Rotary, NLA join hands with KU for promoting book culture

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As many as three organizations, Rotary International, University of Karachi and National Library Association (NLA), have joined hands for holding a seminar ‘Books are forever’ which will take place at the University’s Arts Auditorium on February 18. 

After a series of meetings between them during the past couple of weeks, the schedule was finalized on February 17, incorporating last minute changes due to sudden withdrawals of a few speakers at the eleventh hour. 

 According to the details, Dr Aftab Imam, Governor, Rotary International, and Chief Commissioner, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), will be the guest of honour while Prof Dr Faiyaz Vaid, Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Karachi, will be the keynote speaker and Prof Dr Nigar Sajjad, former chairperson, Department of Islamic History, University of Karachi, will deliver the Presidential address. 

 

The registration for the seminar will start at 9 am while the meeting will be called to order at 10 am by Syed Khalid Mahmood, President, Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan, and Advisor, NLA, who will also conduct the ceremony alongwith Hira Yaseen, Joint Secretary, NLA. 

Prof Dr Farhat Hussain Kha, Chairperson, Library & Information Science department, University of Karachi, will present the welcome address while the other speakers will include Jahangir Moghul, Charter President, Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan, Prof Dr Nusrat Idrees, Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Karachi, Asma Hassan, author of Mayar-e-Zindagi, and Muhammad Ibrahim, Member, Executive Committee, NLA. 

The NLA President, Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah, will make a few important announcements on the occasion while Engr Asim Murtaza Khan, Past President, Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan, will propose the vote of thanks at 12.30 pm to mark the conclusion of the two and a half hours session. 

The students of all classes of the university’s Library & Information Science department are expected to attend the seminar in large numbers and they will be engaged in an interactive session of about half an hour with the panel of speakers. A good turnout of working librarians was also being anticipated by the organizers.