KARACHI, Feb 25: The syndicate of the University of Karachi on Saturday approved five names for award of honorary doctorate degrees. The meeting, chaired by vice-chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim, among other items on agenda, considered citations and references received for award of honoris causa degrees, and decided to confer degrees to various personalities for their outstanding services, including former Editor-in-Chief of Dawn Ahmad Ali Khan.

According to sources privy to the meeting, the syndicate approved grant of honorary degree to a professor of transplant surgery from Turkey, Mehmet A Haberal, who is also the editor-in-chief of a journal on experimental and clinical transplantation of Baskent University, Ankara.

The names of director of Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi, noted social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi and renowned writer and poet Ahmad Nadim Qasmi were also approved for honorary degrees.

The syndicate also approved names of chairpersons of four departments. The incumbents are: Dr Zafar Iqbal (Botany), Dilshad Zafar (Commerce), Nargis Rasheed (General History) and Zaki Abdur Rehman (Business Administration).

Two different committees were also formed by the syndicate to look into and recommend measures for improving the system of overtime and medical facilities given to university employees.