WAH CANTT, Dec 29: Pakistan Ordnance Factories Board chairman Lt-Gen Qayyum has said that the POF during the last 50 years have made a remarkable progress in the field of arms and ammunition manufacturing.

He was speaking at the POF golden jubilee celebrations here on Friday. Later, he performed the foundation stone laying ceremony of a new block of Mashal Degree College, which has been upgraded to postgraduate level.

In order to provide maximum educational facilities to the residents of Wah, postgraduate classes are being started in the college while evening classes are also continuing. This college is the only one which is providing B.Ed class facility to the students.

Gen Qayum emphasized that education and training was the first pre-requisite for national development. He advised the students to follow the golden motto of Quaid-i-Azam — unity, faith, and discipline.

Later, inaugurating the new entrance of POF Hospital he expressed satisfaction over the performance of medical facilities being provided to the patients.

Gen Qayum told the gathering that plans for organizing a medical college at Wah Cantt was in final stages.

Elaborating the plans, he said that multinational pharmaceutical firms had been approached to share the expenditure.

POF chief also inaugurated the warehouse for civil products. Gen Qayum said that the warehouse would facilitate the contractors in collecting their purchases.

Later, inaugurating the new IT cell in the factory, the POF chief emphasized the need for speedy work and a paperless office. He said that very soon the whole MIS department would start functioning here and this IT cell would act as a heart for the POF. All the POF offices and factories in Gudwal, Sanjwal, Havelian, London would be linked through computers with this main centre.

Meanwhile, Gen Qayum inaugurated improved plant of sulphuric acid and nitric acid. The plant which was bought from England in 1988 started choking. The engineers and technicians of the factory repaired it in 15 days.—Hina Saeed