Sacrifices for peace highlighted

LAHORE : Government College University (GCU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi has said that the university is going to set up the Vice Chancellor’s Web Portal as a formal communication channel between the students and university administration to listen to their issues and have continuous feedback on different initiatives.

The VC said this while addressing a seminar on “Peaceful Pakistan – our right, our duty” organised by GCU in collaboration with the Inter-University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences (IUCPSS) and Centre for Inclusive Governance.

The concluding session of the seminar, chaired by Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz, was dedicated to commemorate the sacrifices rendered by the young martyrs of Army Public School (APS), Peshawar.

“Our people, our armed forces and our children have made incredible sacrifices for restoring peace in Pakistan and it’s our sacred duty to maintain this peace and promote tolerance and harmony,” said Prof Zaidi.

The VC laid stress on effective engagement of students on campuses through their clubs and societies. “Educationists are not against the union of students but they are just cautious that these energetic raw minds are not manipulated or exploited by political parties or any other organisation for their ulterior motives,” he added.

About the web portal, he said students would login through their roll numbers on the web portal and could give their feedback.

The minister for higher education said they would never allow anybody to disrupt the academic environment of their universities. He said the government was providing full backing to the VCs for depoliticising the university campuses.

Raja Yassir talked in detail about the history of violence in student unions due to exploitation by political and religious parties. He also underlined the importance of campus-based student societies and clubs for effective engagement of students in various co-curricular and healthy activities.

MPA Ms Sadia Sohail Rana, University of Narowal VC Dr Tariq Mehmood and pro-rector of a private university, Dr Rauf-i-Azam, also addressed the seminar and highlighted the achievements in implementation of National Action Plan and the role of higher education institutions in promoting values of peace, tolerance, co-existence and interfaith harmony among the students.

Earlier, the students of GCU Nazir Hussain Music Society, Debating Society and Dramatic Club through their performances and speeches paid homage to the teachers, students and employees of APS Peshawar and vowed to carry forward their mission through rejecting extremist and negative tendencies.

At the end of the event, a sapling was planted by the minister on the GCU campus in the memory of martyrs of APS.

Donation: Postgraduate Medical Institute and Amiruddin Medical College Principal Muhammad Al-Freed Zafar has said the people who do service to the suffering humanity would be blessed in this world as well as in the life hereinafter.

Those who serve hospitals and patients, however, should do the welfare work in good faith for the good of humanity,” said Al-Freed Zafar while welcoming Rotary Club Governor Muhammad Sohail and other members of the charity organisation at a ceremony held to donate wheelchairs to Lahore General Hospital.

The PGMI principal said apart from government, philanthropists should continue their services for the ailing humanity.

Receiving donation of 25 wheelchairs, LGH Medical Superintendent Dr Mahmood Salah Uddin thanked Rotary Club and lauded the sprit for serving the ailing humanity.

Rotary Club Governor Muhammad Sohail said the club's services would always be continued in this regard. He assured that steps would be taken in future to facilitate the patients and their relatives in LGH.