Messages from Female Staff, Faculty 

Lahore, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Farwa Batool (Senior Lecturer, School of Integrated Social Sciences)

Women in no way are inferior to anyone. The only thing we need to fight is the system. It should not be an us vs them debate. Nations rise by lifting each other. Be kind and supportive towards women as much as you can.

Dr. Sania Muneer (Assistant Professor, School of Integrated Social Sciences)

Female is the second sex not only in Pakistan but in all other countries too. Whether she is from the west or the eastern part of the globe, she has been harassed, raped, and become the victim of violence. As far as women’s empowerment is concerned, it’s only women who can stand for their own rights.

Zareen Hassan (Admin Officer, ORIC)

Women are never weak because God has made them strong in every sense. We do not need magic to transform our world. We already carry inside ourselves all of the power we need. We should stand for ourselves. It is only we who can protect our rights.

Dr. Arooj Fatima (Assistant Professor, UIPT)

Being a woman itself is a blessing and a superpower. A woman is the epitome of happiness, strength, and patience. She can do many things that a man can’t do. Let us pave our way to a better future, grow stronger and bring our positive energies to make the generation stronger and the nation brighter. Respect and facilitate every woman around you!

Aimon Saleem (Lecturer, Chemistry)

I am not asking women to have power over men. They should instead empower themselves for their good. There is nothing in this world we cannot achieve; all can be done by just helping an unknown and making a difference in her life.

Dr. Filza Shoukat (Assistant Professor, UIPT)

There is no limit to what we, as women, can achieve. We are the future, so let’s make ourselves strong and independent. Admire yourselves, empower your girls and rise and shine.

Dr. Faiza Sharif (Assistant Professor, UIPT)

A strong woman knows that she has enough strength for the journey, but a woman of strength knows that it is on the journey that she will become strong. Women are the future, so let us celebrate the strong, independent, and wonderful ladies in our life.

Azka Tahir (Semester 6, BS International Relations)

On this women’s day, I am hopeful that women all around Pakistan will not be ridiculed for standing up for their rights. I wish them to be seen as equal individuals who get equal rights and opportunities. Women constitute more than 50% of the population and deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.

Asma Tabasum (MPhil, Media Studies)

The importance of a women’s contribution cannot be cherished and appreciated in a single day. Cheers to a woman who never stopped trying one more time.

Sidra tul Muntaha (10th semester, Optometry Sciences)

Women are the key to sustainable development and quality of life in the family. The varieties of roles the women assume in the family are those of wife, leader, administrator, manager of family income and last but not the least important the mother. Moreover, it is the women who have sustained the growth of society and molded the future of nations. In the emerging complex social scenario, women have a vital role to play in different sectors. They can no longer be considered as mere harbingers of peace but are emerging as the source of power and symbol of progress.

Anoosha Naeem (Program Coordinator, the Innovation Hub)

To all the incredible women in the world, shine on, not just today but every single day. Happy Women’s Day.

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

NTU Debating Club won in Neo News Ramzan Transmission

Faisalabad, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):An eloquent speaker of NTU Debating club, Humaira Arooj, participated in Neo News, Ramzan Transmission, “Pegham-e-Ramzan”, hosted by Ayesha Ihtisham. She won the competition and got the cash prize from esteemed personality Wasi Shah. We congratulate her for making NTU proud of this achievement.

For more information, contact:
National Textile University (NTU)
Sheikhupura Road, Faisalabad 37610, Pakistan
Tel: +92-41-9230081-90
Fax: +92-41-9230098
Email: info@ntu.edu.pk
Website: http://www.ntu.edu.pk

Eman Manzoor, a UOL trained female engineer works at Tarbela, striking the ideal work-life balance 

Lahore, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):From tweaking the tiny microchips to designing robust electric motors, women engineers have played an invaluable role in influencing the world that we live in today. Women have paved their distinctively unique way in largely male-dominated engineering industry, accomplishing incredible feats. Ms. Eman Manzoor, hailing from the University of Lahore, is one of those successful female engineers who have proved that women can overcome tremendous obstacles and breakthrough discriminatory barriers to achieving their dreams.

Ms. Manzoor started her MS in Electrical Engineering at UOL in 2017. “Starting my MS Electrical Engineering degree at UOL was a fresh start to my journey of accomplishing my goals, and the outcomes surfaced right in the first semester with a GPA of 4.0”, she zealously mentioned.

Her journey took an avid turn when she cleared her NTS test and was appointed as Junior Engineer at Tarbela Dam in September 2017. “Theoretical power system optimization, protection, and control systems paved the way for me to enter the field by clearing NTS. Subsequently, I got appointed at Pakistan’s profound organization, WAPDA, and got posted at Tarbela Dam”, she narrates.

At Tarbela Dam, Ms. Manzoor is part of the team that is maintaining and operating 14 electricity generating units, handling the sound operation of all power transformers and excitation transformers, and ensuring the effective working of the current transformers. Ms. Manzoor and her team go above and beyond their capacity to vigilantly perform all the duties, leaving no room for any sort of fault.

Working at Tarbela Dam alongside her studies was not a piece of cake for Ms. Manzoor. She explained her struggle with juggling work and study in the following words: “5 days of work at Tarbela, then travelling almost 450 km to Lahore to attend classes on Saturdays and Sundays, and then again travelling for almost 8 hours to Tarbela to appear for duty on Monday.”

Ms. Manzoor completed her degree from UOL in June 2020 and she is pursuing her career as a professional engineer at the biggest power station in Pakistan. Nothing stopped her from advancing on the path of success, not even her marriage.

All the efforts, trials, and tribulations made Ms. Manzoor strong enough that now she is balancing her work and family life with ease and perfection. “If you are determined and passionate about your work, then you can manage to strike a balance between family and career,” she said.

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

Solution to differences is dialogue not guns: Ahsan Iqbal 

Islamabad, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday the solution to differences is dialogue not the guns. He said that scientific research is needed to get rid of terrorism and extremism. While addressing a two-day International Islamic Conference on Peace organized by the Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), he said that the widespread access to social media has allowed extremist elements to propagate negative attitudes. He said wars are now fought on a hybrid level.

Federal Minister said that the main weapon of hybrid war is propaganda of hatred. He said that few elements were attempting to pollute the minds of the people by disseminating lies. Ahsan Iqbal stressed upon the need of the establishment of institutions to curb the uncertainty caused by negative elements.

Talking about the issues of peaceful coexistence in India, he said that the identity of Muslims and Islamic values were at stake in India as Indian government was supporting prejudice against Muslims. He also said that in this globalized era, a conflict or an act of hatred, engulfs the whole world. He opined that effects of the conflict are global, as exemplified by the Russia-Ukraine war. He said that peace and justice are the guarantors of social development and prosperity.

The Federal Minister for Planning said that without empathy it is not possible to resolve conflicts and extremism. ۔ He said that misguided people have hijacked the narrative of Islam, in order to protect the identity of the Islamic world we have to formulate our own narratives. Ahsan Iqbal further said that humanity is suffering from extremism all over the world. Appreciating the role of Islamic University in promoting peace, he said that we are working together with Islamic University for the promotion of peace. Ahsan Iqbal said that the religion of Islam has immense sanctity of human life.

Addressing the conference on the occasion, Rector of the Islamic University, Dr. Masoom Yasinzai said that the conference would be a source of preparing a roadmap for future peace strategy. He said that the graduates of Islamic University are holding prominent positions all over the world and are spreading the message of peace of the university. ۔ The Rector of the university said that the Islamic University would hold Islamic conference on peace every year.

Addressing the conference, the President of the Islamic University, Dr. Hathal Homoud Al-Otaibi, said that Islam promotes peace and peaceful coexistence. He said that the role of universities was pivotal in promoting peace. He said that universities are the only institutions that can train the young generation in accordance with Islamic teachings and the requirements of modern times.

Dr. Hathal said that Pak-Saudi relations are getting stronger with time. He said that the role of Islamic University in promoting peace is exemplary and the highest example of this is the narrative of Pakistan e Pakistan formed by Islamic Research Institute. He said that the graduates of Islamic University hold prominent positions all over the world and are spreading the message of peace of the university. He said that the newly formed five-year strategic plan of the university would open new avenues for development and quality education, while improving the real quality of education was the top priority of university management.

Informing about the aims and objectives of the conference, Dr. Zia-ul-Haq, DG Islamic Research Institute said that the aim of the conference was to defeat hatred and establish peace. He said that the message of Paigham e Pakistan was aimed at promoting peace. He thanked Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for supervising the conference and Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal for his cooperation in organizing the conference.

For more information, contact:
Public Relations,
International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)
Room No.118, Admin Block, New Campus,
H-10 Sector, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9019249
Fax: +92-51-9257909
Email: iiuipublicrelations@iiu.edu.pk
Website: www.iiu.edu.pk

Samiah Shahid: a renowned publisher on cancer disease 

Lahore, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Dr. Samiah Shahid is working as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, the University of Lahore. She has more than 10 research publications in 2021 with research focusing on cancer diagnosis and treatment. As Cancer is one of the leading cause of mortality worldwide, so early diagnosis and treatment is the need of time.

Dr. Shahid is a young woman scientist from Pakistan who is working on MicroRNA expression for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases including Thalassemia. MicroRNA is a small non-coding RNA of only 22 to 24 nucleotides long and it regulates the gene expression. The early diagnosis and treatment of diseases is possible with the help of this microRNA. A group of 5 female research students (3 M. Phil and two Ph. D) at IMBB are working under the supervision of Dr. Shahid on the project of microRNA for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and thalassemia.

She has published three research articles on microRNA expression for early diagnosis of breast cancer and leukemia, so far. The latest research article published in the international journal “Scientific reports” (I.F=4.379) journal of springer nature entitled “Circulating miR‑146a expression as a non‑invasive predictive biomarker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia”. Research work is undergoing with the hope to establish microRNA based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer and other diseases as well.

Dr. Shahid has the honour of being the first young woman in Pakistan with hands on experience in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) which is the latest technology that has given the concept of personalized medicine at the global level and she is enthusiastic to implement it at the national level. She published an article on “Whole-genome sequencing as a first-tier diagnostic framework for rare genetic diseases” in the international journal “Experimental Biology and Medicine” (I.F=3.66).

She conducted training as a Master trainer of NGS and worked on NGS based project on mutation identification in breast cancer from Pakistani women. Her two PhD research students are working on NGS based analysis for early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. The research on Cancer diagnosis and treatment led by Dr. Shahid is a stepping stone toward opening new horizons for other young scientists from Pakistan to excel in research and innovation.

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

Two uncapped players included in T20I squad for Sri Lanka series 

Karachi, May 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Gull Feroza and leg-spinner Tuba Hassan have been included in the Pakistan women’s T20I squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka that will be played at the Southend Club, Karachi from Tuesday 24 May. Uncapped batter Sadaf Shamas has been included in the ODI squad while Gull Feroza who hails from Multan has also earned a spot in the fifteen member 50-over matches’ squad.

Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal finalised the squad in consultation with the head coach David Hemp and captain Bismah Maroof. The performances of the pre-series camp participants that was staged at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, National Stadium and Southend Club from 9 May, form, fitness and past performances were considered in the selection process.

Bismah, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig and Fatima Sana who appeared in the Fair Break Invitational T20 event in Dubai have returned to Karachi and will take part in the three-day pre series training from Saturday, 21 May.

The pre-series camp will conclude today with a practice session at the Hanif Mohammad HPC, a 50-over practice match was staged between the 26 camp participants at the Southend Club on Tuesday.

The three T20Is will be played on 24, 26 and 28 May. The ODIs that are a part of ICC Women’s Championship will be staged on 1, 3 and 5 June.

Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal: “I want to wish the two squads the very best for the series, we have provided opportunities to Gull Feroza, Sadaf Shamas and Tuba Hassan on the basis of their future potential and skills. The three youngsters took part in the emerging camp last December and made an impression with their talent. I am pleased to see their progress and we all feel it is now the right time to give them exposure of international cricket.

“We had sent Tuba as a reserve player in the recently concluded ODI World Cup along with Ghulam Fatima, she continues to make good progress and since spin bowling has been a traditional strength of ours, I feel she can make a good contribution in our bowling strategy. Gul Feroza has also made good progress, she has an aggressive style of play and can provide us brisk starts in both T20Is and ODIs which are now a big requirement at the international stage. Sadaf besides her batting skills provides us a bowling option too with her medium pace skills.

“For the rest of the squad, we considered the players fitness, form and their performances in the preparation camp where we played a number of practice T20 and 50-over matches. I believe we have two formidable squads for both T20Is and ODIs, both squads have good depth and most certainly have the pedigree to beat the Sri Lankan team in what should be an exciting series.”

T20I squad:

Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan.

ODI squad:

Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz.

Support personnel for both T20Is and ODIs:

Asiya Khan (Manager), David Hemp (Head coach), Saleem Jaffer (Bowling coach), Waqar Orakzai (Assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (Strength and Conditioning coach), Rifat Asghar Gill (Physiotherapist), Dr Muhammad Khurram (Doctor), Zubair Ahmed (Analyst).

Series itinerary

24 May – First T20I

26 May – Second T20I

28 May – Third T20I

1 Jun – First ODI

3 Jun – Second ODI

5 Jun – Third ODI

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk