April 15, 2002	Monday	Safar 1, 1423

KARACHI, April 14: About 1,300 graduates of three batches of the Institute of Business Administration were awarded master’s and bachelor’s degrees at the first convocation of the institute here on Saturday.

Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro, who is also the patron of the IBA, presided over the convocation. The US Consul-General in Karachi, John K. Bauman, was the chief guest.

Students of morning and evening programmes of the institute used to held graduation ceremonies, separately, a sort of informal convocation, but this year the ceremony, held after a gap of about two years and three months, was arranged and managed entirely by the IBA administration, said a senior faculty member.

In addition to conferment of degrees on 894 graduates of master’s programmes and 394 graduates of bachelor (Honours) programmes, an honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration was awarded to a former director of the IBA, Dr I. A . Mukhtar. The proceedings of the convocation started late, but these provided the graduates and their parents many reasons to cheer and feel proud.

While the IBA’s outgoing director, Dr Javed Ashraf, awarded degrees to graduates, the Sindh governor gave away gold medals and shields to about 30 graduates for distinction in academic performance. Dr Javed would be replaced by a member of the IBA board of governors, Mr Danishmand, who is also a former student of the institute, in June.

The governor, who flew back to the city for the convocation from a referendum meetings held in the interior of the province, also availed of the opportunity to apprise the audience, including teachers, students, parents and representatives from various walks of life, about measures and policies of the government and sought their support for President Pervez Musharraf in the April 30 referendum.

Mr Soomro said the stay of General Musharraf in the presidency, through the referendum, would strengthen economic stability in the country. Your support to the President would bring in more investment and accelerate the pace of industrial development, clear many things and ensure continuity of reforms initiated by the present government.

The governor hoped that students of the IBA would uphold their alma mater’s reputation in their practical life and also exercise influence over society that needed to be more tolerant today. He said the government was making efforts to create more job opportunities in the country.

Earlier, in his speech the IBA director, Dr Javed Ashraf, referred to various measures taken during his tenure, and pointed out that it was the first time that many PhD degree holders had been inducted into various IBA faculties.

“The IBA, long known as an institution reluctant to hire PhDs on its faculty, has hired 10 PhDs on its full-time faculty in the last one year, and at least three more are likely to join by August,” he added.

The US Consul-General, John K. Bouman, who represented his