SWABI: A three-day ‘national design, build and fly’ competition in Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology attracted young engineers from across the country, who showcased their skills by flying remote-controlled aero-planes they had designed and built themselves.
To make the event more attractive and upholding the principle of accuracy, meritand perfectness, officials of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, graced the contest as judges, seeing the work of the young engineers and guiding them how they could make their work and research more result-oriented as per demand of the country.
The competition was financed by Higher Education Commission (HEC) and organised by GIK Institute Students’ Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA).
The AIAA members said that a total 27 teams belonging to leading universities of the country participated in the contest that were selected after a rigorous process of short-listing as to make the competition more memorable and research-oriented.
GIK hosts ‘national design, build and fly’ competition
Asim Rashid Malik, retired air-vice marshal and incumbent director-general ofaviation was chief guest at the concluding ceremony.
The PAC experts highly appreciated the young engineers’ efforts in building and flying their aircraft, saying that the competition provided a very effective platform for initiative and research, which would be very helpful in building aircraft according to our needs in the future.
Noor Fathima, one of the participants, said that the competition had provided a perfect platform to young engineers to contest with each other, test their knowledge and know that how they could excel in this field.
The winner was given Rs80,000, the runner-up Rs60,000 andthe team which stood third got Rs45,000.
INTERNET ISSUE: The Swabi district continues to face severe digital deprivation, the only district in the region without access to GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) fiber internet infrastructure. Residents of Zaida, Shahmansoor, Kaddi and nearby areas still rely on outdated copper-based broadband, resulting in slow, unstable and unreliable internet connectivity.
Despite repeated appeals from journalists, students, business owners and government officials, no telecom provider has yet begun deployment of modern fiber-optic networks in the area. Shahmansoor village home to key institutions such as the Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Judicial Complex, various government offices and the press club also remains disconnected from this essential digital infrastructure.
Muhammad Adil, a senior journalist from Zaida and deputy general secretary of the Swabi Press Club, stated that the lack of GPON service in Zaida City, Shahmansoor and surrounding localities was creating serious challenges for journalists, students and public servants. He noted that although a survey for GPON installation was completed in Zaida back in 2023, the service has not yet been launched.
Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025
