KARACHI, March 29: As many as 750 graduates were awarded bachelor and master’s degrees in different disciplines at the 6th convocation of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), on Saturday.

The maximum number of graduates — 348 — belonged to BS in Computer Engineering 1997-98 and 1999 batches. Seven students were given the MS Computer Engineering and MS Computer Science degrees.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad was the chief guest, who gave away gold medals to 16 position-holders. The governor also announced cash awards for the position-holders and two students who recited verses from the holy Quran or rendered Naat on the occasion.

The convocation was attended by a large number of celebrities, including nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadir Khan, lawyers, educationists, engineers and parents of the graduates receiving degrees.

The governor exhorted the students, faculty members and management of the university to play their due role towards national integration. He said the need of the hour was a movement and efforts envisaging national integration and everyone should play his role in this regard.

Referring to the services of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in defining and developing the integrity of Muslims in the subcontinent, Dr Ibad said that there was no doubt that Sir Syed’s guidance became the foundation stone of the Pakistan Movement, which ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan.

He praised the working of the SSUET in promotion of science and technology and fulfilment of Sir Syed’s desire to build up versatile and responsive citizens. He assured the university management of his support in solving their problems, including the issue of land acquisition.

The chancellor of the university, Z. A. Nizami, said that there was a wide recognition today of the university for being a centre of excellence in general and for computer education in particular. The university’s syllabi conform to that of international universities and its degrees are respected all over the country and abroad, he added.

Mr Nizami said the varsity management desired the students to concentrate on their studies in a disciplined way, refraining from political distractions of any sort. While mentioning that the university never went for any financial assistance from the government, he said that the SSUET, in line with Sir Syed’s mission, stood for national unity.

Vice-chancellor Dr Saiyid Nazir Ahmad said that the university, which had started with 200 students, now has about 3,500 students on its roll. “A happy feature of the enrolment is that girl students account for about a little over 13 per cent of the total, compared to 9 per cent in 1997,” he said, adding that the university not only teach and train students but also actively help its graduates in getting suitable jobs.

In all, 18 gold medals were distributed among 16 graduates for their distinctive performances and securing first, second or third positions in different BS engineering examinations. The recipients are: Computer Engineering - Syed Yawar Hamid, Suleman Khowaja and Riyaz.

Electronic Engineering - Syed Asad Mustafa, Adnan Ahmed Siddiqui and Rehan Saleem.

Biomedical Engineering - Mohammad Zeeshanul Haq, Mohammad Shafique and Mohammad Faraz Shaikh.

Civil Engineering - Zubair Iqbal, Sheraz Khan and Mohammad Ziaur Rehman.

Computer Science - Merwah Munawar Usmani, Atif Ghayas Siddiqui and Syed Tabish Rizvi.

Engineering Mathematics - Mumtaz Ali.

The discipline-wise breakdown of graduates is as follows:

BS Computer Engineering - 348 (three batches), BS Electronic Engineering - 214 (two batches), BS Biomedical Engineering - 60 (3 batches), BS Civil Engineering - 66 (3 batches), BCS - 55, MS Computer Engineering - 3 and MS Computer Science - 4.