Day: August 1, 2022

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is actively continuing the rescue and relief operations in flood affected areas of Balochistan.

During the operations, PAF helicopter fleet has carried 16,995 pounds of relief goods including flour, ghee, sugar, pulses, tea and lifesaving medicines to the areas, which were cut off by roads due to torrential rains and flash floods.

According to a Radio Pakistan’s report, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu has directed the relevant branches of PAF to employ maximum efforts towards relief and rescue operations in the flood affected areas of Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Netherlands to Pakistan Wouter Plomp paid a farewell call on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi on Monday.

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed.

According to a Radio Pakistan’s report, the Army Chief said Pakistan values its relations with the Netherlands and earnestly looks forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interests.

He thanked the ambassador for his services and appreciated his contribution in fostering strong ties between the two countries. On the occasion, the Ambassador appreciated Pakistan’s role for regional stability and ensured to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

ISLAMABAD: Dr Mukhtar Ahmed assumed the charge of Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Monday.

He has previously served as Chairman HEC from 2014 to 2018, Executive Director HEC from 2013 to 2014 and as Member (Operations and Planning) HEC from 2005 to 2011.

According to a press release, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has played a key role during the last two decades to formulate and implement reforms in the higher education, be it increase in the access to university education, strengthening quality assurance systems, convincing federal and provincial governments to raise funding for higher education, development of universities’ infrastructure, promoting national and international collaborations of faculty, researchers and universities, steps to stop and discourage illegal practices in the higher education sector, and a number of other initiatives.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has also served as Deputy Director General, Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) based in Rabat, Morocco, where he was responsible for Directorates of Education, Science, Culture and Communication, ICPSR, CPID (Planning and Strategic Division) and ISESCO Regional Centres.

With a Bachelors and Masters of Science from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Masters in Business Administration and PhD from University of California, Riverside, USA, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has over three decades of educational development and management experience at national and international level that includes teaching, research, administration, policy development, linking educational research to industry/ commercialization, introducing entrepreneurial approaches to education and a diverse range of educational development programmes. His distinguished career is enriched with diverse academic, research and administrative experience both in public and private sectors of higher education in Pakistan and abroad.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed for immediate disbursement of financial assistance to those who lost their family members in rains and floods in Balochistan.

Speaking at the briefing by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Quetta on Monday, he said the government has increased the amount of financial assistance for partially and fully damaged houses to five hundred thousand rupees.

The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of National Highway Authority during relief and rehabilitation activities besides opening of communication infrastructure. He directed the concerned officials to increase medical camps in flood affected areas so that people timely get medical facilities.

The Prime Minister said heavy monsoon rains have badly affected infrastructure in the province besides human losses. He said the federal and provincial governments are committed to complete rehabilitation of every affected family. On this occasion, the Chief Secretary Balochistan Abdul Aziz Uqaili and Chairman NDMA briefed the Prime Minister about damages caused by the rains and floods.

ISLAMABAD: Applications for Chevening Scholarships to study in the UK are open between August 02 (tomorrow) and November 01, 2022, with applications to be submitted via chevening.org/apply

According to a press release of British High Commission in Islamabad, Chevening Scholarships are awarded to individuals from all backgrounds who can demonstrate that they have the leadership potential, commitment and skills required to create positive change.

The scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study for any eligible master’s degree at any UK university whilst also gaining access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional, and cultural experiences.

Since 1983, over 50,000 professionals including 2000 from Pakistan have had the opportunity to develop in the UK through Chevening. There are more than 1,500 scholarships on offer globally for the 2023/2024 academic year, demonstrating the UK’s ongoing commitment towards developing the leaders of tomorrow.