SZABIST organize photographic competition

Jumbo Editorial Team

Over 100 students from SZABIST, Karachi University, Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture (IVSAA) and Lahore University of Management Sciences took pictures on ‘View from a Window’ in the photographic competition to be judged by eminent names in photography, Tapu Javeri, Kohi Mari and Amean J.

Mina Kidwai, the organiser of the event, disclosed that the students were given two weeks to photograph and then submit their work. The pictures could be taken by a DSLR, digital camera, and a mobile phone. 

 The pictures taken from a DSLR were developed and printed while those from digital cameras and mobile phones were displayed on digital screens. 

The winner in the DSLR category will get a prime lens, while the winners in other categories will get a digital camera and a new mobile phone.

 Meanwhile the students displayed their creativity in no uncertain manner. A frail-looking girl in a red dress with a camera in her hand continued to stare at the pictures she had taken. The first one was of a carpenter working oblivious to the world and the second was of a lonely tree.

“I took the picture of this elderly man from a window of a fort where we stayed at Khairpur. I tried to capture the isolation of the tree and how the carpenter was unaffected by our presence,” Zeest Shabbir, a student SZABIST, explained. 

A second-year student at IVSAA, Taha Bin Khalid, attempted to capture a hen’s view as she looked out from her cage at the people going by their business. 

“The concept behind my photos was the view from the eyes of a hen. I used the theme to try and show how a hen might look at the outside world. It doesn’t even release that this may be the last time. Someone can pull it out of the cage and slaughter it anytime,” he stated. 

Mudassir Iqbal, also from SZABIST, took the picture of a slum just across a big under-construction house, trying to depict the difference between the poor and the rich. His other picture was the view of a batsman from his helmet as he waits to hit the ball.

PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2012 offer many new features

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 The PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week held during the month of April in Lahore had many new features to offer much to the delight of fashion enthusiasts. Myriad elements worked together in perfect sync this time around to make PFDC one of the most significant fashion platforms in the country.

The expo outside the sitting area had stalls with all the collections ready to be viewed with prices available in Pakistani Rupee, USD and Euros, while on the other hand, Cosa Nostra, considered to be one of the best eating places in Lahore, had its kiosk available in the vicinity; hence it’s safe to say that the event was a treat for one’s eyes as well as one’s taste buds. 

Another notable feature added to the mix was the inclusion of voile shows as part of fashion week. Recently, the fad for lawn outfits has given Pakistani economy a lot of activity to handle.

From textile giants, that are trying to up’ the lawn game by bringing Bollywood actors on board to advertising agencies, which are trying to find innovative ways to keep Pakistani women interested in this fabric, everyone is part of this hype around this summer staple. 

More and more designers are collaborating with textile companies to come up with ‘designer’ collections that people can afford and wear on semi-casual to formal events. However, it is imperative to note that eventually it is the name of the designer that gets all the fame and recognition and often the manufacturers who facilitate the designers go into the background. However, for the first time in Pakistan, PFDC gave these textile conglomerates a platform to showcase their collections without relying on a designer’s brand name.

The two voile shows were presented in-between the four days of fashion week. Apart from Karma, the rest of the line-up included Lala Textiles, Sitara Lawn and Nimsay on the first day and Ittehad, Sadia’s Designer Lawn and Lakhany Lawn on the second day. 

The fact that these invisible companies finally decided to come out and present their collections on the ramp was commendable. One positive thing that came out of PFDC was that these textile houses got exposed to high street fashion and also got to learn about cuts and designs that can be taken to the masses.

 Fashion weeks are all about educating the audience and that is what PFDC is trying to do by putting up these voile shows. Along with the voile shows, Sundus Nawaz, local kids wear designer, presented her collection of chipmunk-themed costumes. 

The designer brought children from the SOS Children’s Village to act as models for her collection. The child models not only showed vigour and grace but also got the crowd excited by their endearing performance. The dance routine that they had been practising for over six weeks had almost everyone on their feet and on the roll.

Rabani & Rakha comes to Karachi with a bang

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 The Delhi-based label Rabani and Rakha, managed by husband and wife duo Rahul and Shibani Rastogi and Gautum Rakha, created waves on their maiden visit to Karachi.

The designers, who have been in the fashion business for the past 10 years, came to Karachi to present their collection at the recently concluded Pantene Bridal Couture Week (PBCW).

The line, which was showcased on day two of the three-day event, was described as a fashion delicacy.

Although Rabani and Rakha had displayed in Pakistan before, having gone to Lahore last year for PBCW, it was their first-ever trip to Karachi and they succeeded in rocking the fashionistas right away.

“It’s my first trip to Karachi, I feel so much at home here. People here are very polite. Warmth is oozing out of their hearts; it’s so natural, you can feel it. What we, as a designing house, are presenting is a simpler and modern version of Rabani & Rakha. You will see that there is a great similarity between our creations and the Pakistani fashion sense for instance the same flowy shirts but besides that, we have even brought forward a little bit of India through the saris,” Rakha was quoted as saying.

They wowed the audience with their net line, comprising of flowy shirts in white and Indian saris and lehengas; a true instance of synthesis of cultures, fabric and styling.

“The designing philosophy here is good. Some designers really standout, for instance Ali Xeeshan has taken an interesting take, Umar Sayeed is doing nicer stuff whereas HSY has a very contemporary twist in his designs,” Rakha added.

“We don’t compete against the other design houses. We compete against ourselves. We believe whoever loves your work will come to you. If it appeals to them, they will come looking out for it,” the designer added.

“There are no borders or restrictions when it comes to fashion, hence their ensembles have a vast international market as well. For instance, at Lakme Fashion Week, we get to see a lot of international buyers. It’s there we bring our luxury prêt line for the audience to explore. We would love to come back here and next time it would not be bridal stuff but luxury pret for sure,” Rakha concluded.

Lollywood queen Shabnam revisits home

Jumbo Editorial Team

Actress Shabnam’s recent visit to Pakistan reminded many of the golden era of the Lollywood. She had ruled the film industry for decades in an era when cinema was considered as the prime source of entertainment for the masses.

Shabnam, who was hailed as the uncrowned queen of the Lollywood in the 1960s and the 1970s, had returned to Dhaka, rather suddenly in the 1980s, and not much was heard of her since then.

She has been warmly welcomed in the country she made proud with an illustrious acting career as she came to Pakistan with her music composer-husband Robin Ghosh.

She has spoken with warmth about Pakistan and still cared so deeply about Lollywood, expressing the hope that it will keep pace with the rest of the world.

“I haven’t been offered yet but yes the revival of Lollywood should take place and I will try my best to contribute something to it,” she replied when asked if she’d ever consider coming back on the silver screen.

Her own visit could be helpful in reviving what was once the essence of Pakistani entertainment. The way the media was chasing her during the trip was a testimony enough to the fact that time has not been able to corrode her popularity in Pakistan.

Shabnam’s tour to Pakistan, sponsored by the state-run television network Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), came as a pleasant surprise to her fans having lost hopes of watching her again.

On her way to Lahore she also had a stopover in Karachi during which starlet she paid a visit to the ailing comedian Lehri. She drove all the way to the residence of Lehri, located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. She described the meeting as a flashback for her.

 “Lehri’s face reminds me of all the good times we spent together and I thank Allah for fulfilling my wish of meeting him,” she stated.

Shabnam reminisced the good old days that marked the boom of Lollywood and shared how Lehri turned her shooting experiences into memories.

“Lehri Sahib was a very serious person but he still used to crack jokes and bring comedic lightness on to the sets,” she recalled while consoling the frail-looking comedian, who complained about his depreciating health and about his unfavourable state of living.

Shabnam also had a meeting with the Sindh Governor, Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan and while talking to the press within the premises of the Governor House she said, “I feel really happy after talking to the Governor. He expressed his desire to see collaborations between Pakistan and Bangladesh on the grounds of film-making.”

Brilliance of college students stuns corporate sector

Jumbo Editorial Team

The brilliance and alertness of mind of the students of the Government College of Technology for Women, Karimabad, in Karachi stunned the representatives of the corporate sector.

The students sat in small groups in a long hall and looked engrossed in deep thought. At each table, people from the corporate sector helped them brainstorm a business plan, design a logo and present their companies in less than 50 minutes.

 “These girls are coming up with their business proposals in only minutes which normally takes businessmen days,” Mohammad Khalil, who had flown in from Jordan for the event, said, adding that they were making them ready to enter the market.

The event, an Initiative Camp was organised by Injaz Pakistan, a venture of the Aman Foundation, to teach the students how to develop a business firsthand. Injaz Pakistan holds training workshops regarding business challenges and they target diploma students from middle-income colleges and schools.

“We are preparing these girls for challenges they might face in the future when setting up businesses. We have has also trained boys but we find girls to be more sincere and involved towards the training session,” Mohammad Khalil observed.

 Injaz’s Executive Director, Azra Maqsood said that the training was focusing on three types of curriculum, financial literary, entrepreneurship and work readiness.

“People from the corporate sector are asked to be involved so that they can prepare students who don’t get opportunity to meet such people frequently. Around 10 volunteers from the corporate sector were imparting business training,” she disclosed.

The Karachi Electric Supply Company’s General Manager Media, Ameen-ur-Rehman, was delighted by the excitement and energy of the girls while the Habib Bank’s Sarah Huda felt that the students were brilliant and more talented than many of the business students.

“They don’t have the opportunity or guidance and that’s why we are here to help them polish their innovative ideas,” she stated.

Karachi School of Arts hold annual exhibition

Jumbo Editorial Team

The Karachi School of Arts (KSA), founded by Rabia Zuberi in 1964, has been recognized as one of the leading institutions of art education in the country.

The know-how about art, creativity and innovation in this part of the world was still in infancy when the ambitious project was launched with great enthusiasm.

The KSA is regarded as the pioneer of promoting art education and it takes pride in having produced many eminent artists during the last 48 years. It continues to serve the art community with devotion and dedication.

Recently a group of 16 faculty members of the KSA displayed their artworks in the third annual exhibition whose theme was printmaking.

The process of printmaking involves making multiple impressions on different sheets of metal, paper, cloth or any other material. The plates can be merged together or kept separate for each piece.

The teachers of fine arts, miniature, textiles, and digital media were first trained and taught how to mix printmaking with their work. All 16 of them produced around 30 works of arts of three types, etching, screen printing and calligraphy.

The Head of Digital Media department, Sadaf Sajid, experimented with photographs and printmaking. Her work was titled “Confined Freedom” and it showed pictures of Sheema Kirmani embossed and textured in different colours and techniques in line with making.

“My work shows that freedom is restricted for women. See the door behind Sheema? It shows they are never free and somewhere they are always confined,” she explained.

“Because the processes involved in printmaking are tedious, they aren’t used much these days. Before the exhibition we held a two-week workshop to teach the teachers how to use printmaking,” Romila Kareem, the Academics Coordinator, remarked.

“I have made a human hand with flowers on it. The flowers depict peace. I wanted to show that peace lies within yourself. The landscape behind the hand was the promised gardens of Eden,” she added.

Sheema Khan worked for weeks to create the storyline of Dastan-e-Amir Hamza, the hot-pink masterpiece which was a fusion of two mediums, miniature painting and printmaking. She penned Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s couplets on her painting with the prince and deer on her painting.

Hasan Rizvi releases Pakistan’s first-ever dance video

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 Hasan Rizvi, with the support of Pantene, has made history of sorts by releasing Pakistan’s first dance video. Having founded BodyBeat Productions, he had been striving since 2007 to give modern dance a positive and respectable light in the country. From the first dance musical- Cinema Live (2008) to the first dance video Naach (2012), the objective had always been the same.

BodyBeat Productions is a one of a kind dance and recreational studio, which was established by choreographer Hasan Rizvi.

Since his venture started, he has made dance routines for musicals, flash mobs, activations, award shows as well as fashion shows to bring fresh dance trends to the fore and make Pakistanis consider dance as an important form of expression.

He has been instrumental in creating a dance revolution through introducing music videos and taking part in commercials, musicals, flash mobs, activations, award shows, fashion shows, launch events, dramas and movies, all featuring dance in one way or the other. Today the entertainment industry is considered incomplete without dance.

Hasan Rizvi and his team launched the video in a grand and elaborated fashion at an event that took place on April 10. The launch event, hosted by Arjuman Rahim, was attended by over 650 invitees. Amongst those who came to support Rizvi and his BodyBeat troupe were actors Bushra Ansari, Behroze Sabzwari, dancer Sheema Kermani, director Adnan Malik, model Nadia Hussain, anchor person Maya Khan, model Ayesha Omer and many more.

Certain media personalities were also presented with an award of Recognition, the Icon Recognition Award, for establishing a standard in their respective fields.

Actor-producer Javed Sheikh and dancer Sheema Kermani were both recipients of this accolade. The power-packed evening also saw performances by his sister Komal, who sang her “Coke Studio” numbers and by Rizvi and his BodyBeat troupe, as they displayed their perfection at different dancing styles.

The song has been especially designed and created for this video and everyone across the board will be able to relate to it. “The song is about igniting fire to dance … Lets dance, Pakistan,” Hasan Rizvi thundered.

The music has been given life by Iftikhar Ahmed, the singer of many popular songs such as ‘Mein Abdul Qadir Houn’ and ‘Yaariyan’, while Nasir Teherani, also known as Animation King by those in the television industry, and with creativity oozing out of every bone in his body, is the man behind the enthralling video.

The lady that brought glamour to the video is none other than Rukaiya Adamjee, an icon of the fashion industry whose name has been synonymous with fashion make-up in Pakistan for more than 18 years.

The talent employed in any project of this magnitude always plays a pivotal role in its success. The BodyBeat team brought together 45 dancers who cannot only dance well but also look fantastic doing it.

Kailash Kher’s musical concert rocks Karachi

Jumbo Editorial Team

The Karachiites were treated to a masterful display of Sufi, pop, fusion, film and semi-classical music by that accomplished Indian vocalist Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa at a concert organised by the Medical Aid Foundation on April 14.

They were entertained for 90 minutes of pure and passionate music. They swayed to lilting melodies and head-banged to thumping tabla and drum beats all along and the agony of the delayed start to the programme was forgotten as soon as it got underway.

His band members helped him in making the evening memorable with rollicking performance and they included Paresh Kamath (lead guitar), Naresh Kamath (bass guitar), Kurt Peters (drums), Sankit Nayek (percussions), Jose Gomes (violin, acoustic guitar, saxophone), Samir Chiplunkar (keyboards), Tapas Roy (mandolin, saz) and Jovian Soans (sound engineer). They played brilliantly throughout, complementing the powerful vocals of the singer in equal measure.

Kailash Kher kicked off the concert with a Sufi number, Jogi, which immediately set the tone for the rest of the gig. After finishing the song he chitchatted with the audience in his typical mischievous style, explaining to them how the band had been visiting different parts of the world, and that they did not even know what time zone Karachi was in.

This led to him singing Aao ji, a kind of celebratory piece, and used his tremendous skills (difficult murkian and taans) to let the audience know what he was capable of.

The third song, Main to tere pyar mein, brought the concert, from the regular listeners’ perspective into familiar territory adding more zest to it with Toba toba teri soorat and Piya ke rung rung de ni.

By that time Kailash Kher had understood the mood and temperament of the crowd. The tribute to the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the form of Tere bin naee lagda had even the younger members of the audience appreciate the singer’s art.

But when he presented his famous Deewani, a majority present at the venue sang with him. Kailash Kher pleasantly surprised everybody with the well-known film ditty Kaisey bataen kion tujh ko chahein and performed it with the correct feel. He then invited a few girls on stage to dance with him to the song Joban chhalke in which he explained he had used many dialects spoken in India. Five girls obliged and added visual treat to the auditory delight.

The three songs that followed were Tere naal dhol, Nusrat Fateh Ali’s Sanu ik pal and Maan from a film. He also performed Rangeeley from the band’s new album, as well as Tu kia jaane and Ginn ginn taare.

Befittingly it was the last few songs which took the concert to its worthy climax. The famous Sayyan consolidated the vocalist’s class, but when he sang Bum lehri, it bedazzled the crowd its pounding beat and peculiar lyrics.

The last two numbers, Allah ke bande and Chak de from the film Khosla Ka Ghonsla, proved the icing on the cake, as those who stayed till the end danced their hearts out to the two songs.

Network of libraries planned in Sindh

Jumbo Editorial Team

The Culture Department of the Government of Sindh has planned to establish a network of libraries in the near future to facilitate the citizens of the province.  

The Sindh Minister for Culture, Sassui Palijo, has announced that as many as 24 libraries would be established in the province during the next fiscal year.

She has also disclosed that the government was introducing a new scheme in the next budget under which archaeological sites would be looked after and protected.

Sassui Palijo, during her recent visit to Sukkur, emphasized that laying a network of libraries and cultural complexes featured prominently in the department’s list of priorities.

The Minister inspected the under-construction cultural complex, due to be completed by the end of next year at a cost of nearly 85 million.

It would be housing an art gallery, a museum, an audotoriam and a music academy. She described it as a gift for the people of Sukkur from the government.  

Sassui Palijo also carried out a visit to monitor the construction work of Mir Masoom Shah Library, expressing the hope that it would become operational at the designated time.

During her tour of Ghotki, she revealed that the Culture Department and the Sindh Vocational Training Authority were establishing two libraries in the district, one at the Mono Technical Institute in Daharki and the other one at the Poly Technical Institute in Ghotki.

The Minister was accompanied by the Secretary Culture to the Government of Sindh, Abdul Aziz Uqaili, and Director Culture, Dr Mohammad Ali Manjhi. The initiatives of the provincial government augur well for the future and the establishment of a network of libraries and cultural centres, equipped with modern facilities, will become the catalyst in changing the lives of people residing in rural areas in particular. 

PN Central Library emerging as one of Karachi’s best public libraries

Jumbo Editorial Team

The Pakistan Navy Central Library (PNCL), re-branded as the PN Central Library, is housed in an unsually green surroundings of Karachi but its modern structure is comparable to the best libraries of the country.

The PN Central Library was established in 1951 at the Liaquat Barracks and it was moved to its present premises at the Pakistan Maritime Museum, located on Habib Ibrahim Rehmatullah Road near PNS Karsaz, in 2005.

The library, sitiuated in fully secured area, is now centrally air-conditioned and the entire surrounding area has been tastefully landscaped with lush green lawns and seasonal as well as perennial plants. Adequate space is available for parking to facilitate the members and the visitors.

Extensive renovation work has been carried out in the recent past to bring it at par with the best libraries of the metropolis. Its membership has been opened to the civilians at nominal costs to encourage a larger pool of people of all ages to avail the services.

With the addition of standout facilities like the commissioning of five research cubicles with internet facility, the PN Central Library has been fulfilling its commitment of providing an environment conducive to reading and to carry out research work for its members.

It is now open on all seven days of the week, except public holidays. It’s open from 8 am to 6 pm from Mondays to Thursday, 8 am to 1 pm on Fridays and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The collection of books, on the rise constantly, has grown in the region of 30,000 with a high percentage being on the subjects of modern sciences, international affairs, management, history, military, maritime, naval, strategy and culture besides Urdu literature.

It is believed to be the first library in Pakistan to have an extraordinary collection on Cartography with three volumes of Mathematical Geography and Cartography in Islam.

One of the top features of the library is the regular acquistion of the latest editions of some of the finest global magazines like Harvard Business Review, National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, Discover, Scientific American, Popular Science and Good House Keeping.

The members of the PN Central Library are allowed to borrow books and magazines which are issued for a period of three weeks and they can also be re-issued if there are no outstanding requests for those publications. Understandably the reference books and the current periodicals are not allowed to be taken home.

The PN Central Library’s information system has been fully computerized and its data is based on Microsoft SQL server available on speedy networked computers having easy to use and understand software which is now being effectively utilized for accessing information like scanning of books inventory through different criteria, record of membership and their accounts detail, record of newspapers and magazines subscription, and books borrowing record and its account.

Cdr (R) Muzammil Yasin Siddiqui, a dashing hockey player from the golden era of Abdul Hamid ‘Hamidi’, Anwar Ahmad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan, Naseer Bunda, Manzoor Hussain Atif and Munir Dar to name a few, is the motivating force behind the emergence of PN Central Library as an entity of sorts and he has all the eagerness to create more facilities for its members.

The contribution of Cdr (R) Jamal Abdullah, Director, Maritime Museum, and Syed Zakir Ali, Library OIC, has been immense in its development and maintenance while the expertise and the enthusiasm of Huma Mannan Butt, a talented young librarian, have been greatly helpful in developing the public library system.

Nawaz Sharif vows to promote IT, build dams to generate electricity

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

Former Prime Minister, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, who heads his own faction of the Pakistan Muslim League, known as PML-N, has vowed to pay special attention to solving the energy crisis, if his party was voted to power in the upcoming general elections, expected to be held later this year.

“After coming to power the PML-N government will give special attention to solve the energy crisis which has brought life to a standstill in the country. For this purpose we will build small dams and set up gas fired power plants to provide electricity at reasonable rates to the people,” Nawaz Sharif stated while talking to Zahid Hameedi of MHz TV Network US, in a recent interview in Lahore.

He said that the PML-N has formulated plans to promote Information Technology and Technical and Vocational education at all levels which will help fight unemployment in the country.

“By promoting education we will be able to export trained manpower to the Middle East and other countries. Our youth has enormous talent. We need to provide the platform to let them develop technical skills so that they secure good jobs,” the former Prime Minister added.

To a question, the PML-N chief said that his party will also introduce reforms in the transport sector like mass transit system in order to provide cheap transportation to the public.

“Transportation holds the key to business activities. The government has to take care of the people and we are committed to facilitate them at all levels. We have done it before and we will do it again,” he promised.

Nawaz Sharif stated that his party, PML-N, has decided not to enter into an alliance with PPP and PML-Q, nor will it make any seat adjustment with these two parties in the coming elections. He, however, hinted that the party could consider seat adjustment with JUI-F and Jamaat-i-Islami in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.

“People are hankering for change and Inshallah the PML-N government will strive sincerely to improve the lot of the common people as in the past,” the former Prime Minister concluded.

SSUET graduates conferred degrees, medals in Convocation 2012

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

“Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET) have been playing a major role during the last two decades in equipping the youth with technical education. The SSUET graduates are serving in various countries of the world with placement on highly important positions and making new breakthroughs not only in Pakistan, but also in Europe, America and other countries”, Engr Z.A. Nizami, Chancellor SSUET, observed while addressing the 15th convocation of the university held at Karachi Expo Centre on March 31.

The coveted Dr A Q Khan Gold Medal was won by Sania Rehan of Computer Enginering, Engr Z A Nizami Gold Medal by Muhammed Tarique Saleem of Electronic Engineering, Bashir A Malik Gold Medal by Obaid Saheel of Telecom Engineering, Zakir Ali Khan Gold Medal by Farrukh of Bio-Medical Engineering Dr A.T. Khan Gold Medal by Husam Bin Arshad of Civil Engineering and Hasan Nasir Gold Medal was bagged by Minhaj Anwar of Computer Science department.

At the convocation, whose proceedings began with recitation of Holy Quran and Naat by the university students, over 1,000 graduates of batch 2008 were awarded degrees in the engineering disciplines of Electronics, Computer, Civil, Bio-Medical and Tele communication besides Computer Science. The Chancellor said that it’s our strong conviction that good Engineers and Technologists can combat the forces that are responsible for weak economic conditions of the country and financial constraints in the domain of progress. They can find ways and means to transform poverty into plenty, he observed

He advised the new graduates to come forward to accept the challenges, which the country is confronting like dwindling own energy and water resources, dependence on foreign reliance and primitive systems and machinery in industry, which are the menace plaguing the country.

He emphasized on need for effectively exploiting the country’s latent natural resources like huge deposits of coal at Thar as well as copper and other valuable minerals in other parts of the country so as extract the country from economic turbulence and attains self autarky in every strata of national life.Presenting the annual report, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Sayed Nazir Ahmed highlighted the successful journey of Sir Syed University from its inception in 1994 to its present glorious stage and informed the audience that SSUET’s annual budget has soared from Rs. 17.22 million in 1994 to a record Rs. 712.3 million in 2012.

He said the university provided Rs. 370 million worth equipment for Labs in all the Departments and spent Rs 195 million on new buildings and structures.

He stated that besides a financial assistance of Rs. 10 million and Rs. 40 million worth scholarships to deserving and talented students during 2011-2012, the university also provided Rs. 7.7 million to needy students and Rs 2.3 million to deserving employees.He pointed out that the university, which started with merely 200 students in 1994, today has over 5600 students on roll and gave around 9820 graduate engineers to the nation since 1998, when its first convocation was held.

At present the university is dispensing 6 Bachelors Degree, 6 Master's and 02 PhD programs while its faculty has 22 PhDs teaching in various departments while as many as 15 faculty members are pursuing PhD degree from this university and as many number had gone abroad for higher studies, the Vice-Chancellor stated..

Dr Nazir informed that the University supports its Alumni, in their Career Planning and Placement and out of about 8660 graduates till 2011, 77% had been employed in gainful jobs while remaining proceeded for higher studies or started their own business.On the occasion Chancellor Z.A. Nizami conferred medals to Saniah Rehan for securing first position in Computer Engineering, Muhammad Tarique Saleemin Electronic Engineering, Obaid Shakeel in Telecommunication Engineering, Farrukh in Biomedical Engineering, Husam Bin Arshad in Civil Engineering and Minhaj Anwaar in Computer Science.

Recipients of Silver Medal for securing second position included Sana Waseem (Computer Engineering), Noman Akhtar (Electronic Engineering), Bilal Saeed (Telecommunication Engineering), Amna Ghani (Biomedical Engineering), Zia Ali (Civil Engineering) and Muhammad Arabi Tayyab (Computer Science).

The third position holders winning bronze medal included Anam Ashraf (Computer Engineering), Muhammad Muzaffaruddin (Electronic Engineering), Muhammad Kashan Shahbaz (Telecommunication Engineering), Samia Kaleem (Biomedical Engineering), Muhammad Rafique (Civil Engineering) and Rabia Rasheed (Computer Science).

As the ceremony reached near completion, the graduating youth celebrated their award of degrees with tossing their robe caps into the air while excited youth posed for photographs with their parents.