July 24, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 08, 1428

LAHORE, July 23: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has said that all religious, political and cultural means will be used to root out extremism and terrorism from society. He was talking to media at an award-distributing ceremony organised by the Academy of Letters at the Governor’s House here on Monday.

He said every era had its own mode of expression, adding that once resistance was a popular phenomenon but now it was not in vogue.

He said the people of Pakistan should change their thinking to avoid conflicts with others.

Terrorism could not be justified and the government was doing its best to address the issue, he said.

Mr Maqbool said tribal thinking existed in the NWFP which was being given due weightage, but added that such mindset could not be allowed to take every thing hostage to it.

Earlier, speaking at the ceremony, the governor stressed the need for promoting the habit of book reading among the masses.

Expressing concern over the declining trend of reading and publishing books, he said institutions like the Academy of Letters must play their role in this regard.

Modern means of communication be employed to convey feelings of literati to the people, he said.

He said literary and cultural activities need to be promoted and translation of foreign language books into Urdu and vice-versa be expedited.

He said Punjabi poetry and writings had been promoting tolerance, human values and friendship in society.

The governor also presented awards to poets and writers, including Shahzad Ahmed, Nadir Ali Khan, Afzal Tauseef, Mussarat Kalanchvi.

He also announced to increase the award amount from Rs50,000 to Rs100,000.

Chairman Iftikhar Arif on the occasion said that the academy was working for promotion of all regional languages in the country without any discrimination.

KEMU sub-campus: The governor has approved a proposal for the establishment of a sub-campus of the King Edward Medical University (KEMU) in Sahiwal.

Official sources told this agency on Monday that the governor had constituted a three-member committee, comprising the DCO, EDO (health) and Sahiwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Chaudhry Safdar Rashid for identifying the land for the project.

KEMU VC Prof Dr Mumtaz Hasan in response to a report sought by the governor on the request of the SCCI chief, termed the proposal feasible as 600 beds were available at the DHQ hospital, Government Haji Abdul Qayyum and Silver Jubilee Maternity hospitals.

The district government has given its consent to provide another 12 acres adjacent to the DHQ along with funds for the establishment of additional requirements.

The VC in the light of the recommendations of the eight-member committee, comprising professors of core medical teaching subjects, who had already visited the proposed site, submitted to the governor that Sahiwal was situated almost in the middle of Lahore and Multan and quite suitable for a medical institution having reasonable catchment of teaching patients and would also facilitate desirous students of becoming doctors.

Prof Dr Mumtaz further submitted that additionally it would provide specialist tertiary health cover to the area population reducing pressure from both teaching hospitals of Lahore and Multan.

Chamber president Safdar Rashid, when contacted, said the establishment of a sub-campus would go in line with the policy of the government to provide tertiary health care at the doorsteps of the local population in Depalpur, Sahiwal, Okara, Chichawatni, Pakpattan, Pattoki etc. —APP