5,900 degrees awarded at Baqai Medical University's convocation

President Mamnoon Hussain attends event as chief guest

KARACHI: Around 5,900 students were awarded degrees at the ninth annual convocation of Baqai Medical University on Monday. President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain was the chief guest at the ceremony.

The degrees awarded in the convocation included 3,000 MBBS and 1,400 BDS degrees. Around 1,500 students of other faculties also received their degrees at the event while 83 students from different departments were awarded gold medals.

Six medals were received by Dr Ayesha Rizwan of the faculty of dentistry while MBBS graduates Dr Mehwish Jabeen and Dr Uroos Zafar Khan earned three gold medals each.



President Hussain felicitated the graduating students for their achievements. Medical professionals hold a responsibility to serve the mankind, he said. President Hussain recalled doctors of ancient Muslim societies who also served as compassionate saints, making their profession stand above all other professions.

Referring to the recent terror attack at a church in Quetta, President Hussain said the attack was an attempt to ruin harmony among adherents of different religions in the country. The nation is determined to foil such efforts, he said, adding that "the nation's support for the victims reflects inter-religious harmony within the country".

"The church attack has saddened the entire nation," he said.



President Hussain also touched upon the law and order problem in various parts of the country, especially Karachi and Balochistan. Insecurity in these regions carried wide-range implications for the entire country, he said, adding that Karachi and Balochistan had seen a great deal of political instability and terrorism in the past few decades. "Our political leadership and state institutions are vigilantly solving the crises of Karachi and Balochistan," he maintained.

"Political leaders, ulemas, intellectuals, educationists and most importantly the youth should stay abreast of national and international affairs. We should have a keen eye on developments taking place in our region, identify all bottlenecks impeding our progress and act accordingly," President Hussain stressed.  He also emphasised the role of nursing in medical profession. Every university offering medicine must also have a nursing department, he maintained.

Extraordinary security measures had been adopted by law enforcers for the convocation. Streets and roads leading to the varsity were barricaded and participants, including students and their parents, were prohibited from carrying any belongings, including mobile phones and handbags. Residents of the varsity's neighbourhood as well as visitors to the hospital also faced trouble as security officials had denied entry to all routes leading to the venue.



Some of the students vocally criticised the security measures. "We want to capture the joyous moments of this glorious day on our mobile phones but the president's security seems to strangle us in our own campus," a student said, adding that the university should invite chief guests for whom barriers are not required.