffalo horn, leathers, stag horn and woods.
Engraved designs on leather and carving are part of
Damascus Marks plan to provide customization that
add luxurious value to the masterpieces. This
material has great adaptability and usability,
however its benefits are still alien to most. Future
plans of Damascus Marks include launching a range
of miniatures to tap the fashion industry. Their
product compliments craft lovers to decorate their
homes. They also have plans to utilize it in items like
watches, belt hooks, mobile phone bodies, etc.
We are combining forgotten glorious past of knife
making industry with the modern technology of an
ecommerce platform to bring our customers
premium class masterpieces of knives and daggers
worldwide, says Nauman Khokhar.
By exhibiting their brand, company and craftsmens
portfolio, they improvise and ensure sales amongst
enthusiast hunters, collectors, campers and
survivalists worldwide. They are already tapping the
local market by talking to adventure and hunting
clubs in Pakistan.

Technology Incubator

Patari
Patari
R E V I VA L O F M U S I C I N D U S T RY
The emergence of Patari, an online legal music
streaming portal, has revived the music industry in
the country, as the portal is entirely catering to the
Pakistani music. The Plan9 and PlanX Alumni have
made waves in the music industry.
"Most people had either started to forget the music
they had grown up listening to or had been
completely unexposed to begin with except for an
occasional brush, said Khalid Bajwa, co-founder of
Patari, adding that "A thick coat of dust had fallen
over music and country's brilliant music was starting
to fade away. The time had come to change that."
Patari aims to provide its users with a one-stop-
platform for all local music and help them discover
new songs. With the assistance of the content team,
music fans can explore numerous playlists and
recommendations on the site which is the best part
because their witty humor is what keeps the
audience connected.
Artists can also promote and monetize their songs
on the portal. The royalties are being distributed
among Patari's entire list of artists according to the
number of plays their songs have received.

Taking its start from a beta website, Patari made a

remarkable place on the social media by going viral.
The invitation number rapidly increased with 55,000
users active per month.

The platform hosts almost 25,000 registered songs,

through which Patari has revived the concept of live
concerts. The journey towards Patari is littered with
sweat, blood, tears and failure," Bajwa said.

21
 HEC Evaluates Engineering, Technology
Research Journals
The Quality Assurance Division of Higher Education
Commission (HEC) evaluated and recognized
Engineering and Technology Journals recently
during a meeting held at Commission Secretariat.
The Division holds annual meetings for evaluation of
HEC-recognized journals as well as consideration of
new applicants to ensure their compliance with the
defined quality parameters.
The committee which evaluated the journals
comprised distinguished Professors from different
universities across Pakistan. It evaluated the quality
of already recognized journals and assessed
whether improvements were made or not. It also
assessed new journals for their inclusion in the list of
HEC-recognized journals.
Evaluation of journals for the award of grant,
according to the categories W-X-Y-Z, was also done
Meeting Reviews Progress of
Quality Enhancement Cells
The 10th Progress Review meeting of Quality
Enhancement Cells, Group-VI, was organized by
Higher Education Commission (HEC) recently. Mr.
Nasir Shah, Director QAA delivered the welcome
address in the meeting. On the first day, the
participants shared their progress regarding the
implementation of Internal Quality Assurance
parameters. They also discussed their strategies to
meet the targets of assessment year 2015-16.
The QAA, HEC arranged a workshop on ''Blooms
Taxonomy'' for the meeting participants the next
day. Prof. Dr. Riza-ul-Haq Tariq, former Member, HEC
was the resource person, while Prof. Dr. Riaz Hussain
Qureshi graced the event as chief guest. Dr.
Mohammed Rafiq Baloch, Director General, QAA
presented his closing remarks.
22
in the same meeting. The editors/chief editors of the
journals gave presentations on the parameters and
on the basis of these parameters, the experts
evaluated their progress in the last year.
About 24 Journals were presented during the
meeting, whereas there were two new applications
for recognition. The experts upgraded those
journals who put effort in their work and made their
journals more valuable than previous year.
The expert panel considered various aspects of the
process including pursuance of mechanism of
online submission, checking of papers through
'Turnitin', mechanism of peer review process, proof
of abstracting and indexing, percentage of research
articles from within and out of organization,
ownership of journal, statistics of citation, and
complete details of cash flow/funding from parent
university, institute, society and R&D organization.
Representatives of the National University of
Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad
(FAST), University of Lahore, Lahore, Dadabhoy
Institute of Higher Education (DIHE), Karachi,
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) of Engineering
Sciences and Technology, Topi, Swabi, Zia-ud-Din
University, Karachi, Indus University, Karachi,
University of Management and Technology (UMT),
Lahore, Beaconhouse National University (BNU),
Lahore, The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Isra
University, Hyderabad, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST),
Karachi, Institute of Business and Technology,
Karachi, Iqra University, Karachi, Institute of Business
Management (IoBM), Karachi, and Riphah
International University, Islamabad attended the
meeting.
 th
12 Annual HONET-ICT Conference
held at NUST
The 12th Annual International Conference on High-
capacity Optical Networks and Enabling/Emerging
Technologies (HONET-ICT) 2015 was recently held at
National University of Science and Technology,
Islamabad.
During the inaugural session Mr. Rana Tanveer
Hussain, Minister for Science and Technology
appreciated SEECS for organizing an international
conference on an important topic.
The ICT Industrial Exhibition, a special feature of
the conference, attracted a large number of
foreigners and local participants. Dr. Syed Ismail
Shah, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority (PTA) presided over the closing ceremony.
In his address, he congratulated NUST on organizing
the conference with focus on the highly important
domains in ICT, including Wireless and Photonics,
Big Data Analytics, Cyber Security, Internet of Things,
Smart Grid and Cloud Computing. He said the
assembly of professionals coming from all walks of
life was instrumental not only in enhancing scientific
knowledge but also in guiding the policymakers.
Speaking on the occasion, Engr. Muhammad Asghar,
Rector NUST said that ICT had become relevant to
almost all sections of life and, hence, had a pivotal
MUET Seminar on Erasmus+ Scholarship Programme
The Centre of Excellence in Art and Design (CEAD),
Mehran University of Engineering and Technology
(MUET), Jamshoro organized an international
seminar on Erasmus+ scholarship opportunities.
Mr. Ghulam Shabbir Babar, country representative of
Erasmus+ Scholarship Programme and Malenia
Lotti, Vice President, Ocean Network delivered
lectures on the importance of programme, its
learning mobility, objectives, structure and
individuals' access. Mr. Shabbir said that Erasmus+ is
a joint Masters and Doctorate programme funded
by the European Union with an objective to enhance
23
role to play in the modern day education. He assured
that NUST will remain committed to the cause of
educational and scientific development in the
country.
Giving statistics of HONET-ICT 2015, Dr. Muhammad
Hassan Zaidi, Conference General Chair informed
the house that a total of 38 research papers were
presented in the conference. In addition, seven
tutorials and four workshops were also part of the
conference. Other important activities included
plenary sessions, symposia on 'University-Industry
Partnership' and Use of ICT in Education.
At the end, Dr. Yasin Raja from UNC Charlotte, USA
announced that the 13th HONET-ICT will be held at
the American University, Ras-Alkhaima, UAE.
the quality of European higher education through
international cooperation, develop human resource,
promote dialogue and understanding among
people of different cultures, and provide
opportunity to the third world countries to benefit
from European resources in the form of quality
education.
He said that there are different programmes offered
under the Erasmus+ at individual and institutional
level. The programme covers tuition fee, travel
allowance, accommodation, and insurance, he
added.
 AKU Seminar under
Social Integration Outreach Programme
A seminar was held at Aga Khan University, Karachi
under 'Agahi', a project of Social Integration
Outreach Programme of the Higher Education
Commission (HEC).
The Agahi Project was introduced in August 2015 to
highlight the importance of health by advocating for
the communities of selected areas of Karachi
including Sultanabad and Rehri Goth. Agahi focuses
on creating awareness about three diseases:
Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and Dengue.
This project is nested in Aga Khan University's
Department of Community Health Sciences Urban
Health Programme and strives to create awareness
about the three diseases through awareness
sessions, walks and dramas.
Viral hepatitis is a serious global public health
problem and, according to a survey, approximately
every 13th individual is infected with either Hepatitis
B or C. Apart from this, in the Middle East and Asia
Pacific Region, Pakistan comes second after Egypt
News in Picture
Prof. Ajmal Khan, Vice Chancellor, Islamia College
University, Peshawar was decorated with Sitara-e-
Imtiaz during a ceremony on Pakistan Day. Mr.
Zaheer Awan, Director, HEC Reional Centre,
Peshawar presented him a bouquet on behalf of Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC to felicitate him on
this achievement.
24
for having the highest Hepatitis C prevalence rate.
Agahi trained at-risk individuals on the
precautionary steps they could take to ensure they
do not contract or spread Hepatitis.
According to the WHO, Pakistan ranks fifth amongst
the TB high-burden countries worldwide. TB is a
highly contagious disease with a potential of spread
from one person to another.
Presentations, posters and pamphlets were used to
disseminate information regarding Tuberculosis.
These information materials contained latest
preventive and etiological facts on Tuberculosis as
provided by the WHO and the National TB Control
Programme Pakistan.
Dengue is endemic in Pakistan with its usual peak
incidence in the post-monsoon period. Agahiteam
strives to create awareness about how unhygienic
living conditions and improper water storage
practices can create breeding grounds for Dengue-
carrying mosquitos.
 UAF Seminar Urges Development of
Low-Cost Machinery for Small Farmers
An international seminar entitled Role of
Agricultural Engineering in Smart Agriculture was
recently held at the University of Agriculture
Faisalabad (UAF) as a part of Spring Festival.

Speaking on the occasion, Jawed Salim Qureshi,

Chairman Pakistan Engineering Council said that the
low-cost agricultural machiner y for small
landholders must be designed by reverse
engineering in the country to reduce the cost of
production. It will not only help address the woes of
depressed farmers but will also feed the increasing
population that will double by 2050, he added.

Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor UAF,

Munir Ahmad, D.G. PARC Agricultural Engineering
Division, Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor
Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi, Fritz Boemler, a German
agriculture expert, and others also spoke on the
occasion.
Engr. Jawed Salim said that agriculture sector is the
backbone of Pakistan's economy, as it is not only
providing food but also is helping in poverty
alleviation beingmajority of population associated
with it. He urged the engineers to develop low-cost
machineries for small farmers. He urged the
researchers to understand the soil of Pakistan amid
climate change and come up with new resilient
varieties. He said they are collaborating with the
industry to create 5000 new engineering jobs. He
urged the students to develop entrepreneurial skills.
Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan also urged introduction
of efficient and low-cost machinery not only to
increase the productivity but also to facilitate the
farming community.

FUI Researcher Specialises in Interpretative

Phenomenological Analysis
Ms. Saima Ehsan, Assistant Professor Psychology at
Foundation University, Islamabad was recently
awarded the British Council's Charles Wallace
Visiting Fellowship Award 2014-15.
Only few candidates were selected from all over
Pakistan for training abroad (UK) in their respective
fields.
As a result of this award, she proceeded to Birkbeck
University of London for qualitative research
training in Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis (IPA), a useful research methodology for
Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Criminal
Investigation. She has acquired
IPA research training from Prof.
Jonathan A. Smith. On
successful completion of IPA
training, she won the title of
Fellow of Birkbeck University of
London.
She has recently been designated by Prof. Jonathan
A. Smith as a country representative in Pakistan to
train people in IPA and to develop a community of
IPA researchers. She is now affiliated with Birkbeck
University of London and is authorised by Prof.
Jonathan Smith to train people in IPA in Pakistan.

25
NED University holds Workshop on Construction
Cost Engineering and Control
The Department of Civil Engineering, NED University
of Engineering and Technology, Karachi recently
organized a two-day workshop on Construction
Cost Engineering and Control with an aim to create
awareness among the people associated with the
construction industry about the current challenges
and identify their solutions.
The workshop, held in collaboration with Institution
of Engineers Pakistan-Karachi, Constructors
Association of Pakistan, and Pakistan Engineering
Council, also aimed at getting formal recognition
for the Cost Engineering and Control as a profession.
Senior professionals from client organizations,
construction contractors, construction materials
companies, design consulting companies,
construction and project management experts,
architects, and faculty members from academia
from across the country attended the workshop.
NACTE Workshop for IIUI Faculty
National Accreditation Council for Teacher
Education (NACTE) in collaboration with
International Rescue Committee (IRC), USAID,
Pakistan recently conducted a three-day capacity
building workshop for the Faculty of Education,
International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI).
The purpose was to facilitate and provide guidance
to the faculty members to conduct internal
academic audit of their own programmes, conduct
and prepare self-evaluation report and and facilitate
external academic audit/ accreditation by NACTE.
26
Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi, Chairman Institution of Engineers
Pakistan (IEP), Karachi Center was the chief guest on
the occasion. Dr. Rafeeqi stressed the need for
learning the art and science of Cost Engineering to
deliver successful construction projects.
The workshop consisted of eight technical sessions.
Dr. Farrukh Arif from NED University shed light on
the cost estimate accuracy of construction projects
in Pakistan. Mr. Junaid Hamid, an expert of Cost
Engineering running a Cost Engineering consulting
firm, Costveyors, conducted a detailed session on
rate analysis mechanisms for construction projects.
Later, Prof. Sarosh H. Lodhi, Dean CEA, NED
University delivered a special talk and shared various
experiences regarding cost related issues in
construction projects. At the end, Prof. Lodhi
presented certificates to the workshop participants.
The objectives also included enabling the
participants to understand the need for quality
assurance in teacher education; NACTE, its scope
and functions; national accreditation standards for
teacher education programmes; accreditation
documents and process; accreditation tools; role
and responsibilities of institutions, academic
evaluators/ auditors and NACTE in the accreditation
process; pre-requisites of accreditation; conduct of
internal audit and develop institutional self-
evaluation report; and, facilitating external
academic audit.
 Workshops for MNBSP Scholars
Two workshops were held on Talent Grooming for
newly enrolled scholars studying at six partner
universities of Sindh and one neighbouring partner
university from Lasbela, Balochistan, under the
USAID-funded Merit and Needs Based Scholarship
Programme (MNBSP).
The purpose of organizing such workshops was to
encourage the scholars to move out of their comfort
zone and explore their personal complexities. The
first workshop was organized in collaboration with
IBA, Karachi, wherein the USAID MNBSP scholars
from the University of Karachi, IBA Karachi, Lasbela
Career Orientation Workshop at SAU
Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam organized a
career orientation workshop in collaboration with
Higher Education Commission (HEC) and USAID.
The purpose of holding the workshop was to
develop career opportunities for fresh graduates so
as to encourage them to compete in the market. The
event attracted SAU graduates, academia, and
employer firms related to Agriculture sector. Deans
of different faculties, HEC officials and industrialists
shared their experiences and encouraged the
university graduates to show ability to compete the
world's job market.
In his inaugural speech, Prof. Dr. Mujeebuddin
Sahrai, Vice Chancellor SAU, Tandojam, urged the
graduates to live up to the expectations associated
with them. He urged them to understand the
importance of time to grow in the face of hardships.
Ms. Dur-e-Shahwar Sadozai, Director Capacity
Building and Alumni Relations, USAID lauded the
role of the SAU team, which brought people from
diversified fields for the orientation of graduates.
She said it is an inspiring event, adding that the HEC
encourages universities and is increasing
scholarship programmes for higher education.
Dr. Shahid Qureshi, Director Centre for
Entrepreneurship Development (IBA), Karachi
27
University of Agriculture, Water and Marine
Sciences, and SZABIST, Larkana, Hyderabad and
Karachi campuses participated.
The second workshop was held at Mehran University
of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, in which
a large number of graduates from Sukkur IBA, and
Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam along with
students of the host university participated.
The workshop was a blend of academic sessions and
panel discussion. Seventy two USAID MNBSP
scholars were awarded certificates on this occasion.
shared his experiences that have resulted in many
graduates launching successful businesses.
He suggested the SAU graduates to invest a
minimum amount and get more profit. Business
needs passion and commitment," he said.
Seminar Creates Awareness
on Fulbright Scholarship
Programme
A seminar was organized at Sindh Agriculture
University, Tandojam to create awareness on
Fulbright Scholarship Programme for Masters and
PhD students.
The seminar was organized in collaboration with
United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan
(USEFP). Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saffar Mirjat, Dean,
Faculty of Agricultural Engineering presided over
the seminar. He said that SAU will build strong
relations with the USAID institutes for academic
and research development.
Ms. Hina Javed and Mr. Saif Jiskani gave a
presentation on preparation of aptitude test and
briefed the participants about the scholarship
programme.
 GCUF, Nigerian Varsity Sign MoU to
Expand Academic Cooperation
The Government College University Faisalabad
(GCUF) and Sokoto State University Nigeria have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding to boost
cooperation and exchange ideas in the pursuit of
education and learning in diverse fields of science.
The MoU was signed on the sidelines of a one-day
international seminar held on education system in
Pakistan and Nigeria at GCUF. Dr. Muhammad Ali,
Vice Chancellor GCUF and Dr. Nuhu Yaqub, VC
Sokoto State University signed the MoU.
During the seminar, Mr. Mohsin, Director Directorate
of Distance Learning gave a presentation on the
Literary Review of Desert Areas
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and
Technology, Karachi in collaboration with HEC
organized a national literary conference entitled A
Literary Review of Desert Areas of Pakistan.
Mr. Sulaiman Ahmad, Director, HEC Centre, Karachi
said that HEC has been very active to promote Social
Sciences and regional languages in Pakistan in
addition to encouragement of research in Pakistani
languages. He said that HEC has also been helpful in
launching research journals in Brahvi, Seraiki and
Persian, adding that it has also allocated special
funds for promotion of Social Sciences and
Humanities in the country. He urged scholars to
prepare a project to document literature emerging
from the desert areas of Pakistan. He also stressed
the need for steps to translate the literature in local
languages into English.
28
topic and introduced the participants to the
education system in Pakistan. He said that HEC has
established Quality Enhancement Cells in
universities which are working efficiently towards
achievement of their objectives. While, Dean Faculty
of Education, Sokoto State University, Nigira briefed
the audience about the education system in Nigeria.
The Vice Chancellor Sokoto State University paid
special thanks to Dr. Muhammad Ali for hospitality.
He said they believed in long lasting and sustainable
relations. He said the two universities will exchange
students and faculty in order to understand and
benefit from each other's experiences.
In his address, Dr. Suleman D. Mohammad, Vice
Chancellor, FUUAST highlighted the shortage of
facilities and resources in the desert areas. He
appreciated the HEC for funding the conference, as
he said these activities are a good sign regarding
promotion of literature on neglected areas.
Prof. Noor Ahmed Jinjhi observed that people living
in the barren and arid areas have a rich heritage. He
urged the authorities concerned to document this
history in the form of audio-visual recordings along
with transcriptions so that the rich heritage may be
preserved. The people of deserts document their
hardships in a positive way in the form of folk songs,
folk tales and other kinds of folklore. Dr. Inayat
Hussain Leghari, Chairman, FUUAST Sindhi
Department, Prof. D. Alamdar Hussain Bukhari, and
others also spoke on the occasion.
 UVAS holds Roundtable on Foot
and Mouth Diseases
The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Lahore in collaboration with the USAID and Punjab
Livestock and Dairy Development Department
organized a round-table discussion on Foot and
Mouth Diseases at the varsity's Lahore campus.
Prof. Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha, Vice Chancellor UVAS,
Dr. Miles Toder, Director USAID Punjab, Naseem
Sadiq, Secretary Livestock and Dairy Development
Punjab, Sajjad Moghal, Senior Development
Advisor, USAID Punjab, and others participated in
the discussion along with the representatives of the
University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
'ComBat-2016' held at PAF-KIET
A two-day national competition entitled ComBat-
2016 -- The Computing Battle --was held at Pakistan
Air Force-Karachi Institute of Economics and
Technology (PAF-KIET), Karachi recently.
The aim of holding this competition was to bring out
the abilities of students and provide them with a
platform to bolster their expertise in the field of
Information Technology and related disciplines.
The event featured 22 competitions and more than
1000 students from different universities including
Institute of Business Administration, NED University,
FAST, University of Karachi, Sir Syed University of
Riphah Conference on Islamic Banking
Riphah International University organized the 4th
International Conference on Islamic Business (ICIB)
with the theme of Islamic Economics, Finance,
Entrepreneurial Development, and Public Policy for
Socio-economic Well-being.
There was a consensus among participants that
Islamic Finance has become a global feature.
However, there is a need for reconstructing the
society and economy on the basis of Islamic values.
29
L&DD Punjab Lahore, Engro Foods, ICI Pakistan and
private enterprises. The discussion revolved around
the prevalence of foot and mouth diseases among
the livestock sector in Pakistan.
It also covered as to how the diseases are contained
with focus on their prevention. The participants,
hailing from the public and private sectors, believed
that scaling up the production of vaccines for foot
and mouth diseases will go a long way in combating
the threat of diseases. They stressed that public-
private sector collaboration would pave the way for
mitigation and solution of the issue with full
coverage of vaccination of livestock.
Engineering and Technology, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
(SZABIST), Bahria University, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
University, BIZTECH, Iqra University, Usman Institute
of Technology, Federal Urdu University, Sindh
Madrasatul Islam University, Karachi, DHA Suffa
University and Mehran University participated in it.
Professionals from the industry and academia
attended the event in a large number.
Mr. Tubrez Asif, President PAF-KIET commended the
innovative skills displayed by the young
participants. An amount of Rs. 250,000 was awarded
to the winners of various competitions.
It was observed that the acceptance level of Islamic
Finance is still very low, as people consider it as
replication of conventional finance. The speakers
stressed that the policy makers, regulators and the
practitioners need to ponder seriously on the point
as to why conversion to Islamic finance is so slow
even in Muslim majority countries. They said the
Islamic Finance Institutions (IFIs) need to change
their model to undertake real business and to focus
on financing of real sectors and sub sectors.
Ahsan Iqbal Lauds UHS Services in Health Sector
Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning,
Development and Reforms has said that the
government is determined to make Pakistan one of
the top 25 economies of the world in next 10 years.
Addressing an award distribution ceremony
organized at the University of Health Sciences (UHS)
for position holders of various disciplines, Ahsan
Iqbal said that the world has entered into a
knowledge revolution. This is not the age of war of
political forces but an era of clash of economic
theories, he said, adding that Pakistan has to follow
the agenda of socio-economic uplift instead of
political gains. He further said that the country is
emerging out of darkness and entering into an era of
enlightenment.
Stressing the need for development of human
resource, which is a key for inclusive and sustainable
growth, the minister said that a holistic approach
was needed for human resource development by
synergizing efforts on education, health, nutrition
and population. The minister lauded the UHS for its
efforts to promote health education and urged it to
QUEST Workshop for Librarians
on Use of Koha Software
The Central Library, Quaid-e-Awam University of
Engineering, Science and Technology (QUEST),
Nawabshah organized a three-day training
workshop on 'Koha and D-Space' for the staff of
nearby libraries in Nawabshah.
The topic of workshop was Integrated Library
System: Koha and DSpace. As many as 27 library
professionals attended the workshop, which
included 17 sessions.
Mr. Ghulam Farooque Channar, Librarian, QUEST,
Nawabshah was the coordinator of the workshop.
Mr. Sher Afzal, Chief Librarian, Bahria University,
Islamabad was the resource person of the training.
He delivered 14 lectures on KOHA & DSpace.
KOHA and DSpace is a multilingual library
30
prepare doctors and other health professionals with
an aim to serve the nation.
With regard to Vision-2025, Ahsan Iqbal pointed out
seven factors as most important for preparation to
cope with future challenges including energy
security, self-reliance in growth rate, development of
human resources, social development, value
addition in production units, promotion of small and
medium enterprises, and democratic governance.
Vision-2025 is a long term project for socio-
economic prosperity of the country on sustainable
basis, he remarked.
management software that is effectively being used
in most of the countries around the globe by
providing free access to users. The objective of the
workshop was to equip the librarians with practical
skills to use Koha and DSpace in the management
system of libraries. This training workshop was held
for the first time by Central Library, QUEST for the
library professionals working in central and
departmental libraries of QUEST and also for the
librarians of nearby educational institutions like
PUMHS, SBBU, Isra University, and Khawaja
Memorial Public Library.
Prof. Dr. Bashir Ahmed Memon, Dean Faculty of
Engineering, Prof. Dr. Noor Ahmed Memon, and
Prof. Dr Aslam Pervez Memon, Chairman Library
Committee, also spoke on the occasion.
 Science Fair Enthralls Visitors at GIKI
Science Society of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of
Engineering Sciences and Technology recently
organized a three-day All Pakistan Science Fair.
Speaking on the occasion, speakers stressed the
need for involving the country's youth in result-
oriented research activities as it will prove helpful for
them in achieving desired results in the diverse fields
of science. Students from various educational
institutions participated in the fair. The categories
adopted in the fair included Kasoty, Eureka, Span the
UCP Clinches Title of
Intervarsity Cricket Championship 2015-16
The University of Central Punjab (UCP), Lahore has
won the title of Intervarsity Cricket Championship
2015-16 organized by Higher Education
Commission at Bhutto Cricket Ground, Islamabad.
The UCP marked the victory by eight wickets in a
match against the University of Peshawar. The latter
made 199 runs in 40 overs which were chased by
UCP in 28th over. The University of the Punjab, Lahore
has got 3rdposition in the championship. Dr. Arshad
Ali, Executive Director, HEC was the chief guest in the
closing ceremony. He gave away trophies and cash
prizes to the top three teams.
The event was organized by HEC in Islamabad with
the assistance of local universities and Islamabad
National Moot on Trends in IT at QUEST
The Department of Information Technology, Quaid-
e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and
Technology, Nawabshah, Sindh, in collaboration
with the Higher Education Commission (HEC),
organized the 1st National Conference on Trends and
Innovations in Information Technology, 2016.
The main purpose of the conference was to create a
linkage between academia and industry to explore
the recent developments in the field of Information
Technology. Experts from various universities and
31
Bridge, Forensics, Sweep the Distance and Science
Marathon. The participants of exhibition competed
one another in an enthusiastic way.
Addressing the prize distribution ceremony at the
end of exhibition, Prof. Dr. Jameel-un-Nabi, Dean,
Faculty of Engineering Sciences said that the spirit of
youth can help them acquire contemporary
education and make their dream of a prosperous life
come true while playing their due role in
strengthening the countrys economy.
Cricket Association. Sixteen teams from all over the
country took part in the championship.
Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan, Hazara
University, University of Peshawar, University of
Engineering & Technology Peshawar, International
Islamic University Islamabad, COMSATS Institute of
Information Technology Islamabad, University of the
Punjab, University of Sargodha, Government
College University Faisalabad, University of Central
Punjab, University of Engineering and Technology,
Lahore, University of Karachi, University of Sindh,
Jamshoro, NED University of Engineering and
Technology, Karachi, Shah Abdul Latif University and
University of Baluchistan were among the
universities which took part in the event.
industries participated in the event and exchanged
their ideas and information with the other
participants.
Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, HEC
participated in the closing ceremony of the
conference as a chief guest. He appreciated the
efforts of the university for arranging such the
conference. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Channa,
who chaired the meeting, thanked the experts for
their participation and technical support.
 KU Seminar Calls for
Precautions against Diabetes, Kidney Diseases
The Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) in
collaboration with Kidney Centre organized a
seminar to mark the Work Kidney Day and sensitize
the masses on the deadly effects of kidney diseases
and diabetes.
Addressing on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Muhammad
Qaiser, Vice Chancellor, Karachi University, Prof. Dr.
Shakeel Farooqui, President KUTS, and other
notables urged the masses to understand the
complexities of kidney related issues, as if kidney
diseases are not diagnose timely, they can go
uncontrollable.
They said that the causalities and loss of precious
lives due to diabetes and kidney disease can be
avoided by adopting safety measures and creating
public awareness. They said diabetes is a very
complex disease and its patients may also face heart
diseases, strokes and blood pressure.
Diabetes is a constantly increasing in the whole
world including Pakistan due to lack of awareness,
they lamented. They said that according to a survey,
415 million people of the world are suffering from
diabetes, while seven million of them are from
Pakistan. They feared that this figure might reach up
Significance of Outcome-based
Education Highlighted
An international workshop on Outcome-based
Education was organized by the Quality
Enhancement Cell of Ghulm Ishaq Khan (GIK)
Institute recently.
Prof. Dr. Abul Fazal Arif from King Fahad University
of Petroleum and Minerals, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
also attended the workshop. A step-wise
development of a functional assessment process
was discussed in the workshop. Speakers urged the
faculty to put efforts for broadening of their
32
to 642 million in 2040 with 14 million people
affected by the disease in Pakistan. They stressed the
need for practical efforts to face this challenge.
Youth must be fully aware about this disease so that
they could play their vital role in minimizing it in the
country, they emphasized.
The speakers said that public awareness about the
kidney diseases and diabetes needs to be increased
in Pakistan. They lamented that the developing
nations even lack clean drinking water, which is a
global tragedy.
They stressed the need for establishment of a Kidney
Centre at KU. They said that KUTS will leave no stone
unturned to facilitate teachers and students to raise
awareness against the diseases.
understanding about the continuous improvement
of student learning through the design of
assessment processes satisfying the framework
provided by the PEC manual.
Dr. AbulFazal Arif shared a detailed report
summarizing the activities, observations and
recommendations based on the findings during his
visit. Meanwhile, short visits of experts along with
the QEC team to various engineering programmes
were organized by GIK Institute.
IST Workshop Sheds Light on Microteaching
The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC), Institute of
Space Technology (IST), organized a two-day
workshop on 'Teaching Competency through
Microteaching Approach' for newly inducted faculty
members to help them learn the
art of teaching.
Microteaching, a teacher training
technique practiced worldwide,
provides teachers an opportunity
to enhance their teaching skills,
speakers said on the occasion.
They said microteaching employs
real teaching situation for
development of skills and it also helps acquiring
deeper knowledge about teaching methodology. A
number of faculty members from different
departments of IST participated in the workshop. Dr.
3rd e-Learning, Distance Education Conference
Assembles Academia, Industry Representatives
The two-day 3rd e-Learning and Distance Education
Conference 2016 was organized at Ali Institute,
Lahore with the theme of "e-Learning and Distance
Education: Evolution, Challenges and Solutions".
Notables from academia and corporate world
attended the activity along with a large number of
delegates from Canada, United Kingdom, Germany,
Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri
Lanka. Apart from seven keynote
speeches, presentation of 35
technical papers split over five
sessions was a remarkable feature
of the conference.
Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, former
Chairman HEC, Prof. Asha S.
Kanwar, President Common
Wealth of Learning, Canada, Prof.
Dr. Shironica Karunanayaka, Professor in Educational
Technology, Open University of Sri Lanka, Dr. Robert
Farrow from Institute of Educational Technology,
Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, and other
33
Zahid Majeed from Allama Iqbal Open University,
who was the resource person of the workshop,
emphasised on a few basic skills and components of
teaching.
The participants delivered lectures
on the topic. Immediate verbal and
written feedback was then
provided by the resource person
and peers. The whole activity
provided a useful insight into the
teaching process.
The closing ceremony was
c o n d u c t e d b y M r. A r b a b
Mahmood Ahmad, Director QEC. He thanked Dr.
Zahid Majeed for his valuable pedagogical guidance
and awarded certificates of participation to all the
faculty members.
renowned international speakers highlighted the
significance of e-Learning and Distance Education
on the occasion.
Dr. Naveed A Malik, Rector, Virtual University of
Pakistan said the conference provided a unique
forum where innovative developments in e-
Learning, applications, issues, and strategies to
explore new technologies were
exchanged and discussed by all
stakeholders. He said it explored
the innovative ways of using
technology to enhance the
learning experience beyond the
dimensions of Anywhere and
Anytime to Ubiquitous Learning.
D r. S h a h i d S i d d i q u i , V i c e
Chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open
University graced the closing ceremony as chief
guest. The conference was concluded with
distribution of shields, souvenirs and certificates
among the organizers.
 UVAS VC Prof. Pasha Decorated
with Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Malik Rafique Rajwana, Governor Punjab on behalf
of the President of Pakistan decorated Prof. Dr. Talat
Naseer Pasha, Vice Chancellor, University of
Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) with Sitara-i-
Imtiaz in an investiture ceremony at the Governor
House on Pakistan Day.
Prof. Pasha has been awarded the presidential award
for his outstanding performance and excellence in
the field of Veterinary Science. He has the honour to
be appointed as UVAS VC for the second
consecutive term. Under his leadership, the UVAS
has attained its position among the top 10 Pakistani
universities according to the HEC ranking.
SU VC Dr. AbidaTaherani Achieves
Pride of Performance
Mr. Mamnoon Hussain, President of
Pakistan conferred Pride of
Performance award upon Prof. Dr,
Abida Taherani, Vice Chancellor,
University of Sindh (SU) in
recognition to her meritorious
achievements in the field of education during a
ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad on
Pakistan Day.
Dr. AbidaTaherani has been a dedicated teacher of
39 years standing and a devoted researcher par-
excellence with her expertise and profound
knowledge covering vast canvas of fields ranging
from Economics, Agricultural Economics,
Developmental Economics and Sustainable
Development and Environment, Gender and Poverty
Studies, Water Resources, Drainage and Coastal and
Indus Delta Mangroves.
Apart from completing many research projects
funded by Government and other agencies,
including World Bank and Asian Development Bank,
she has supervised 10 doctoral studies spanning
over all these diverse fields of her expertise, with
34
Prof. Pasha was earlier awarded the
Best University Teacher Award by
the HEC in 2009. He is a PhD in
Animal Nutrition from the West
Virginia University, USA, and has a
vast experience in education,
research and livestock sector.
He published 81 research papers in scientific
journals, supervised 118 MPhil students and 11 PhD
scholars. He drafted the PC-1 of the UVAS, Lahore
and is the focal person for establishment of
Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal
Sciences, Bahawalpur.
another nine scholars presently pursuing PhD
research under her supervision along with six others
studying for MS/ MPhil degrees.
Dr. Taheranis educational background is studded
with top positions and gold medals, starting from
Masters in Economics culminating to the PhD
degree in Agricultural Economics in 1995 from
Colorado State University, USA. She also rejoined
Colorado State for her postdoctoral studies in 2005.
She was awarded USAID fellowship for her PhD
studies and Sindh University fellowship for post-
doctoral studies.
Starting her teaching career at the University of
Sindh as lecturer, Dr. Taherani rose to full
Professorship in 1997 and finally earned Meritorious
Professorship (BPS-22) in 2014. She has to her credit
numerous research publications mostly in HEC
approved journals.
Dr. Taherani received the Best University Teacher
Award of the HEC in 2008. In 1998, she was awarded
Gold Medal by Sindh University for outstanding
performance.
 PAK-KIET Research Conference on
Business, Management
The 1st National Research Conference on Business
and Management was organized by the College of
Management Sciences (CoMS), PAF-KIET with the
theme of sharing knowledge and ideas.
The response from universities and the industry to
the call for papers was overwhelming, as 74
manuscripts were accepted for presentation while
three manuscripts were received from the Peoples
Republic of China on which presentations were
made through Skype. The conference was kicked off
with a panel discussion wherein PhD programme
coordinators from various universities of Karachi
participated. The panelists provided an overview of
the PhD programmes and the facilities available at
CUST CYMUM'16 Fascinates Audience
The first ever model United Nations was organized
at the Capital University of Science and Technology
(CUST) as CUST Youth Model United Nations 2016
(CYMUN16).
The three-day event was attended by more than 200
students from National University of Science and
Technology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, International Islamic University
CEMB Scientists Develop
Double BT Gene Cotton Variety
This first ever transgenic, double BT gene cotton, has
been developed by the scientists of CEMB under the
supervision of Prof. Dr. Tayyab Husnain, Director
CEMB and Dr. Idrees Ahmad Nasir.
Commercialization of CEMB 33 across Pakistan was
approved by National Biosafety Committee of
Pakistan during its 13th meeting.
CEMB 33 has already passed biosafety trials
conducted at various places in the Punjab and has
35
their campuses. They also discussed the issues faced
by the management and scholars.
The papers were presented in 10 concurrent
sessions chaired by seasoned researchers belonging
to various institutions. Encouraged by the positive
response to the First NRCBM, the College of
Management Sciences is planning a follow-up
international conference in the near future.
Islamabad, Beaconhouse School System, EME
College, and other institutions. The purpose of
holding the CYMUM'16 was to provide the
participants with an absolute source of information,
recreation and entertainment.
The participants witnessed a very intellectual debate
during the committee sessions on the issues
prevailing in the world.
successfully shown ability to control all cotton boll
worms and tolerance against cotton leaf curl virus.
This high yielding cotton variety is expected to
contribute significantly by decreasing foreign
exchange being spent on the import of hazardous
pesticides.
Dr. Tayyab Husnain said that this tremendous
achievement has given motivation to CEMB
scientists to do more valuable and productive
scientific research for the betterment of society.
 Training Workshop on
Applications of Bioinformatics held at SALU
A three-day training workshop on Application of
Bioinformatics for Analysis of whole Sequences
Data was organized by the Department of Zoology,
Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur in
collaboration with HEC.
Inaugurating the workshop, Prof. Dr. Noor Ahmed
Shaikh, Pro-Vice Chancellor, SALU said that DNA can
provide the genetic material necessary for full
genome sequencing, adding that the whole
genome sequencing has important application in
human physiology, biochemistry, microbiology and
environmental sciences. He revealed the benefit of
sequencing and said it could provide new
information on the genetic basis of poorly
understood diseases.
Dr. Ishtiaque Ahmed Khan from University of Karachi
presented his keynote speech on Genomic
Reshaping Biology. Arguing that life is more
complex than galaxy, he said genomic is the study of
th
11 Int'l Symposium on Analytical,
Environmental Chemistry at SU Centre
The National Centre of Excellence in Analytical
Chemistry, Jamshoro organized a two-day 11th
International Symposium on Analytical and
Environmental Chemistry (ISAEC-2016).
The symposium was dedicated to Late Prof. Dr. Gul
HussanKazi, former Director of the Centre.
Delegates from Turkey, Malaysia, Czech Republic,
Saudi Arabia, Oman and various Pakistani
universities participated in the event. The major
focus of symposium was on Analytical and
Environmental Chemistry with particular emphasis
on Innovative Methods for remedies of emerging
organic and inorganic pollutants, nano-materials
synthesis using environmental friendly approaches
and their applications in sensor and catalysis. The
role of metal ions in progression of diseases was also
discussed alongside the future prospects of
biodiesel as green source. Different methods for
36
genes and their functions, and genome preserves
biodiversity in the society. He added that genome is
a laboratory process that determines the complete
DNA sequence of an organism's genome at a single
time. He stressed that the whole genome
sequencing should not be confused with DNA
profiling, which only determines the likelihood that
genetic material came from a particular individual or
group, and does not contain additional information
on genetic relationships, origin or susceptibility to
specific diseases.
Dr. Javed Ahmed Ujjan, Secretary at the workshop
and Dr. Abdul Manan Shaikh, Chairman, Department
of Zoology appreciated HEC for its financial support
in organizing the workshop for the capacity building
of faculty and students.
drug analysis using modern analytical methodology
were discussed in detail for practical applications.
Prof. Dr. Abida Taherani, Vice Chancellor, University
of Sindh, Jamshoro presided over the event.
Appreciating the efforts of the NCEAC, Prof. Dr.
Abida Taherani said that such events do not only
boost up academic and research studies but also
strengthen bonds among various institutes of the
country in addition to creating opportunities of
promoting the standard of research and
technological education.
Prof. Dr. G. A. Miana, Rector Riphah Institute of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Islamabad, who was the
chief guest on this occasion, Prof. Dr. Rasool Jan, VC,
University of Peshawar, Dr. Hussain Kara, Vice Rector,
Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey, Prof. Dr. Iqbal
Bhangar and others also spoke on the occasion.
 SZABUL Conference Mulls Improvement
of Legal Education Quality
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law
recently held a three-day conference on legal
education entitled 'the Continuum of Education in
the Legal Profession: Enhancing Quality'.
The conference was attended by eminent
personalities from judiciary as well as executive
including Mr. Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Chief Justice
Supreme Court of Pakistan and Mr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad,
Governor Sindh. As many as 15 sub-topics were
identified during the activity while 84 research
papers were also presented.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anwar Zaheer Jamali
stressed the need for promotion of legal education
and its virtues in the country.
Dr. Sikandar Ali Mandhro, Provincial Minister for
Environment, Coastal Development Authority &
Cooperation chaired the closing ceremony on
behalf of Honorable Chief Minister Sindh. Besides,
UoP, BU Strike MoU
for Collaboration in Earth Sciences
The National Centre of Excellence in Geology,
University of Peshawar, and Bahria University,
Islamabad recently signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to enhance collaboration in Earth
and Environmental Sciences.
The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr Irshad Ahmed,
Director National Centre of Excellence in Geology,
and Mr. Saleem Akhtar, Director General, Bahria
37
Mr. Qazi Khalid Ali, Vice Chancellor, SZABUL, Dr.
Sikandar Ali Mandhro, and other notables also
spoke on this occasion.
Before the conclusion of conference, it was resolved
that SZABUL will offer Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor
Programmes in collaboration with the Bar Standards
Board, UK, Solicitor Regulatory Authority, BPP Law
University, London, University of London, and some
other competent authorities of the UK on mutually
agreed terms and conditions.
Univeristy, Islamabad during a ceremony at National
Centre of Excellence in Geology, in which a number
of senior faculty members of both the universities
were present. The MoU will enable both the
institutes of higher learning to exchange scientific
information. They will also jointly organize
workshops, seminars and symposia. The researchers
of both the institutes will also carry out collaborative
research.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Irshad Ahmed
said that collaboration among researchers in the
field of Earth Sciences is a need of the hour, adding
that collaboration between the two universities will
prove fruitful for the advancement of Earth and
Environmental Sciences research in the country and
will provide a progressive learning environment to
the students of both the institutions.
 Chinese Delegates Visit NUML
A Chinese delegation led by Mr. WU Xian, Director
General, Xinjiang Foreign Affairs visited National
University of Modern Languages (NUML) and met
Major General (R) Zia ud Din Najam, Rector NUML.
The delegation included Mr. Yoan Jianman, Deputy
Secretary Sinotrance ltd, Mr. Yang Hongxin
President Xinjiang TV and Mr. Zhan Kongchao
Assistant Director Journal of Xinjiang Foreign Affairs.
The Chinese delegates said that China is keen to
enhance cooperation in language training and
cultural promotion, and ready to provide
scholarships for NUML students. Mr. WU Xian said
that his province will assist NUML in setting up
nd
22 Convocation of UET Lahore
The University of Engineering and Technology (UET),
Lahore held its 22nd convocation, wherein Mr. Javed
Saleem Qureshi, Chairman Pakistan Engineering
Council was the chief guest.
As many as 13 PhDs, 53 MPhil students, 187 MSc, 44
MBA and 1380 bachelors were awarded with
degrees in addition to distribution of 58 medals. The
PhD scholars also included Ms. Sharia Hussaini, an
Iranian student, who got her degree in Architecture.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest said that
Engineering education plays a key role in the
progress of a country. Keeping this in view, the
Government is taking various measures with the
38
NUML International Center of Education in Xinjiang
Normal University under China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) as signed by the both the countries.
He said that Xinjiang is in process of signing various
MoUs with NUML regarding students exchange
programmes, construction of librar y and
enhancement of mutual cooperation.
The Rector NUML briefed the delegation about the
University. He said that a large number of students
are getting admission in Chinese language courses
and to provide them excellent skills NUML needs
native Chinese teachers and Xinjiang can help
NUML in this regard.
collaboration of other institutions to equip the
youth with different technical skills at country level,
which will certainly help stabilising the country's
economy. He emphasized the need for
modernization of Engineering education and other
pedagogical techniques up to the mark. "Only then,
we will be able to grab domestic and global markets
properly," he concluded.
Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid, Vice Chancellor, UET
Lahore congratulated the graduating students and
advised them to work hard in the practical life as
well. He hoped that they will play their due role in
establishing a moderate and modernized society
with their thinking and actions.
 City University Awards
1078 Degrees in 8th Convocation
Engr. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Governor Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa conferred degrees upon 1078
graduates during the 8th convocation of City
University of Science and Information Technology,
Peshawar.
The graduates who received their degrees belong to
various disciplines including Management Sciences,
Computer Sciences, Education, MBA, MCS,
Mathematics, English, M. Com, M.Ed, BCS/BSE/BBA
(Hons), B. Com, B. Ed and Engineering. Forty-eight
Indus University holds Workshop on
'Ladies Fund Vocational Scholarship
The Indus University organized a four-day workshop
on ''Ladies Fund Vocational Scholarship in Media
Studies and Entrepreneurship'' with the
collaboration of Dawood Global Foundation.
The objective of holding this workshop was to
highlight the importance of communication in
effective writing. Leading start-up trainers took
classes on how effective global communication is
necessary to become a successful entrepreneur that
would create a healthy competition. They said
journalism has played a major role in global
communication, as it enhances creative writing skills
and generates in-house income source for females.
Prof. Dr. Ishrat Lindblad from University of
Stockholm, Sweden emphasized on the ways of
opening and closing of a paragraphs in an effective
global communication. He spoke on the significance
of writing beyond borders and communicating
39
gold medals were also given to the graduates on the
basis of their outstanding academic performances.
Engr. Prof. Dr. Attaullah Shah, Vice Chancellor, City
University thanked the Chief Guest, Members of
Board of Governor and other respected delegates.
He shared with them the details of various initiatives
undertaken by the City University for academic
uplift. Mr. Muhammad Sabur Sethi, President, City
University congratulated the graduates on the
completion of the degrees.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest
emphasized upon the importance of education and
research for development of the country. He advised
the graduates to discharge their duties with
sincerity, commitment and professionalism, as it
would contribute to the national advancement. He
also showed his trust and confidence in the
capabilities of young generation.
effectively with a short introduction in the start to a
creative piece within.
Sadia Khan, honorary Consul General, Finland
underlined that women can become very effective
entrepreneurs and contribute to the society side by
side with men. She urged girls to use their skills and
start up their modules without any fear of failure. Mr.
Amin Guljee, renowned sculpture artist shed light on
building one's career in the field of one's choice.
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