‘Universities producing future leaders’

LAHORE: A five-day symposium on 50-year electoral history of Pakistan concluded at the University of Management and Technology (UMT).

Researchers, faculty members and the students from a good number of the universities across the country participated in the symposium, which was a joint venture by Gallup Pakistan, UMT and the University of Gujrat.

The purpose of the symposium was to foster research in the country's electoral system and the history beginning from 1970 to 2018, ponder over voter behavior, election culture, voter turnout, manifestos of the political parties, overall political narratives, election campaigns and discover the factors that could pave the way for stronger democracy in the country. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, addressing the concluding session, UMT Chairman Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad said Pakistan was going through a new culture of democracy where enthusiasm and passion in the younger generation regarding elections and election campaigns was gaining momentum. He said universities were the nurseries for producing future leaders and preparing them for the upcoming challenges. Dr Murad said UMT together with Gallup Pakistan would soon introduce a degree programme in politics, elections and democracy that would aim at educating the potential leadership so that they no more travelled abroad to seek the knowledge in the field. He said the curriculum on the key subjects of elections, political parties and democracy was under preparation in order to offer admissions after the accreditation process.

Gallup Pakistan Chairman Dr Ijaz Shafi Gilani said there was a dire need for encouraging the university graduates to study politics, elections and democracy and take keen interest in bridging the gap between the competent political analysts, experts of elections and electoral history so that dependence on foreign organisations could be minimised. He said Gallup Pakistan had long ago started the training of individuals to gain command of the subject and serve the media and civil society.

Veteran journalist Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami also addressed the symposium. He urged introducing reforms in the election procedure and ensuring that no any elections become controversial and rigged.

PU: Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad has urged the faculty members to realise their role and perform their duties keeping in view national needs. He said this while addressing a meeting of deans, principals, directors and chairpersons of teaching departments at Al Raazi Hall here on Tuesday. Dr Niaz expressed his resolve to bring PU to the academic esteem which it deserved. He said PU administration would focus on quality of teaching and produce graduates of international standard.