GCU endowment fund increases

LAHORE:The Endowment Fund Trust of Government College University Lahore (GCU-EFT) has raised Rs38.4 million in donations from Old Ravians, philanthropists and different institutions during the last fiscal year 2019-20.

This was revealed in the 21st meeting of the Fund’s Executive Committee chaired by business icon Iqbal Z Ahmed. According a press statement issued by the GCU EFT, industrialist Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman, radiologist Dr Safdar Ali Malik, former federal secretary Kazi Afaq Hossain and entrepreneur Javed Habib Oberoi attended the meeting. Later, Vice Chancellor Prof Asghar Zaidi joined and met the members of the Fund’s Executive Committee. Presenting the annual report, Prof Dr Khalid Manzoor, the Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and EFT Executive Committee Secretary, said the fund, established few years ago to support the University’s financially-challenged students, had now swelled to Rs 448.1 million. The EFT Executive Committee decided that this year, the trust would award scholarships amounting Rs 40 million to accommodate more than 1,000 deserving students of GCU. However, last year, the trust had awarded 800 scholarships to the deserving students amounting Rs 22.3 million.

Iqbal Z Ahmed said that GCU was the only university in public sector to have this unique and role model mechanism to help the helpless students. The executive committee appreciated the sincere and untiring efforts of Prof Dr Khalid Butt for raising highest amount of funds in one year for GCU-EFT. The executive committee also assured the vice chancellor of providing funds to establish the state-of-the-art business school and a girls’ hostel at the GC University Lahore.

Later, Iqbal Z. Ahmed and Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman were unanimously elected as President and Vice President of GCU-EFT Executive Committee, respectively.

Ruins of ancient fort discovered in Skardu: University of Baltistan, Skardu (UOBS) has claimed to have discovered archaeological ruins of an ancient fort discovered on the highlands of Kovardo Mountains in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan. According to a press release, a two-member team from the University of Baltistan, Skardu, comprising its Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan and Director Academics Dr Zakir Hussain Zakir, discovered the archaeological ruins of an old Balti fort named as "Bendaq Khar" on the highlands of Kovardo Mountains.

The ruins of old Balti fort are found some 2-3km west of the famous ancient Kovardo Cross site, where the team had found a monumental ancient marble cross on June 14, 2020. The UOBS Vice-Chancellor has made an urgent appeal to the district administration, Skardu and GB Archaeology Department to help stop illegal excavation by the treasure-hunters at the archaeological site.