Engr Mohammad Shafiq laid to rest

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Engr Mohammed Shafiq, a former office-bearer of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), was laid to rest at the Sakhi Hassan Graveyard in Karachi on July 23 after having breathed his last earlier in the day. Soyem will be held on July 25 between Asr and Maghrib prayers at his Gulshan-e-Iqbal residence 

 His funeral was attended by a large number of friends and acquaintances. He has left behind his widow alongwith three sons and three daughters to mourn his death. According to the family sources, he was discharged from the Aga Khan University Hospital only a few days ago. 

A civil engineer by education, he had retired from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) a few years ago. He also had a brief stint as a Consultant at the Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology. Upon retirement, he devoted more time for the activities to the PEC.

Another Rotary honour for Aziz Memon

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Aziz Memon, one of the most well-known Rotarians of Pakistan, earned another honour when he was invited to deliver keynote address at the Cluster District Conference of United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland Rotary districts in Exeter, UK, recently. 

He represented Rotary International’s President, Gordon McInally, at the Cluster Conference which brought together Districts 1100, 1150, 1175 and 1200 at Sandy Park Conference Centre in Exeter from June 28 to 30.

It was another feather in the cap of  Aziz Memon, who has been heading Rotary’s National Polio-Plus Committee with distinction for the last many years, also holds the honour of being the first Pakistani to have been elected as a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation in 2022.

KLA President recognized in National Conference

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The President of the Karachi Library Association (KLA), Professor Farheen Mahmood, was recognized during the recently concluded three-day national conference titled ‘Exploring the Nexus: Artificial Intelligence and Libraries’ which was organized by Khushal Khan Khattak University Karak’s Department of Library and Information Science. 

Speaking briefly in the shortened closing ceremony, the KLA President was greeted with warm applause when she recalled the proud moment for the librarians’ community when the President of Pakistan, for the first time in history, had presented awards of excellence to the founders of KLA in recognition of their efforts for the profession during the opening ceremony of Karachi Festival of Books and Libraries (KFBL) at Sindh Governor House earlier this year. 

She congratulated the organizers of the conference, held from June 28 to 30 with the collaboration of the Department of Computer Science and Central Library of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Upper Dir, which aimed to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) with library sciences. 

Attracting speakers and participants from across Pakistan, including representatives from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Islamabad, and various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the conference provided a platform for academics, researchers, and industry experts to deliberate on the transformative impact of AI on library services, information management, and knowledge dissemination. 

The closing session of the conference was presided over by Vice Chancellor of Khushal Khan Khattak University Karak, Prof Dr Naseeruddin while Prof Dr Muhammad Shahab, Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University and Patron-in-Chief of the event, Dr Akram Sheikh, Director General of PASTIC, and Prof Dr Ali Muhammad Jan, Vice Chancellor of Islamia College University Peshawar, were guests of honour in the opening ceremony.