‘Fresh thoughts needed for richness of culture’

Literary conference concludes

LAHORE

Fresh thoughts are needed for richness in culture in any society, said speakers at the concluding ceremony of Afkaar-e-Taaza, a literary conference here Sunday.

The conference was organised by Information Technology University in which scholars gathered from different parts of the world and agreed that fresh thoughts were needed for richness in culture in any society.

Debates and discussions are always helpful in bringing harmony among different factors of society, they said, adding the conference was a right step towards promotion of literary culture in Pakistan. Speakers and participants appreciated the idea of Afkaar-e-Taaza and hoped to continue in future. On last day in an important session "God meets the market: The Religious Right and Economic Liberalisation in South Asia since 1970" Dr David Priestland, Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq and Najam Sethi discussed the global market scenario in context of South Asian region. Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq said trade issue with India was more political than religious.

Other speakers were Dr Meera Nanda, Prof Hoodboy, Mehr Tarrar, Dr Pippa Virdee, Prof Steven Fish, Dr Farzana Shiekh, Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, Mr Ataxia Amir, Prof Najaf Haider, Prof Goldie Osuri and Charles Allen. A large number of scholars and students attended the festival.

EDOS: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique directed the EDOs (H) of districts managed by Punjab Rural Support Programme to start administrative and technical preparations for taking over of health facilities and assets by end of June 2016.

According to a handout issued here on Sunday, Khawaja Salman Rafique, while chairing the monthly Executive Districts Officers (Health) meeting with Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Ali Jan Khan and Director General Health Services Punjab Dr. Mukhtar Hussein Syed, said that districts continuously showing red on Key Performance Indicators will face punitive action. Besides the EDOs (H) of Punjab’s 36 districts, Chief Minister Roadmap team, Punjab Information Technology Board, Policy and Strategic Planning Unit, Program Managers, Special Monitoring Unit, UNICEF and international development partners attended the meeting.

MoU: In accordance with an MoU signed between Lahore General Hospital and Bahria Dastarkhawan, the patients of LGH would now be provided with meals two times a day, including breakfast by the administration of Bahria Dastarkhawan.

Principal PGMI and LGH prof Khalid Mahmood signed the MoU from LGH administration side and termed it a great favour for the patients and their attendants, according to a press release issued here on Sunday. Lahore General Hospital MS Dr Niaz and AMS Dr Shahid Mayo were present on this occasion.

Bahria Dastarkhawan has arranged special trolleys to supply fresh and hot meals at the beds of the patients. Prof Khalid Mahmood said that Bahria Dastarkhawan had set a great example of serving ailing humanity which should be followed by all the philanthropists. He said that a number of problems faced by patients and their attendants regarding pure and hygienic food would now be solved.