WAH CANTT, Nov 5: A fully-fledged medical college will start admission to first-year MBBS from January next year in Wah Cantonment, said Lt-Gen Abdul Qayyum, Chairman Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF).

He was briefing a delegation of women parliamentarians headed by adviser to the prime minister on women development Nelofer Bakhtiar here on Wednesday.

In this regard, he added, “we have fulfilled all the requirements underlined by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).” The POF has already been given a green signal by the PMDC; however, for formal approval of the establishment of the college a final meeting will be held on December 2.

Gen Qayyum said though the POF administration had been trying to get start the medical college, but due to the PMDC’s strict criteria the project was delayed for a couple of years.

As each and every condition — infrastructural as well as faculty related — had been fulfilled, it was expected this time the PMDC would not find any excuse to delay the project, he added.

In reply to a number of questions raised by the delegation, the POF chairman committed that with the passage of time, the number of women employees in the factories would be enhanced.

However, he accepted that at present out of the total 30,000 POF employees, women numbered only around 800 to 1,000.

“Due to highly technical nature of job, fewer number of women come to us for employment. However, wherever I go I encourage professional girls to join the POF,” he added.

It may be added that the POF recently has recruited a batch of women for traffic control within the limits of the cantonment.

Talking about the progress in the factories over the years, Gen Qayyum said that, as the primary objective, all requirements of the armed forces were adequately being fulfilled. “Besides, we are exporting various kinds of ammunitions all around the world, including the US, the UK and Canada, earning profits in millions,” he said.

Nelofer Bakhtiar praised the services of the POF in the nation-building. “I am happy that even at this competitive age, the POF has maintained its place in the world’s arms and ammunition market.”

Senior vice-president Women Social Service Organization (WSSO) Farkhanda Akram said that currently three branches of the WSSO were working for the uplift and economic stability of women in Wah Cantonment, Sanjawal and Havailian.

She said under Mashal Postgraduate College, Nashaman Institute for Handicap, Women Vocational Centre and a medical college were working in the area.

The delegation comprised women parliamentarians Bushra Anwar Sipra, Dr Donia Aziz of PML-Q; Khurshid Afghan of the PM-F, Shamim Akhtar, Afsar Jahan and Shabina Talat of the MQM. The parliamentarians, including office-bearers of the PML-Q (women wing), were later taken around various sections of the factories, POF hospital, WSSO secretariat, Nashaman, postgraduate college for women and the women vocational centre.