“This university is currently housing over 20,000 people. We need a centre that caters to the needs of residents living here,” VC Prof Iqrar Ahmed Khan. PHOTO: APP

FAISALABAD: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) plans to set up a civic centre comprising of shopping malls, banks and outlets of international food chains near the Post Office.

This was announced by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Iqrar Ahmad Khan while inaugurating a branch of Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd on Saturday. Khan was flanked by Faisalabad Circle Bank general manger Ibrar Hussian and branch manager Kashif Nazir. All deans and directors were also present on the occasion.

“This university is currently housing over 20,000 people,” the vice chancellor said, adding “We need to develop a centre that will provide opportunities to residents living here and give them easy access to all basic facilities at their doorstep.”

The VC said that the banking was one of the most important sectors in the country and was playing its due role for the development of the country.

“The UAF is currently establishing an exhibition centre aimed at showcasing new technologies before the farming community,” he said, adding that the exhibition area was aimed at persuading farmers to shun traditional ways of farming and adopt modern trends that would increase per acre production. He added that using the modern techniques was the need of the hour to meet the challenge of food security which was engulfing the country. The VC said that a project of setting up six lecture theatres was also on the cards.

Ibrar Hussian said that the MCB was operating 1,200 branches with online facility across the country and that the UAF branch would also facilitate its customers with import transactions and maintaining foreign exchange accounts.

“The bank is functioning globally and we have seen a remarkable tenure of more than half a century of competitively edged and well positioned banking,” he added.

The vice chancellor said that the new Civic Centre would be ready by the end of the year and several proposals for buildings, theatres, shopping malls and sports grounds were currently being entertained by the university administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2012.

CPWB is working to rehabilitate the children and register them so that they don’t return to their former life.

According to a bureau spokesperson, most of the children were found begging in the streets and others were addicted to drugs. “Most of these children have grown up on the streets and we seldom notice their circumstances. The CPWB is taking an initiative to recover and rehabilitate as many street children as it can,” said CPWB official Badar Qasim. CPWB officials said that the recovered children included Mudassar, Mubasshar, Ali Hasan, Adeel, Atif, Bilal, Imran, Kashif Azeem, Hashim, Muhammad Kashif, Mukhtar, Hamid, Noor Muhammad, Qaisar Iqbal, Adil, Babar, Muhammad Atif and Kamran.

“Nearly all of these children were involved in beggary and others were hooked on drugs,” said social worker Mehtab Shakeel. “One of the children I have been working with is a heroin addict and he is only nine years old,” she added. “We are trying to get him medical help for the detox process but there are many more like him out there,” she added.

CPWB worker Mukhtar said that many of the children at the centre were also garbage collectors.

“These children have been forced to work and collect trash to support their families but we are trying to rehabilitate them. They will be made wards of state and then we will work to ensure that they can be returned to their parents.

This will only be done if we have enough evidence that they won’t be back on the streets,” he added.

Mukhtar said that at present the CPWB centre was housing a total of 64 children. “These kids are being provided with the best educational and vocational training possible and we hope that their time here will help make them productive members of society in the years to come,” he added.

He said that the families of 12 children had already been traced out during previous week and the parents were called in for interviews. “We have handed back some of the children after completing legal formalities after producing the children before the court,” he said, adding “now that they are already in the system if their parents fail to comply with directives they will become permanent wards of state.”

Informal education and entertainment facilities are also being provided to 14 children at the centre.  “I am glad to have been taken off the streets. I have been with the centre for almost a week and it means I get three square meals a day without having to beg and I am also in school,” said Hamid, 11.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2012.

Waqas allegedly killed his baby daughter and wife after she refused to return home.

According to police officials Bajwa was implicated for killing his wife, infant daughter and a neighbour on December 18, 2011. The suspect allegedly fled the scene after committing the triple murder. “At the time we formed six police teams and we have been searching for him for weeks,” said Batala Colony sub inspector (SI) Muhammad Rizwan. Rizwan told reporters that the police received a tip-off regarding Bajwa’s location and then raided a hideout in Quetta.

A team headed by Sub Inspector (SI) Muhammad Ramzan, Investigation Officer Batala Colony, and succeeded in arresting the suspect on Saturday and brought him to Faisalabad.

The suspect Waqas Bajwa had contracted a love marriage with Muslim Park Peoples Colony No2 resident Faiza, 22, nearly one and half years ago. Initially, the bride’s parents opposed the match but they eventually accepted the marriage. “They told her that Bajwa was a thug but she would not budge. Later they accepted it,” said Faiza’s neighbour Beenish.

Faiza gave birth to a baby girl about a month ago and went to stay with her parents for 40 days. “Bajwa wanted her to return home sooner,” she added.

On December 16, Bajwa went to Faiza’s parents house in the evening and demanded that his wife return home with him but she refused. “She told him that she wanted to stay with us for 40 days but he got violent,” said Faiza’s mother Ismat Bibi.

At this Bajwa allegedly began beating her and his infant daughter. “Waqas said that if she didn’t accompany him, he would shoot her and the baby but she didn’t believe him,” she added. When Faiza refused to return, Waqas opened fire on her and his daughter.

On hearing the firing, Faiza’s neighbour Sajid, 19, rushed to their rescue and tried to over power Waqas who was about to escape. The suspect then fired upon Sajid who also died on the spot.

Batala Colony police has registered a case against the accused under Section 303 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of Sheikh Nasir against the accused and his five accomplices. Though Bajwa escaped, the police were able to apprehend two of his accomplices.

Investigation Officer, Muhammad Ramzan told reporters that now that Bajwa had been arrested the remaining three men would soon be arrested. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2012.

Rs10,000 award to people who provide information about manufacturing and sale of equipment used in kite flying. PHOTO : FILE

In a statement issued on Thursday, DCO Sadiq said there was a ban imposed on kite flying and that anyone found manufacturing and selling, string reels and kites in Faisalabad district will be prosecuted in accordance with the law. He said there were reports that some elements in the city were still active in manufacturing these substances. He urged the public to report anyone found involved in these activities to the government so that any loss of human life due to the activity could be prevented. He said the identities of these individuals would be protected.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2012.

Mexico termed most dangerous place for media with 10 journalists killed in the last year.

VIENNA: A total 103 journalists were killed in 2011, with Mexico as the most dangerous and Pakistan as fourth dangerous place to work for the media, Vienna-based press watchdog IPI said Thursday.

This was the second highest toll on record after 2009, when 110 journalists were killed while covering a story.

“The numbers are getting worse,” the International Press Institute said in a statement, noting that 55 journalists were killed in 2001.

“In 2002, 19 countries appeared on the IPI Death Watch list. In 2011, there were 40 – more than in any year of the past decade.”

With 10 journalists killed there in the past year, Mexico was the deadliest country for the media to work, IPI said.

Iraq came second with nine deaths – mostly from bombings – followed by Honduras, Pakistan and Yemen, each with six deaths, and Libya and Brazil with five deaths.

In North Africa and the Middle East, journalists were mostly killed during the Arab Spring uprisings.

In sub-Saharan Africa, in Russia and in several cases in Pakistan, the reporters were victims of targeted killings, IPI said.

“Almost all of the journalists killed in 2011 were local reporters and cameramen covering local conflicts, corruption and other illegal activities,” it said.

“Tragically, the likelihood that the perpetrators will be brought to justice is close to zero. Impunity is fuelling the murders.”

IPI also noted a “trend of increasing violence against journalists in the Western hemisphere” and called on governments to respect the media’s right to work freely.

Aside from targeted killings, the IPI Death Watch list includes journalists killed in natural disasters, plane crashes and attacks while covering a story.

In its own tally for 2011, Reporters without Borders counted 66 journalists’ deaths.

An exhibition center at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, will educate farmers about modern farming practices. PHOTOS: FILE/ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

University Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad laid the foundation stone of the facility on Wednesday, which has been funded by the Endowment Fund and will be completed in 18 months.

The exhibition centre will consist of a display hall, art gallery, convention room, auditorium, audio and video labs, aquarium and meeting rooms.

Speaking on the occasion, Iqrar Ahmad said the objective of the project was to transfer knowledge and promote modern research and technology in producing agricultural goods and services.

He said scientists of the university and other research organisations would showcase state-of-the-art technologies and agricultural implements for promotion and commercialisation that would encourage public-private partnership.

The zone would also fine-tune entrepreneurship skills of scientists and students and educate farmers about modern farm technologies and practices, which would boost productivity.

“Though agriculture is contributing 22 per cent to the gross domestic product, we are lagging far behind due to traditional way of farming,” Ahmad pointed out.

Citing an example, he said traditional farmers were getting only 28 maunds of wheat per acre while progressive growers harvested 80 maunds per acre.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2011.