Day: May 18, 2022

Lahore, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Bags 9 gold medals in All Pakistan Intervarsity 8th Women’s Rowing Championship

Spectacle Team

Sports play a very important role in the holistic development of an individual. Today, males and females take part in sports and are equally making it a career. Current statistics indicate that women constitute 40% of the global sports stars. At the UOL level, female students are breaking all the barriers to achieving their sports dreams. Ms. Kareema Ikram (7th Semester, BS Sports Sciences) set a new record after winning 9 gold medals in All Pakistan Intervarsity 8th Women’s Rowing Championship 2021-22 hosted at UOL under the umbrella of HEC and PM’s Special Initiative Kamyab Jawan Program along with Lahore Canal Boating Club (LCBC). In a conversation with The Spectacle, she shared the tidbits of her triumph.

Spectacle: Briefly introduce yourself

Kareema Ikram: My name is Kareema Ikram and I am from Gilgit-Baltistan. I am pursuing BS in Sports Science from the University of Lahore and am presently in my 7th Semester.

Spectacle: Tell us about your passion for Rowing

Kareema Ikram: Rowing is my passion. I love this sport because Rowing gets you outdoors and connected with nature! In an age of non-stop screen time, we could all use a little more sunlight and time outdoors.

Spectacle: Has your home area Gilgit-Baltistan played any part in your success?

Kareema Ikram: I have a very good experience, as everyone in Gilgit especially Hunza supported me a lot. Every year they organize winter games in which the majority of the girls take part. Girls take a special interest in ice hockey, cricket, and football. My family has always supported me. There are a few people in Gilgit who still harbour the conservative school of thought about locking out females in sports ventures.

Spectacle: What skills do you need to be a rower?

Kareema Ikram: Yes, one needs to be fit enough and develop muscles to best support the game, and good technical skills (grip, good posture, blade control, timing, balance, rhythm and efficiency, power application) will help rowers perform the skills with greater competence and confidence.

Spectacle: How has UOL contributed towards your success?

Kareema Ikram: The University of Lahore has facilitated me a lot by giving me a full scholarship. The University also appointed us a well experienced coach. Good quality equipment, a healthy diet, and club facilities for water rowing are always availed to us unlike other private universities in Pakistan.

Spectacle: Share your experience at the All Pakistan Intervarsity 8th Women’s Rowing Championship 2021-22?

Kareema Ikram: The event was good, many talented players and teams participated in it. Special credit goes out to my team for performing at an exceptional level with good coordination. We also won the overall Gold and bagged 1st position, our coach was very happy and seeing the happiness and contentment on his face made me very happy.

Spectacle: Share your feelings about the record of achieving 9 gold medals

Kareema Ikram: First of all, I am thankful to Allah, the Almighty for helping me in achieving this. Then, the efforts made by my coach plus the determination I had were key factors for winning the 9 Gold medals in Rowing.

Spectacle: What are your future ambitions?

Kareema Ikram: I want to work hard and join the department for the ultimate purpose of representing Pakistan in the World International Olympic games and winning a medal for my country.

Spectacle: Do we have enough talent in this sport that if nourished, could bring Olympic gold medals?

Kareema Ikram: Yes, definitely, last year one of our team members participated in the International Olympic Games. If proper training and facilities are provided, we can also represent Pakistan in this sport at the global level.

The Spectacle: What do you think about the scope of rowing in Pakistan?

Kareema Ikram: Rowing grows in popularity in Pakistan and, having already established itself in some of the country’s premier schools; it is now producing players capable of competing at international events.

Spectacle: Who do you wish to thank for your accomplishment?

Kareema Ikram: I would like to thank my parents, my family, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashraf (Rector, UOL), Mrs. Farzana Raoof (Director, Sports and Culture), and special appreciation to my coach who provided the technical training and guidance required to win. His dedication toward the team has shown the results as UOL won the overall Gold and 1st position in the Championship, which in itself is an achievement.

The Spectacle: Any Message to young girls who want to adopt Rowing as professional sport?

Kareema Ikram: Sports other than cricket in this country unfortunately are not valued, much of the talent in Pakistan is going to waste because of the unavailability of sporting facilities and proper training. Adding financial issues just puts more pressure on anyone who thinks of pursuing a career in Sporting field. The road is bumpy and only a few around us play a supporting role. But I would like to address young girls who want to come into Water Rowing sports or any for that matter; you are going to face a lot of obstacles and hurdles which will hinder your ambitions. Learn to accept criticism and don’t give up. Stay focused and determined so one day you will succeed. Ignore the negative hate around you. You did not come into this world to impress others but just yourself. Girls should take part in all the sports.

For more information, contact:
The University of Lahore
1 – KM Defence Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-865-865, +92-42-35322501 +92-42-35321761
Email: info@uol.edu.pk
Website: www.uol.edu.pk

Lahore, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Engr. Dr. Shahzadi Tayyaba is one of the top leading women in Engineering in Pakistan. She obtained her degree of Doctor of Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand. Previously, she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, UET Lahore. She is currently the Head of the Department of Computer Engineering at the University of Lahore. She possesses strong leadership skills to influence the behaviour of others towards the completion of goals in a certain situation.

She served as Conference Chair at International Conference on Emerging Science and Technologies (ICEST) and International Conference on Software Engineering and Emerging Technologies in 2020-2021. She has also served as a Program Committee Member, Editorial Board Member, and Reviewer of various international conferences and Journals. She is an active researcher and publisher of many high-quality impact factor articles in the field of Engineering. She has received Research Productivity Awards from The University of Lahore from 2017 to 2020.

She has also won various Best Paper Awards at the International Conferences and has supervised many BS, MS, and PhD students in the field of Engineering and Technology. Engr. Tayyaba has been an active trainer to conduct and initiate training for the continuous professional development of students and faculty. She is an expert on Outcome Based Education (OBE) system. Moreover, the Department of Computer Engineering at UOL has been accredited by Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) under the Outcomes based Education (OBE) system level II under the Leadership of Eng. Dr. Shahzadi Tayyaba.

For more information, contact:
The University of Lahore
1 – KM Defence Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-865-865, +92-42-35322501 +92-42-35321761
Email: info@uol.edu.pk
Website: www.uol.edu.pk

Lahore, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Young Peace and Development Corps-UOL Chapter hosted the 3rd iteration of its flagship event titled “Policymaking Competition” from February 17 to 19, 2022 at Defence Road Campus. The YPDC which works under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior, launched this competition in 2019 to allow students across the country to think about, engage with, and present policy problems.

The event aimed at improving the critical thinking skills of the students and contribute meaningfully towards addressing the country’s problems, and play a pivotal role in pressurizing governments to deliver on their promises. Dr. Rabia Akhtar (Patron of YPDC-UOL Chapter and Director, School of Integrated Social Sciences (SISS)) provided her support for this event. The faculty of the School of Integrated Social Sciences (SISS) assisted Miss. Afnan Abdul Ghaffar (President YPDC) and Miss. Azka Tahir (General-Secretary, YPDC) in managing and organizing the Competition.

A total of 40 teams from 15 varsities across Pakistan including Bahria University, University of Management and Technology, University of Balochistan, Forman Christian College University, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), and Institute of Management Sciences participated and shared their policy ideas during the event.

The Competition was divided into three modules: Security and Foreign Policy, Economy and Development, and Environment. A pre-event online mentoring session was hosted by Mr. Syed Ali Zia Jaffery (Research Associate, Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research (CSSPR)) in which he deliberated on the processes of policymaking. After the inaugural and brainstorming sessions on days 1 and 2, a Qawali and Cultural Night was organized for the participating teams.

On day 3, Mr. Jaffery, Ms. Ayesha Jahan (Lecturer, SISS) and Mr. Shaffay Sohail (Lecturer, SISS) acted as judges of the Security and Foreign Policy, Environment and Economy and Development modules respectively. Two teams from each module were selected for the final round. In the final round, external judges named Mr. Shahid Alvi (Air Marshal Retd., Deputy President, Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies), Miss. Mehr Tarar (Writer\Columnist), and Mr. Azhar Warraich (CEO of Lala Events), selected one winner from each module.

The teams from BUITEMS won the Security and Foreign Policy and Economy and Development modules while a team from the Institute of Management Sciences clinched the Environment module. At the prize distribution ceremony, Mrs. Ammara Awais (Director, OSA) shared her thoughts on UOL’s commitment to facilitating its students to take on leadership positions.

The Chief Guest of the ceremony, Mr. Hassan Akbar (Senior Policy Specialist at the National Security Division), shared his thoughts on the imperatives of policymaking, long-term planning, strategic thinking and the optimal utilization of resources. Wrapping up the event, Dr. Akhtar argued that with the youth compromising 70% of the country’s population, equipping them to thrive in a rapidly-changing world is a necessity and something absolutely critical to augmenting the country’s citizen-centric security.

For more information, contact:
The University of Lahore
1 – KM Defence Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-865-865, +92-42-35322501 +92-42-35321761
Email: info@uol.edu.pk
Website: www.uol.edu.pk