Aziz Memon re-elected as UMJP President

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The popular figure of Aziz Memon, an eminent industrialist and an acclaimed philanthropist, has been re-elected as the President of the United Memon Jamat of Pakistan (UMJP) for the tenure of 2023 to 2025. 

According to the notification issued by the UMJP, their other elected office-bearers for 2023-25 are Ashfaque Ahmed Memon (Senior Vice President), Shahzad Sabir (Vice President-1), Parvez Madraswala (Vice President-2), Ashraf Kassim Machiyara (Vice President-3), Zafar Iqbal Sobani (Honorary Secretary), Abdul Nabi Memon (Deputy Secretary General), Faisal Abubaker Khanani (Joint Secretary General & Information Secretary), Abdul Aziz Haji Yaqoob (Chairman Council of Emeritus), Prof M Saleem Memon (Finance Secretary) and Mahmood Parekh (Co-Chairman Council of Emeritus). 

Aziz Memon, who has been holding various important portfolios at national and international in his illustrious career, was first elected as President of the UMJP in November 2016. 

His leadership has added value to the UMJP, a non-governmental organization founded in 1981 with the aims and objectives of promoting welfare activities, community development and helping the underprivileged members of the society in general and of the Memon community in particular. 

The UMJP has a widespread network all over Sindh in the form of 35 affiliated Jamats of Memon Community. The activities of the community are diversified but mainly focus on providing medical and educational assistance to the needy and less privileged. 

Recently the UMJP President, Aziz Memon, alongwith a few other office-bearers of the Jamat, handed over two rickshaws and one motorbike to unemployed youth of the community. 

Besides working proactively in the health related endeavours, its activities in the educational sector include providing scholarships, setting up vocational training centres, establishment computer centres and providing of salaries to teachers of schools run by UMJP.

NLA plans host of activities in 2023

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The National Library Association (NLA), in accordance with its mandate, has planned to hold quite a few events for the community of librarians during the calendar year of 2023. The plans include celebration of Library Day in February and World Books & Copyright Day in April. 

The executive committee of the NLA, which met in Karachi on January 12, also discussed the possibilities of organizing an international conference for librarians in 2023 besides instituting awards to recognize outstanding library professionals. The meeting granted approval for participating in the Karachi Literature Festival due to be staged in February. 

The NLA has decided in principle to hold a workshop on digital libraries while it will also remain eager to slot in seminars on public libraries, academic libraries and special libraries during the course of the current year. 

The NLA executive committee, seeking consensus and transparency, has opted to deliberate on all its proposed events for future individually to ensure input and participation before arriving at a decision. 

The nine-member NLA executive committee comprises of Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah (President), Munazza Abidi (Senior Vice President), Farheen Mahmood (Vice President), Anwar Hussain (Secretary General), Hira Yaseen (Joint Secretary), Muhammad Nasir Nayab (Treasurer) and Muhammad Ibrahim (Information Secretary), who are also the founder members, besides Syed Khalid Mahmood (Advisor) and Younis Hashmi (Overseas Coordinator).

NLA collaborates in Koha training seminar

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The National Library Association (NLA), a social platform of the working librarians established in 2017, collaborated with the Pakistan Koha Community in organizing a three-day training seminar which was held from January 13 to 15. 

More than 30 library professionals from different parts of the country participated in the online seminar. Liaquat Ali Rahoo, Information Technology Officer at the Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, was the master trainer in the event. 

The course contents covered in the seminar included koha installation, koha configuration and administration, cataloguing methods, OPAC customization, patrons’ management, circulation and resolution of problems.

NLA retains core team until next elections

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The nine-member team, which has been leading the National Library Association (NLA) with distinction for the past couple of years, has been mandated to continue working until the next elections, scheduled to be held later this year (2023). They will constitute the executive committee of the Association, founded in 2017. 

Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah (President), Munazza Abidi (Senior Vice President), Farheen Mahmood (Vice President), Anwar Hussain (Secretary General), Hira Yaseen (Joint Secretary), Muhammad Nasir Nayab (Treasurer) and Muhammad Ibrahim (Information Secretary), who are the founder members of the NLA, have retained their respective positions alongwith Syed Khalid Mahmood (Advisor) and Younis Hashmi (Overseas Coordinator). 

A marathon meeting of the executive committee took place in Karachi on January 12 in which matters relating to upcoming events were discussed at length and it was decided to prepare detailed report of every single programme before granting approval for organizing it. 

“In order to avoid any possible confusion or controversy, in future we will be ensuring that all details are worked out in advance and every committee member is taken on board before arriving at a decision. It’s our endeavour to continue working democratically to serve the community of librarians all over the country as enthusiastically as before,” Muzaffar Ali Shah, President, NLA, declared. 

“Our Association is less than half a dozen years old and we have a long way to go. Our leadership has set very high goals and we are moving in the right direction to achieve them despite the resource constraints and other obstacles. Our executive committee is fiercely determined to make big things happen with the support of other stakeholders,” he added.