In a press statement IJT also claimed to organize a Talent Award Show for brilliant students of Punjab University in which different prizes including motorcycles and computers would be awarded to the students.

However, a PU spokesman said IJT, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), would not be allowed to organize the book fair or event like talent award show.

“All such events are organised by the university management itself and only regular students of the university are made part of committees in this regard,” he added. He further said the university had yet to announce its schedule for annual book fair.

According to a press statement issued on Thursday, Ms Samina Naeem was awarded a PhD degree in Urdu on the completion of her thesis “The Critical Analysis of Urdu Ghazal.”

Shiasta Hameed Khan got a PhD degree for her research on Mulana Hamid Ali Khan. Mujhaid Hussain was awarded a PhD in Botany after the approval of his thesis “Studies on the improvement of yeast strain for the biosynthesis of L-Phenylacetylcarbinol.”

Hamim Bokhari was awarded a PhD in the subject of Chemistry after the approval of his thesis titled “Immobilized Enzyme and Cell Systems for Hydrolysis of Proteins.” Ahmad Faisal Siddiqui was awarded a PhD in Statistics.

A press statement issued on Thursday said around 200 gold medallists among thousands of graduates still wait for the award of their degrees because the KEMU administration has virtually refused to hold their convocation.

The students said that the KEMU administration has conveniently given 11 gold medals to the preceding vice chancellor’s son and four gold medals to the current VC’s daughter.

This discriminatory behaviour shows the biased nature of the administration which needs to be checked by the higher authorities so that the neglected students should get their awards and degrees.

The students mentioned that the Allama Iqbal Medical College, Post Graduate Medical Institute, Rawalpindi Medical College and Sheikh Zaid Medical College Rahimyar Khan has recently held convocation to honour their old students but the KEMU refused to incorporate their old students in their 2008 convocation. They requested the chief minister to take notice of this situation.

According to a press statement, the protest demo was held outside the office of CM’s Task Force on Elementary Education Chairman Raja Muhammad Anwar. The representatives of different private schools said private schools were performing better than public sector schools.

They alleged the proposed bill was a conspiracy against the private schools.

They said if the government aimed to hold primary and middle exams of private schools’ students under the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC), it should either arrange separate exams for them or set papers for them based on their syllabus.

APPSWA President Zulqarnain Shah also warned that if the government cancelled affiliation of private schools with its boards, they would be compelled to get affiliated with Aga Khan Examination Board or the Federal Board.

According to a press statement, last date for submission of admission forms with single fee is 31-03-2010 and with double fee is 10-04-2010.

Meanwhile, the PU has issued the written date sheet of the First Professional MBBS, Part-I, Supplementary Examination, 2009. The exam will commence from March 13 and will conclude on March 22, 2010. PU Examinations Department has also announced the results of MBBS, Third Professional (Re-Organized Scheme), Annual Examination 2009 and MPhil Clinical Psychology, Semester System, Session 2005-2007.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the chairman along with Controller Examinations Prof Manzoor ul Hassan Niazi said some condemned prisoners would also appear in the exam, adding two exam centres had been set up for the imprisoned candidates at Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Dr Kashmiri said a total of 442,550 candidates would appear in the exams for which 801 examination centres had been set up in Lahore and other areas of the board’s jurisdiction including Kasur, Okara, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura.

He further said a total of 26 centres had been declared ‘red mark,’ adding FIRs would be registered against anyone who tried any illegal act during the exams.

He said 6627 supervisory staff and 4806 invigilators besides 801 superintendents and similar number of deputy superintendents had been appointed for the exams.

BISE Chairman said two cluster-centres, one each at BISE Lahore’s exam centre at Lawrence Road and the Punjab University’s exam centre at Wahdat Road, had been established, adding around 5000 candidates would appear in the exams at Lawrence Road centre. As many as 175 mobile teams had also been formed for the exams, he concluded.

The delegation led by IMCTA President Irfan met Bokhari at the Parliament House on Thursday.

Bokhari said that he would convey to the committee the concerns of teachers pertaining to the non-implementation of defunct Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) verdict on their regularisation.

It said that PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman is back home after attending SAARC Award 2009 meeting in Nepal. He was nominated for the meeting by the prime minister. Fakhar said that in Nepal he met a number of scholars and writers whom he briefed about PAL. He also met with Nepal Academy of Letters vice chancellor and they decided to translate literatures of both sides and initiate a programe of writers’ exchange.

They also decided to promote literature, culture and folklore. Fakhar Zaman also informed the Nepali writers about PAL’s future projects of literary channel and FM radio. He also briefed them about the International Conference on Sufism and Peace. He explained that the conference would be held to fulfill Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s wish she had expressed in her inaugural speech on the occasion of last international conference in 1995. The conference will be inaugurated by President Asif Ali Zardari in which writers and scholars from Pakistan and abroad will participate.

Mansha has been officially recognised and ranked at number 937 on the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. The Nishat Group is Pakistan’s largest private sector employer and the biggest exporter of textile products. He sold more than half of his shares in a bank for $900 million in 2008. Mansha is one of the 97 newcomers to the list,
out of which 62 are from Asia.LAHORE: Textile tycoon Mian Muhammad Mansha of the Nishat Group has become the first Pakistani to enter the Forbes world’s billionaires’ list for 2010, a private news channel reported on Thursday. Mansha has been officially recognised and ranked at number 937 on the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of $1 billion.

The Nishat Group is Pakistan’s largest private sector employer and the biggest exporter of textile products. He sold more than half of his shares in a bank for $900 million in 2008. Mansha is one of the 97 newcomers to the list,
out of which 62 are from Asia.

The students were observing strike, as they were of the opinion that the quality of education provided in Cuba is not up to the level of the one provided in Pakistan and they would not be able to pass the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) examination. They had also raised their voices against the non-availability of attached hospitals with their academic institutions.

According to a press release issued by HEC, a comprehensive certificate, addressing all issues, was signed by the deputy minister of health of Cuba and endorsed by the PMDC representative, who was in Cuba for the resolution of all outstanding issues.

Following the hectic efforts by the governments of Pakistan and Cuba, the Pakistani students expressed gratitude to the two countries for securing their future.

A total of 932 students are currently undertaking medical studies in Cuba on a full scholarship by the Cuban government, which encompasses tuition, hostel facility, books, food and all other matters pertaining to the medical studies in Cuba.

The first batch of these students has completed two years of medical study along with a comprehensive course in Spanish and is ready to initiate their third year of classes, while the second batch of students is in their second year of study.

The case for the resolution of the problems faced by these Pakistani students in Cuba was taken up by the Senate Standing Committee on Health, National Assembly Standing Committees on Health and Education. All the committees worked hard to address all concerns of the students and their parents, so that the students may return to serve Pakistan as fully qualified doctors.

A delegation headed by Senator Nilofer Bakhtiar and including representatives of PMDC and HEC have been in Cuba, working with the Pakistani embassy there to find an amicable resolution of the students’ apprehensions in Cuba.

The visiting delegation inspected the classrooms, teaching facilities, laboratories and living area of the students in their existing location as well as the new location. The students are proceeding to start their third year of studies along with clinical rotation.