SWABI, March 18: The Anjuman-I-Kashthkaran NWFP has demanded that the areas of the district that were hit by hailstorms on Thursday should be declared calamity-hit areas by the provincial government.
In a press statement the Anjuman leaders on Friday said that in the affected areas the main source of income is farming but after the hailstorm all the crops were damaged. They said that the worst sufferers were tobacco growers who’s just planted tobacco crop had been completely destroyed.
They said it is the responsibility of the government to come forward for the help of the peasants.
They also demanded that the district government should constitute a team, which would conduct a survey of the affected areas to know about the damages by the hailstorms.
GIK INSTITUTE: The Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKIEST) has produced about 1,200 graduates of international calibre since its inception in 1993 as its aim is to produce graduates who are competent, professional and enlightened, said its Rector Dr Abdullah Sadiq in an interview, adds APP.
He said graduates of the institute possessed constructive energy and creative vision to respond to the present and future needs of the country. They were distinguished by their dedication in work and lofty ideals and values and had tolerance for others. As professionals they had in-depth knowledge and would be innovative in identifying problems and finding their solution, he added.
The first privately funded institute of its kind in the country is financed by the Infaq Foundation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Chiniot Anjuman-e-Islamia, the Dawood Group of Industries and government of NWFP which had also donated 200 acres of land. The rector disclosed that recently an additional 200 acres of land had been acquired.
He said, a French soft loan had minimized its financial burden to some extent but it still had a burden of Rs500 million loan which could not be paid off from the students fees.
He said so far three students of the institute had completed their PhD in electronics, mechanical engineering and mathematics. One PhD degree was awarded to Dr S. A. Moiz of the PAEC who had studied on HEC scholarship. Similarly another student of the institute Muhammad Siddique, who was also working in PAEC, did PhD in Mechanical Engineering. The third lucky student of the institute was Dr Siraj ul Islam who completed his doctorate in Mathematics. Dr Abdullah Sadiq disclosed that two such students were doing their PhD research in the institute.
There are five faculties in the institute where highly qualified teachers from Briton, France and Central Asia besides Pakistan are imparting knowledge.
The institute has its own Advisory Board that consists of scientists, engineers and academicians of international standing from Briton, Germany, France and Korea.
An intermediate school has also been set up on the campus where wards of the employees and outsiders are given admission purely on merit.
The beautifully designed buildings of the institute have one Medical Centre, mosque, gymnasium and play grounds. The fee structure and facilities provided on the campus are not as high as that of some private medical institutions in Peshawar and other cities of the country.