Former PIA chief librarian feted in Karachi

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Muhammad Younis Hashmi, ex-Chief Librarian of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Technical Library, was feted on November 13 upon his return to Karachi where he had worked at the headquarters of the national flag carrier for more than four decades. 

As PIA has been hitting headlines lately because of the ongoing process of privatization, it was refreshing to find a group of its former staffers making it to the reunion at a restaurant in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, to celebrate the accomplishments of one of their contemporaries who has relocated in Canada, following retirement from service. 

Younis Hashmi has chosen to move to the rapidly growing city of Milton in Ontario, which is also now home to a large number of expatriates from Pakistan. He has stayed in touch with political and social circles besides interacting with fellow professionals of his own field. 

His activism has been proudly hailed by the Pakistani community in Canada in particular, while he has continued to retain contacts in other parts of the world. 

He has planned to stay in his home country for about a couple of months before returning to Canada on the eve of the coming year. 

Shuttling between Karachi and Lahore, he is set to attend the 1st Karachi Festival of Books and Libraries 2024, scheduled to be held on November 26 and 27.

TMSG, UNICEF ink MoU to address child malnutrition, stunted growth

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Trust for Malnutrition and Stunted Growth (TMSG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UNICEF on November 12 and the partnership aims to address child malnutrition and stunted growth by combining resources, expertise, and outreach capabilities. 

The MoU was signed by Aziz Memon, Chairman, TMSG, and Abdullah A Fadil, Country Representative of UNICEF Pakistan. Many top functionaries of both the organizations were present on the occasion. It was in the fitness of things that the signing ceremony took place on the World Children’s Day. 

With UNICEF’s support, the TMSG will be able to enhance its programmes in nutrition education, healthcare accessibility, and support for vulnerable mothers and children. 

“Together, we aim to scale up our initiatives across underserved areas, reaching more communities with life-saving nutrition and health interventions. This MoU signifies a critical step toward a healthier future for every child in Pakistan,” it was declared in the joint statement. 

Talking briefly to media corps, Aziz Memon, identified early marriage and inadequate spacing between children as the main causes of the problem, urging the governmental authorities to enforce the laws which were already in place in this regard. 

Expressing the eagerness to expand the good work, he also appealed to the media to help amplify this noble cause by spreading awareness and inspiring positive change for countless families in need.

UNICEF, TMSG to sign MoU on World Children’s Day

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Trust for Malnutrition and Stunted Growth (TMSG) will celebrate the World’s Children Day by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Karachi on November 12. 

The MoU between the UNICEF Pakistan and the TMSG is aimed at combating malnutrition and stunted growth among children across the country. 

The signing ceremony will be graced by the presence of Aziz Memon, Chairman, TMSG, and Abdullah A Fadil, Country Representative of UNICEF Pakistan. The media is expected to help amplify this vital cause, spreading awareness and inspiring positive change for countless families in need. 

Historically, the UNICEF, originally known as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children and mothers in countries that had been devastated by World War II.

Aziz Memon-led TMSG creates greater awareness, joins hands with new partners

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Trust for Malnutrition and Stunted Growth (TMSG) organized an exceptional event here at the Zia Mohyeddin Auditorium of the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) on October 23 to create awareness about the burning issue concerning the children, estimated to be causing 200,000 deaths annually. 

The TMSG founder and chairman, Aziz Memon, in his welcome address, informed the packed auditorium about the initiatives to combat the menace since the inception of the trust in 2018. Urging the need to expand the services, he signed MoUs with the officials of the Al-Khidmat Foundation and the Saylani Welfare Trust on the occasion 

He declared that the TMSG, which has been adopting clinics to serve food supplements to malnourished children with the support of donor agencies during the past six years, will now also focus to raise awareness and hold training sessions for furthering their objectives. 

Aziz Memon, known and admired at the global level, for his services to humanity, did not mince words in highlighting the fact that malnourishment of children was the root cause of all evils. 

Early marriages, poverty and insufficient spacing between births of babies, in his opinion, were the reasons leading to the chaos. 

Disclosing that the TMSG has adopted 85 clinics where it is providing ready to use therapeutic food and ready to use supplementary food sachets to the malnourished family, he looked forward to reaching out greater number of people with the help of the donors and partners. 

  

It was announced that as many as 54,000 children have already benefitted from the TMSG initiatives during the last six years.

A video was screened on the occasion in which the aims and objectives of the trust were outlined, besides giving insight into their activities. 

Renewing the pledge to continue serving to the cause, the founders of the TMSG looked determined to meet the challenge. 

‘Yeh bacha kis ka bacha hai’ was the name of the play which was presented to the captivated audience. Directed by Imran Shirvanee, the play was about a rights activist worried about the way people who matter react to the crisis of malnutrition. 

Her close friend, an affluent socialite, is disturbed by this crisis but does not know what to do about it. This conflict between the committed and the evasive is the core of this drama. The socialite comes across a child who is so under nourished that he may die any moment. 

He is disturbed by the child’s presence but does not know whether to hate (fear?) the poverty or the poor. The socialite’s world is full of worldly wonders, so, he is angered when faced with abject insufficiency. The activist is saddened that her friend is so estranged from reality. 

The play moved along the poem by Ibn-e-Insha, yeh bacha kis ka bacha hai. When the poem reaches the point where the poet questions whose world is this anyway, the activist is heartbroken. But then the poem moves to jo rub ka hai wo sub ka hai, leaving a message of hope for all.

Recalling thrills of sudden visit to northern areas

By Zara Waqas

Today was a pretty normal day, until an unexpected thing happened. A travel brochure about the northern areas of Pakistan reached me somehow which immediately caught my imagination. 

The northern areas of our country, as you know guys, are known to be a paradise on earth. Tourists from all over the world love to visit these places which are very popular because of their natural beauty and elegance. 

Immediately, I rushed to my dad and convinced him to take us there right away. To my surprise, he agreed! In excitement, I ran upstairs to convey this breaking news to my mom and sister, both of whom also became thrilled. 

Together, we started packing. It was nothing short of a piece of cake for us. My mother started counting all the items she had packed for the trip. I was like cut to the chase. Finally, we began our journey from our home in Lahore, which was going to be a long one. 

I was unable to control my happiness and joy. To be honest, I was about to just fall asleep. Eventually, I slept as the car kept running. When I was woken up, we were at our first stop, Chakri, where we ate some food before resuming the drive. 

At around 7 pm, we reached our hotel in Batakundi. I could hear the passing river which was relentless as the pounding waves created noise. The stars were shimmering across the sky. Batakundi, as many of you may be knowing, is located in Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

While traveling towards Babusar, it is the first town after Naran. It is situated along the Karakoram Highway and is a stop for jeeps. As people often stay at hotels in Batakundi when they are planning their trip across Babusar Top, we also found one. 

There are many hotels and restaurants in the Batakundi which is the last town in Kaghan Valley that stays open all year. The Batakundi Waterfall is very famous. We went to the Moon Restaurant where the food was sumptuous. 

After taking dinner, we proceeded to the Babusar Top which was freezing cold. I was shivering to the bone. It felt as cold as ice. But the view was to die for! It was like a delicate flower blooming or something like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. 

Done with freshening up, we dashed to Jalkhad. The view there was picturesque. It was breathtaking. The next couple of days went like fast cool breeze as I could not notice time flying by. Eventually it was time to start our return journey to home. After all, home is where the heart is. It was an amazing trip. It felt great to take a break from routine life to relax and get refreshed. My sister and I fell asleep on the way back home. 

We stopped over for having dinner at a restaurant where the food was delicious which refilled my energy. The Belgian Grand Prix Formula One was taking place at 6 pm which I gladly watched on my I-pad. My favourite driver, Lewis Hamilton, won the race which made me happier. When we finally reached home, later at night, I went to my room, changed and dosed off to sleep. 

I have fond memories of our visit to the northern areas which had actually taken place more than three months during my summer vacations. Needless to say, I would like to go there again.

Waseemuddin Hashmi's Syed Foundation continues making waves

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Syed Foundation (SF), a not for profit and nonpartisan charity trust, has been working actively to achieve its cherished goals since its inception in 2018. Registered under Trust Act, this welfare and development entity has been formed by a group of Syed Family members and friends in Karachi to extend their services to the poor, vulnerable and less privileged people of the society and assist the disaster affected people in Pakistan. It has the status of NPO under section 2(36) of Income Tax Ordinance 2001. 

Striving for a vision of a socially and economically sustainable society where no one sleeps hungry and all people enjoy their basic human rights, it has been working with missionary zeal to serve needy people in best possible way through relief and development assistance in partnership. 

The thematic areas of the SF are Orphan Support and Wellbeing, Youth Development and Sports Promotion, Food Safety and Security, Economic Development, Relief and Rehabilitation and Education and Children’s Development while the cross-cutting themes include Collaboration and Partnership Development, Environment Conservation besides Women Rights and Gender Mainstreaming. 

The aims and objectives of the SF revolve around facilitating the Women, Children, Senior Citizens belonging to less privileged sections of society by providing financial assistance, skill training, tool kits and mentoring in collaboration with partner NGOs, academia and other like-minded organizations. 

They motivate lower income groups including women in establishing small scale business units to enable them earn their livelihood honourably. It has continued to organize regularly hunger elimination projects like distribution of free ration, free meals for poor and deserving people. 

It has reached out needy children and provided financial support in their education by means of scholarships. The SF has helped disaster survivors by providing water, sanitation, hygiene assistance, medical support, food and shelter and other routine needs. 

It has provided assistance to the poor patients by providing medicines, medical treatment, hospitalization and other health facilities. As a part of its mandate, the SF also offers interest free microloans and financial literacy training to empower low-income families, provide vocational training programs equip individuals 

The SF implements community-based kitchen gardening, provide food to orphans, poor families and organize food drives that provide essential food supplies to vulnerable populations, particularly during emergencies, to combat malnutrition. It focuses on women’s empowerment through training and capacity-building initiatives, enabling them to participate in decision-making processes and economic activities. 

The SF has partnered with governmental and non-governmental organizations to enhance the effectiveness of its programs and expand its reach. Its day-to-day operations are managed by a team of five trustees, who volunteer their services and resources to achieve the trust’s predetermined aims and objectives as outlined in the Trust Deed. 

The President, selected by the trustees serves as the head of the organization, who manages the organizational affairs on behalf of the trustees. 

Syed Waseemuddin Hashmi, is the Founder President of the Syed Foundation. He had formed the organization together with other trustees in 2018. A celebrated tax lawyer and corporate consultant, he is a highly respected sports administrator besides being social activist and an eminent philanthropist. He is the motivating force behind the success of the foundation. He has hired a team of professionals to manage the activities of the SF. Currently, the Chief Coordinator looks after the daily organizational matters, with the support of trained associates.

Manchar Lake: Major tourist attraction in Sindh needs attention

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The largest shallow fresh water lake of the country, Manchar Lake is situated at a distance of 18 kilometers from Sehwan Sharif on west side of the River Indus, in District Jamshoro. 

Acclaimed as one of the largest lakes of South Asia, it is one of the major tourist attractions in the province of Sindh. The area of the lake rise and fall with the change if seasons from little as 350 kilometers to as high as 520 kilometers. 

The lake accumulates water from numerous brooks in the Kirthar Mountains and empties them into the Indus River. Manchar is synthetic lake, created in 1930, when the Sukkur barrage was constructed on River Indus. It is sustained by two canals, the Aral and the Danister from the river Indus. 

The lake plays a crucial role in the local ecosystem and economy. It not only provides water for drinking and agriculture in nearby villages but is also home to 30-40 species of fish, supporting the livelihood of local fishermen. 

Additionally, during the winter months, it attracts migratory birds from around the world, particularly Siberia, making it a key habitat for wildlife and a destination for bird watchers. 

There have been media reports of the Manchar Lake water having converted from fresh water to toxic saline water leading to destruction of all species. The nearby agricultural lands are reportedly losing fertility while the lake water could no longer be used for drinking and domestic purposes. 

The authorities are being urged to take care of the lake whose aquifer has been polluted due to penetration of sewerage, urea and other chemicals in sub soil water which has caused health hazards for the area population.