SSUET organizes enchanting Cultural Fair to celebrate International Women Day

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Beautiful dresses, music, folk songs, skits fascinatingly depicted the cultures of various provinces of Pakistan at a Lok Virsa (Cultural Fair) coinciding International Women’s Day held at Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi, on March 8.

The Fair was organized by Girl Students Committee of the University and participated by the girl students and their families in a very large number.

The programmes presented on the occasion highlighted the cultural values of Pakistan and contribution of Pakistani woman folk towards the promotion of the same.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chancellor SSUET, Engr Z.A. Nizami, highly appreciated the performance of the girls in programs presented by them and declared that such activities will continue at regular intervals.

He said that holding of Lok Virsa on the occasion of Woman’s Day was of great significance and the university’s girl students have made a great stride towards the promotion of cultural face of Pakistan in its all richness and values.

Engr Nizami said that like Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association we wanted to make Algarh Old Girls Association but the women said they do not want to have an Old Girls Association and preferred to be the members of Old Boys Association,

He laid greater emphasis on social activities at the university and said this Lok Virsa program has provided a great impetus to the idea.

Addressing the function MNA Khush Bakht Shujaat praised the presentation made by the girls at the Cultural Fair and said that those nations remember their cultures and cultural values, they re-emerge even after their downall, but those who forget their cultures and values they cannot come out once they fall into quagmire.

She cited the example of French Revolution and said that even after their bloody revolution when even castles and palaces of rich French were burnt, they did not destroy their libraries and treasures of arts and crafts and, therefore, they were able to re-emerge after the revolution.

She called upon the girl students to give their time to the promotion of art and culture and said that they will have to unfold their hidden talents and bring the same out for the purpose.

She advised them not to restrict the knowledge they get to themselves and pass on fruits of the same to others. She said that it is only the educated daughters and mothers who give birth to strong nations.

MNA Khush Bakht said that grooming of girls is most essential along with their academic activities. She said they should focus on building inner personality as it is imperative for achieving success in life.

Speaking on the occasion Zubaida Tariq, famously known as Zubaida Aapa, recalled that during their student days, girls used to be provided training along with education, but this aspect is now non-existent.

She said that if girls are imparted proper training during their academic period, the society will become and look beautiful and it would make the nation lead towards development.

She told them that they should take teachers as their role model and make themselves so strong that no one could be able to distract them from their goals.

On the occasion the girls presented lok songs, wedding ceremonies which included mehndi, mayoon, nikah and rukhsati and depicted cultures of various provinces through dresses. The girls had also setup various stalls including food stalls and stalls depicting various cultures.

The Chancellor, Engr Z.A. Nizami, along with Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Sayed Nazir Hussain and members of AMUOBA went round these stalls and appreciated their presentation.
  

Khawaja Naveed Advocates for strong and free institutions to root out corruption

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Noted lawyer and a former Judge of Sindh High Court Khawaja Naveed Ahmed has called for establishment of strong and free institutions to stop corruption from the society.
“All we need is having strong and free institutions and create an environment which does not allow any one to enter into corrupt practices as is in vogue in the western society”, he asserted while delivering his keynote address at the Harvard Law School Symposium in Boston, USA.

He was invited by the most reputed school to inaugurate the symposium on the topics of transitional corruption, state-sponsored espionage, extra-judicial and target killings.

He said corruption is a world-wide phenomenon and many countries like Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Syria etc faced or are facing historical downfalls mainly on account of corruption.

He said that years long dictatorial rules in many countries allowed corruption to make deeper and deeper inroads and it was unfortunate that corruption permeated deeply into our society as well.

He recalled that after 1988, in less than 10 years, Pakistan had four elections. It was like musical chair and two main political rivals came in to power one after the other but successive governments were dismissed constitutionally, primarily on the charges of corruption.

Khawaja Naveed said there is a perception that politicians invest heavily in the election process to get elected to the assemblies and to enter into corridors of power. The major reason behind this widespread corruption in my country and in some other countries by the politicians and bureaucracy is that it is difficult to control white collar crimes, therefore, the culprits invariably get away with their corruption and safely come out of scandals without any punishment.

Hardly there was any political eminence to get punishment for his frauds or scandals during the last 64 years, he stated adding that he had no hesitation in saying that if there is a will, it is not difficult to unearth the cases of corruption and the assets held by members of the ruling elite.

He said it was successfully done by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau during the last decade but unfortunately all corruption cases detected were closed under a law called National Reconciliation Ordinance and which has since been annulled by the Supreme Court.

Naveed said there is no denying that corruption, lawlessness and other social evils exist all over the world. Even our neighboring country India is not free from corruption though they have very strong democratic system in their country and had no Marshal Law or military intervention during the last 64 years of its existence.

Referring to Transnational corruption, he described it a very wide topic and said Transparency International in its 2009 annual report described corruption as a spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an idea. In economy, corruption is payment for services or material which is not a right of the recipient under law. This may be called bribery, kick back, or `Baksheesh’ in the Middle East.

He said Transparency International described political corruption as an abuse by public power, office, or resources by elected government officials for personal gain, e.g. by extortion, soliciting or offering brides
 
This report, he pointed out, deal in detail with police corruption, systemic corruption or endemic corruption. These corruptions are due to weaknesses of an organization or process. Discretionary powers, monopolistic powers, lack of transparency, low pay, and a culture of impunity are main causes of specific acts of corruption which include bribery, extortion and embezzlement in a system where corruption becomes the rule rather than exception.
On international level, he continued, there are instances of corruption by multinational companies who develop contact with the politicians and bureaucracy of developing countries and procure big orders from their aid money or from their funds by giving kickbacks to the functionaries. This is though not permitted under international law but is still in practice and again is very difficult to detect unless regime is changed in recipient countries.
 
Regarding extra judicial killings by the law enforcing agencies including police, he said it has become a big problem the world over. One of the reasons for the extrajudicial killings is the incompetence or inability of prosecution agencies in prosecuting the most wanted criminals and getting them punished from the courts of law. The criminals are so powerful that it is difficult for the law enforcing agencies to arrest them and once they are arrested it is very difficult to procure evidence against them to get them convicted from the courts of law.

According to him the witnesses dare not to give evidence against hardened criminals for fear of their own life or family elimination. The desperate and hardened criminals kill the prosecution witnesses either before their appearance before the court or after they leave the court room. This serves as sufficient warning to other witnesses either not to appear in court or give statements hostile to prosecution.
 
He referred to a report by the Human Rights Council on extra-judicial, summary of arbitrary executions prepared by Philip Alston on 28th May 2010 and said  he has referred to the video footage which was telecast on 10th February 2010 showing police and army officers in Nigeria forcing a number of un-armed men to lie down on the ground before shooting them in the back. One of the officers could be heard asking his colleague to shoot a man in the chest rather than head, so that he can take the victims hat.
 
In the same report Mr. Alston also referred to an incident of raid by Brazilian police on 27th June 2007 wherein 19 people were killed with gun shots in the back and point blank shots. In another report dated 1st June 2010 he had visited the Democratic Republic of Congo from 5th to 15th October 2009 to investigate allegations of unlawful killings.

His investigations focused on political killings in Kinshasa and Bas Congo. This report is spread over 113 pages and covers extra judicial killings by armed forces, death imprisons, killing of human rights defenders and journalists, vigilantism and mob justice.

Similarly another report was prepared by a Panel of eminent Jurists on terrorism, counter terrorism and human rights questions in respect of enforced disappearances and extra judicial killings or executions from 2001 to 2006 in Indonesia, Jakarta. The report covers Bali bombing on October 12, 2002 that killed 202 people and injured more than 209 people.

In Afghanistan and in Pakistan, thousands of people have been killed during the last decade by suicide bombing by the terrorists and counter terrorism by the military and police.

Khawaja said very frequently complaints come regarding missing of persons and some times they are found in Gawantanamo camp. He said these are hard facts of life and he believe that panelists of this symposium  will hold comprehensive discussions on this topic and come out with some positive solutions and suggestions for the world to follow.

Speaking about state sponsored economic Espionage, he said over the past couple of decades there have been a grown number of scholarly reports regarding economic espionage and it has become an international challenge.

He said the theft of a country’s intellectual assets and proprietary information is a cause of concern and a threat to national security of the countries. Appreciating the seriousness of this threat US Congress passed the economic espionage Act 1996.

The Economic Espionage Act (EEA) took a traditional approach to the activity at issue by treating the misappropriation of propriety economic information as theft and criminalizing it. Congress believed that by prosecuting and sanctioning those who unlawfully appropriate proprietary information, others can be deterred from engaging in such conduct. Prosecution and punishment can contribute to preventing economic espionage.

The challenge of protecting intellectual and proprietary assets has been made more difficult by the arrival of the information age and the internet. Information has become a marketable commodity with an inherent value and intrinsic self-worth.

The fact that technological progress has evolved to the point where information is stored on networks, many of which are linked together by the interest, has changed the framework relating to information protection and the legal boundaries that traditionally served to constrain the dissemination of sensitive data to non authorized users.

On the occasion Khawaja Naveed narrated some of his experiences as Judge of the High Court of Sindh and threw light on the judicial system in Pakistan.

He said from his experiences he learnt that if people are trusted and dispensed justice they will love you, will never forget you and will not allow you to be let down. 

“This is my message for today. Get justice for everyone, trust people, and love them. In return, they will give you love beyond your expectation”.

Rotary’s ‘End Polio Now’ campaign illuminates Frere Hall

By Rtn Mohammad Nazakat Ali

The historic building of Frere Hall in Karachi was illuminated with great fanfare on February 17 as a part of the awareness drive launched by Rotary International’s Pakistan National Polio Plus Committee.

The Committee’s National Chair, Aziz Memon, informed the dignitaries and the media corps present on the occasion that the illumination ceremony was a part of an annual tradition in which community-based Rotary clubs illuminate landmarks and iconic structures around the world with the humanitarian group’s pledge to eradicate polio, a crippling childhood disease.

Besides the historic Frere Hall in Karachi, another famous building in Pakistan, the distinctly modern WAPDA House at Lahore will glow brightly with Rotary’s illuminated message ’End Polio Now’ on February 23.

The lighting ceremony in neighboring India is perhaps the most symbolic of the progress made by Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. In January, India, until recently an epicenter of the crippling disease, reached a historic milestone by marking a full year without recording a single new polio case.

Other illumination sites this year include the City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan (Feb. 23-25); Melbourne’s Federation Square, one of southern Australia’s top tourist draws (Feb. 25-27); Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, Tokyo’s fifth tallest building (Feb. 20); and Palácio Garibaldi, a neo-classical architectural treasure in Curitiba, Brazil (Feb. 23).

Significantly, India’s success sends a message of hope across the border to Pakistan, one of the last remaining polio-endemic countries (the others are Nigeria and Afghanistan).

In 2011 Pakistan reported 198 polio cases; Afghanistan 80; Nigeria 57 and India 1. Worldwide, fewer than 650 polio cases have been confirmed for 2011, less than half the 1,352 infections reported in 2010.
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Overall, the annual number of polio cases has plummeted by more than 99 percent since the initiative was launched in 1988, when polio infected about 350,000 children a year. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths.

“These global illuminations carry Rotary’s pledge to end polio—saying to the world that we will fight this crippling disease to the end,” says Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee, a native of India. “But we are not there yet. Rotary and our partners will continue to immunize children until our goal of a polio-free world is achieved. And we must remain vigilant against a resurgence of this terrible disease.”

Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than US$1 billion to polio eradication, including nearly $190,000 raised by the 3,120 members of Pakistan’s 150 Rotary clubs. Rotary International has provided almost $73 million in grants for polio eradication activities in Pakistan.

Todate, the government of Pakistan has provided nearly $50 million in domestic resources. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have made polio eradication a national priority by launching the National Emergency Action Plan in 2011 and an Augmented Action Plan for 2012, aimed at increasing the capacity and effectiveness of the polio immunization programme with Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali having been appointed as the Focal Person of the Prime Minister’s Task Force Committee.

In January, Rotary leaders announced Rotary clubs worldwide had raised more than $200 million in response to a $355 million challenge grant from the Gates Foundation, which in turn contributed an additional $50 million in recognition of Rotary’s commitment. All of the resulting $605 million will be spent in support of immunization activities in Pakistan and other polio-affected countries.

“Rotary continues to be the heart-and-soul of polio eradication,” Gates Foundation Co-Chair Bill Gates wrote in his annual letter issued in January.

The other spearheading partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rotary is a global humanitarian organization with more than 1.2 million members in 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary members are men and women who are business, professional and community leaders with a shared commitment to make the world a better place through humanitarian service. Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio.

Eid Mild-un-Nabi (SAWW) held at Sir Syed University

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
 
The Holy Quran is, in every detail, a unique and miraculous text which was revealed by Allah upon Holy Prophet Muhammad and over the centuries not a single word of the divine book has changed.
 
“Holy Quran, being the last revealed words of Allah, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice,” Chancellor, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Engr Z.A. Nizami stressed.
 
Addressing a Jalsa-e-Seerat-un-Nabi (SAWW) held by the SSUET at its campus, Engr Nizami said Islam means complete submission to the will of Allah. He said Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life.
 
Chancellor Nizami pointed out that Sir Syed University is the only engineering university where Pakistan Studies and Islamiat are taught as compulsory subjects and efforts are being made to computerize all information and material pertaining to the religion of Islam.
 
He referred to a book written by Michael H. Hart and said although he was a Christian but he put the name of Muhammad (SAWW) at the  top of the list of great leaders of the universe in his book entitled “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History’. “We are considering the inclusion this book in the syllabus,” Engr Nizami added.
 
Speaking on the occasion, Allama Kokab Noorani said Holy Prophet Muhammed (SAWW)) is the soul of universe and when he went to the Mairaj the whole universe became standstill until he came back to earth.
 
He said the Holy Prophet Muhammad is Rehmatul-lil-Alameen and 4 qualities are necessary for ‘rahim’ like he must be alive, he must be aware of his dependents, he must be close to them, and he must have the power of rehmat.
 
Another religious scholar Allama Syed Razi Jaffar Naqvi said Muslim Umma should lead the world on the basis of knowledge and wisdom since they have the divine book “Quran” with them for true guidance. But unfortunately other nations took the advantage of knowledge of Quran and developed according to its teachings.
 
On the occasion, in their speeches, university students Umar Khan Ufaq, Afroz Khan and Fatima Saima Ahmed highlighted Seerat-e-Tayyaba while Mahmood-ul-Hassan Ashrafi, Abdul Haseeb Khan and Waqas Tariq Sherwani recited naats.
 
Famous poet Khumar Farooqui expressed the Muslim’s ardent feelings about Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) through his poetic contribution. The milad concluded with prayer offered by Mufti Athar Naeemi.
 

Khawaja Naveed to be keynote speaker at Harvard Law School symposium

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Renowned lawyer and a former Judge of the High Court of Sindh, Khawaja Naveed Ahmed has been invited by the Harvard Law School, USA, for participation in the Harvard ILJ Symposium which opens on February 20. He has been honored by the Harvard Law School to open the symposium and deliver keynote address. 

The topics of Khawaja's keynote address will be transnational corruption, state-sponsored economic espionage, extra-judicial killings and target killings. He flew out of Karachi for Boston, USA, on February 18. 

The symposium will be spanned over three sessions in which the invited panelists would discuss this year's topic of State Ethics: Controlling The Behavior of Governments and Their Partners.

Khawaja Naveed Ahmed is a practicing lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and has 37 years standing at Bar. He has held the offices of Advocate General Sindh, Pakistan, and has served as the Judge of the Sindh High Court of Pakistan. Ahmed is a human rights activist and had been Chairman of the Legal Aid and Human Rights Committee of Sindh Bar Council, Pakistan, for five years. 

He also had been elected as the Senior Vice President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. Presently, Ahmed is member of the Managing Committee of Red Crescent (Hilal-e-Ahmer). 

Khawja also writes columns as a political analyst and frequently participates in talk shows on popular T.V. Channels. He also hosts a mock trial legal education show on one of the prominent T.V. Channels. The program is very popular amongst communities in Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Canada.

Other panelist Christof Heyns holds the degrees MA LLB University of Pretoria; LLM Yale Law School; and PhD University of the Witwatersrand. He is Professor of Human Rights Law and Co-director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria. 

Jeffrey Laurenti is senior fellow at The Century Foundation on international affairs. He has served as director for TCF’s international task force on Afghanistan in its regional and multilateral dimensions and as co-director of TCF’s peace and security initiative with the Center for American Progress. 

James Ross is Legal and Policy Director at Human Rights Watch, where he has worked since 2001. He previously worked in the Humanitarian Affairs office of Médecins sans Frontières in the Netherlands, in Bosnia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in Cambodia for the International Human Rights Law Group, and in the Philippines for the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. 

The Symposium moderator Gabriella Blum will be Rita E. Hauser Professor of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Harvard Law School. 

Zakir Ali Khan passes away

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Zakir Ali Khan, a great protagonist of the vision and mission of great reformer and educationist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, passed away in Karachi on February 8, after a protracted illness. He was 86.

Born in July 2026 in Rampur, Zakir Ali Khan did his matriculation from Rampur, B.Sc from Aligarh in 1945 and B.Sc Engineering from the same university in 1948.

In his professional career, the late Khan had served as Managing Director of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KESB), Chief Engineer, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Honorary Vice-Chancellor Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Founder Member of Board of Governors SSUET, Founder Member Governing Body Aligarh Institute of Technology, President, Pakistan Association of Scientists and Scientific Professions, Karachi University Syndicate and Academic Council and Selection Board.

He was elected as General Secretary of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA) in 1960 and occupied this position till his death.

Zakir Ali Khan was the recipient of Alumni Award given to him by Aligarh Alumni Association New York in 2000 and was awarded the First Sir Syed Ahmed Khan International Award for Literature by Aligarh Muslim University, India in 2008.

He was the author of 10 books and represented the best qualities of social engineering through the promotion of professional education thereby impacting the life of a large multiple.

He was also instrumental in creating a new sense of pride and confidence as being a part of modern Islamic heritage through his writings.

He played a significant role in establishment of Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association and since the last five decades had remained in Honorary Secretary.

He was actively engaged in the promotion of sports events and also went as team manager to various countries. He worked hard to promote hockey and served as Secretary of Karachi Division Lawn Tennis Association. 

He had great passion for tennis in particular, having played this sport in his younger days. His sons, Nadir Ali Khan and Babar Ali Khan, represented Pakistan’s tennis team in Davis Cup quite a few times.

SSUET classes for batch 2012 start, Orientation Ceremony held

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

The Orientation Ceremony for newly admitted students of Batch 2012 was held at Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) was held on January 23 thus heralding the start of new academic session.

The students have been admitted to Computer, Electronics, Civil, Bio-Medical and Telecommunication disciplines of engineering and Computer Science after a long process which involved written test and interviews.

Addressing the ceremony as chief guest, Sardar Yasin Malik, a former Federal Minister and ex-Chairman state-owned PSO, told the new students that to become a successful man in their future is in their own hands as they can gain success by sheer hard work and not the luck.

He particularly advised the female students, who have been admitted to the university in a relatively large number this year, not to sit at their homes after graduation and do some part time works even after they are married or else it would amount to  national loss.

He paid glowing tributes to Chancellor Z.A. Nizami for his dedication and commitment to the cause of this university established as the biggest engineering university in the private sector and its students.

Sardar Yasin Malik observed that today the newly admitted students must be very happy for starting a new chapter of their life, but their parents must be having mixed feelings as now-a-days it is not (not) easy to study in a university or college or school even.

He noted that after graduation many students go abroad for further studies but not many return to their country which is a loss to the country and their parents as well.

Similarly many girls become engineers after graduation but instead of yielding any benefits to the nation they start performing home responsibilities - a national loss which Pakistan cannot afford.

Recalling his past during which he studied in schools in areas like Kharadar and Lyari, lived in a small house which was devoid of electricity, slept on footpaths and studied under pole lamps and conveyed a message to students that anyone can achieve anything in the world provided he/she accepts the challenge.

“If a boy of a newspaper hawker ca achieve an elated position after having graduated from this university, then you people, who enjoy better opportunities, cannot achieve their desired goals”.

He told them that Islam is their basis and they will become successful if they would follow the teachings of Islam and Holy Prophet Muhammed (SAW).

Earlier, Chancellor Z.A. Nizami, who presided over the ceremony, complimented Sardar Yasin Malik for his unwavering commitment to the cause of education and particularly this very university and its students.

He quoted Mr Yasin Malik having said that no student should be deprived of education merely for his/her financial constraints.

Engr Nizami said that today SSUET has become the biggest center of engineering excellence in the private sector having collaboration with over a dozen foreign universities.

“We at SSUET follow the traditions of great reformer and educationist, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and established this university after him 96 years after his death”.

Engr Nizami said that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan wanted the students to have Quran on one side and science and technology on other side of the shoulder. “We at this university wants the same from our students”, he emphasized.

On the occasion the Chancellor made a special mention of world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional Late Arfaa Karim and said that she had her elementary education from this university.

In his address the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Saiyed Nazir Ahmed called upon the students to understand the difference between the university, college and school education and said that they will emerge successful in their life if they would dedicate themselves towards acquiring knowledge and gaining results during their 4 year stay here and will be successful in their future career.

He told them that as students of this university, they would enjoy the brotherhood of Alagarhians Associations and SSUET Old Boys Associations world over.He advised them to be punctual and ensure to attend classes regularly. He pointed out that in foreign universities students lacking 100 percent attendance are dropped.

Earlier Registrar SSUET Shah Mahmood Hussain Syed, said that this university is fifferent from other universities as personality of students here is groomed besides imparting of knowledge to them.

He said that students achieving 3.5 % GPA with 85 percent attendance automatically become entitled to scholarship while poor students are also provided financial support provided they earn 3 % GPA and 85 percent attendance and parents’ income being less than 3 lacs.

Earlier the Chairmen of all the engineering departments including Dr Imran Beg (Electronics), Dr Misbah (Computer Engineering), Dr Naurin Samad (Bio-Medical), Dr Mumtaz-ul-Imam (Computer Science), Dr S.M. Makhdoomi(Civil Engineering)  and  Dr Najib Siddiqi, Associate Dean of Engineering also addressed the students and reminded them of their responsibilities with stress on the element of punctuality, proper dressing, good behavior.

The stress was also laid on students to have grasp over English which would be the language of communication at the university.

Vaneeza Ahmad on Jumbo Karachi Guide

"I am thrilled that Karachi will now also be having a guidebook of its own, showcasing the premier events like the much talked about Karachi Fashion Week, besides putting together wealth of information of general interest.”

“Jumbo Karachi Guide will surely be helpful in facilitating the entrepreneurs in particular but it indeed has utility for everyone on the move. Having so much information at our fingertips certainly puts us at an advantage.”

“We may be in a nascent stage in many fields but thankfully we have the right ingredients to get there. As a nation we need to be more open and practical. We are blessed with immense talent and it’s just a matter of time to get things in order to lead the turnaround. Good luck Jumbo!"

Senior Aligarian Qarni visits SSUET

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

The Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET) has achieved commendable success in developing information and communication technology and emerged as a modern educational technology hub contributing significantly to both knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation. 

This was stated Engr by Z.A. Nizami, Chancellor, SSUET, at a reception hosted to welcome O.M. Qarni, a senior Aligarian from the United States and now on a visit to Karachi.

Engr Nizami pointed out that new initiatives have further ignited and accelerated the creative and research potential of SSUET’s faculty and students. The robust measures undertaken have infused a new sense of confidence and energy in the academic and administrative work culture of the university. 

On the occasion, Mr Qarni, who served a long spell of civil service in Pakistan in various administrative positions, recalled his memories of stay at Aligarh Muslim University and said he spent a very eventful and productive life while in Aligarh. 

Despite difficulties of various magnitudes, the major initiatives took place to reposition AMU on a resurgent growth and expansion track, he remarked. 

AMU, he said, witnessed an era of transition of great significance and during the last four and half years, a new wave of expansion and capacity building has brought into its academic and administrative fold, a heightened sense of confidence and achievement. 

He described the establishment of the SSUET in Karachi a historical and epoch-making initiative which proved to be a milestone in the educational development of the nation.

He narrated a number of interesting episodes of student life at Aligarh Muslim University when new entrants, merely out of fun, used to be taken by seniors to the “childhood grave” of great reformer and educationist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

On the occasion fateha was offered for late Pir Saheb Pagara, who was also an Aligarian and had stayed in Aligarh from 1943 to 1946 before he was taken to Oxford. He recalled his first meeting with Late Pir Pagara at Khairpur where he was posted as Deputy Commissioner.

Chancellor Engr Nizami informed that during his life time, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had refused to name Aligarh University after him but said that anyone, establishing a university after his death, can name the same after him. He said it was after 96 years of Sir Syed’s death that this University came into being after his name.

He said that 100 years have passed to the establishment of Aligarh Muslim University but even the present younger generation continues to harbor the same Aligarh spirit.

He said that Aligarians living in the United States have made generous contributions and donated Rs 80 million worth equipment to this university which is being run on no profit no loss basis in keeping with the traditions set by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. 

On the occasion fateha was also offered for Arfaa Karim, world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional who made Pakistan nation grieved with her death recently. Engr Nizami informed the visiting Aligarian that Arfaa used to visit this University and she was very impressed with Aligarians.

New York’s City University to facilitate SSUET Sikh student in doing Ph D

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Santosh Singh, student of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), who belongs to Sikh community and graduated from this university in 2009 will do his Ph.D. in IT at the expenses to be borne by City University New York from where he did his Masters.

This was stated by his father Sardar Heera Singh when he called on Engr Z.A. Nizami, Chancellor, SSUET, in his office in Karachi on January 11.

Heera Singh, who remained Advisor to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto when she was in government and is now chairman of Arambagh Gurdwara Trust, had come to thank the Chancellor for his help which he had extended to him in providing admission to his son Santosh at a time when he was financially unable to pay admission fees for his son.

Heera Singh informed the Chancellor that after graduating from SSUET in Computer Engineering, his son went to S and obtained admission in City University New York with the financial help of his brother, a doctor in the US.

He said Santosh did his Master’s with bright colors and in recognition the University has undertaken to let him do his Ph.D. at its expenses and also provided him an exalted job in the very university making him in charge of the telecommunication department.

Visibly moved, Heera Singh once again deeply thanked the Chancellor whose help, he said, paved the way for his son to achieve his goals.

Engr Mr Nizami told Heera Singh that in Sir Syed University admissions are provided with out taking religion, cast, color or creed into consideration. He said that in keeping with the traditions of greater reformer and educationist, no student is allowed to give up his education in this university just for financial constrains.

Heera Singh informed that Aneel Singh, his doctor son, spent Rs 40 lac to let his brother Santosh continue his higher studies and doing Masters in the City University New York. He said his daughter Aneela is also a doctor in New York.