Convocation: 1,517 graduation caps in the air

Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi holds its 12th Convocation.

RAWALPINDI:

Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) held its 12th Convocation on Wednesday to celebrate the brilliant performance of its students, many of whom won gold medals in their respective examinations.

Over 1,517 students, including 21 PhD scholars, were awarded degrees for the year 2010. Moreover, 59 students were decorated with medals.

Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, who is also the university’s chancellor, was the chief guest on the occasion. He congratulated students on obtaining degrees in various discipline and distributed medals and degrees to the graduates.

The names of the lucky students who received medals are Julia Abbasi, Sajid Mahmood, Imtinan Akram, Quratulain Rizvi, Naveed Hamayat, Romesa Tahir, Maria Batool, Mah Noor, Muzima Bibi, Usman Ali, Misbah Sarwar, Mehreen Abbas, Shaher Yar Khan, Maryam Mukhtar, Hira Iqbal, Samar Naseer, Ainee Zafar, Zonia Naeem, Maryam Shahzadi, Rabia Nazar, Shumaila Naz, Madiha Munir, Saima Kausar, Adnan Ahmad Munir, Jamshaid Nazir, Kiran Mukhtar, Amra Sajjad, Adil Shaheen, and Sofia Tabassum.

Shaheryar Khan, a student of the university and a position holder, gave the credit of his success to the Vice-Chancellor (VC). “It is due to the hard work of the VC, Dr Khalid Mahmood Khan, that our university is today producing good researchers in various fields, especially agriculture,” he said.

In his address, Khosa said research-based academic programmes in agriculture were crucial for the country’s future and congratulated PMAS-AAUR on doing extensive work in this regard.  He opined that the Higher Education Commission had brought a paradigm shift to the culture of universities and institutions of higher learning. He urged the graduates to give their best output through transforming the knowledge and skills they seized during their academic life into practical endeavours for the prosperity and wellbeing of the nation.

VC Khan informed the gathering that the university had successfully completed the establishment of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology in the current year. The facility, built at a cost of about Rs358 million, is set to further strengthen a culture of science and impart knowledge of emerging technologies.

Furthermore, he revealed that five more Research and Development projects funded by the HEC, worth Rs1.25 billion, were currently in the works. “The completion of these projects will herald a new chapter of science and technology in the field of agriculture as veterinary and animal sciences will commence at the campus,” he added.

He noted that the university had recently completed the development and deployment of a ‘Campus Management System’ through its indigenous resources.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2011.