IUB Scientists devised a meteorological system to increase rainfall in Cholistan Desert
By Amjad Mehmood
—Engr. Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Vice-Chancellor of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), said that with the increase in rainfall in the Cholistan Desert, a special agro-economic zone could be established with a climate system. There will be a benefit of approximately Rs. 10 billion. He expressed these views while talking to media persons in Islamabad.
He said that scientists of the Islamia University Bahawalpur have devised a meteorological system for increasing rainfall which can lead to ionization by increasing the humidity in the air. The Cholistan region was actually a lush region centuries ago and turned into a desert due to the depletion of the river Haktra and the scarcity of water. The project could transform the country’s agricultural economy and greatly improve the country’s overall economic situation. The plan has been proposed to the federal and provincial governments and can be implemented in practice with the attention and support of the government which has the potential to increase the levels from 100 mm to 400 mm.
By sharing the further information, he said Islamia University Bahawalpur’s agricultural research, especially marketing of different varieties of cotton seeds, has resulted in the cultivation of university varieties on 50% of the area under cotton cultivation in the country. These types are effective against low water, high temperature, and various diseases. He added this progress would help in the revival of Pakistan’s textile industry which will benefit significantly to the national exchequer. He proudly informed that the Government of Punjab and China have included Islamia University Bahawalpur’s intercropping technology project in the CPEC projects. With the help of agricultural resettlement and livestock, the national GDP can be increased by 3%. He said that an eco-friendly method would also be introduced from IUB research initiatives. The Vice-Chancellor said that the Archeology Department of the University has recently been set up which is working on a special project for the discovery of 7000 years old archeological sites of the Haktra civilization in the Cholistan Desert.
Dr. Athar Mahboob said that number of students in Islamia University Bahawalpur is 57,000 which will reach close to 70,000 in current semester and it will become the first mega university in Pakistan where there are more than 2,000 faculty members out of which 1,000 are PhD qualified from national and international well reputed universities. He said that Islamia University Bahawalpur is among the top 350 universities in Asia according to Times Higher Education in the world ranking. While taking about the Development projects under progress at Islamia University Bahawalpur, he said IUB is working on various small to large scale projects worth of over Rs. 1200 billion. He said with the cooperation of Punjab government, 2.5 MW solar energy project has been completed which is providing electricity to a large campus of the university.
“Times Higher Education has ranked IUB in the top 350 universities in Asia”
Vice-Chancellor IUB informed that the Bahawalpur campus has four new academic blocks and four new hostels and plans are worked out to establish the University School of State Sciences. He further shared the information that the Punjab Government has started measures to provide land for two new sub-campuses in Hasilpur and Liaquatpur. He said that the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif during his tenure as Chief Minister Punjab had given scholarships worth many crores and laptops to Islamia University Bahawalpur. He expressed hope that the scholarship volume and award of laptops to the talented cum needy students would increase under his premiership for university students. He said this would not only help to fulfill the dreams of higher education for students but also would flourish the research culture at Pakistani universities.
Talking about admissions at IUB, the Vice-Chancellor said that the admission of 17000 new students is expected this year in various levels of degree programs being offered at IUB. He said every year we receive thousands of applications for admission and the university remains unable to offer admission to everyone considering our transparent and merit-based processes. He appreciated the efforts made by the IT department of Islamia University Bahawalpur which has successfully started a testing service and established the learning management system (LMS) for online classes. He added that contemporary education is fairly dependent on technology and pedagogical techniques are paramount at IUB to remain synchronized with the modern world. He said considering IUB advanced ICT capacity, other public and private institutions, including MEPCO, conduct tests at Islamia University Bahawalpur for their new assignments.
Talking about the students’ body growth at IUB he said the university is getting public acceptance and applause at a rapid pace and resultantly during the last three years students’ strength has increased significantly from 13,000 to 57,000. He said to main the quality of education at IUB, the number of teachers has also increased from 450 to 1200. He said, we at IUB offer best student-teacher ratio as per the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and accreditation bodies’ guidelines. The University has increased the number of faculties from 7 to 15 and new departments have been set up to suit the needs of the market and the country. He further added that projects worth Rs. 12 billion are being implemented by the federal government, provincial government, public-private partnerships, and from the IUB indigenous resources. He said all these indicators witness the fact that IUB is considered the largest and fastest-growing university in the country.
“IUB is considered fastest-growing university in Pakistan”
The Punjab government has approved the setting up of chip design centers at a cost of Rs 41.75 million in eight universities of Punjab including the Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Vice-Chancellor, specially thanked the Provincial Minister for Higher Education, Raja YasirHumayunSarfraz for giving priority to the Islamia University of Bahawalpur for the establishment of the Chip Design Center.
He said with courtesy and special attention of the government, a chip design center would be established in the university this year. The project will launch undergraduate and graduate-level courses in chip design. With the help of these courses, students will receive training in Commercial Grade, IC & Design, and their verification tools. After the training, students will be fully prepared to work in the domestic and foreign IT market and will be able to find employment easily. Integrated circuit chip technology has revolutionized the world of computers and electronics. He added that with the establishment of these centers in these universities, Pakistan will also gain a prominent position in this technology at the global level, especially in electronics.
The Vice-Chancellor further said that this initiative of the Punjab Government would go a long way in achieving a better position in the electronics industry and nanotechnology globally and Pakistani engineers would be able to make a name for themselves not only in the domestic but also in the global market. TheVice-Chancellor has extended special congratulations to the Dean Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dr. Muhammad Amjad, faculty members and students on the achievement. He also expressed his satisfaction with the performance and growth of the engineering faculty at IUB.
The Vice-Chancellor in his address to the audience said that alumni are an asset of the University, with the help and cooperation of which the pace of development of the university can be accelerated. The Islamia University of Bahawalpur is a 100-year-old University from which the graduates are spread all over the world including Pakistan. He said our graduates are placed in national and international organizations and with their professional esteem they are ultimately a source of pride for IUB and Pakistan. Their help and cooperation are very important in the development of the University. He said that alumni members can raise their voices in the capital for their motherland in their respective fields, especially in the press media.Alumni can be very effective for timely funding of these projects. Dr. Azhar Hussain, Director, Alumni, said that the Alumni Network has provided a platform to alumni around the world and so far 14,000 alumni have registered. He urged the IUB alumni within Pakistan and abroad to register with the university and play a vibrant role in the growth of the university.
“IUB alumni is an asset of the university and performing an active role in the glory of 100-year old institution”
During the session, President of Federal Union of Journalists Shahzada Zulfiqar, President National Press Club Islamabad Anwar Raza, Dr. Sadia Kamal, Saghir Chaudhry, Naveed Akbar Chaudhry, Rana Adnan, FarrukhEjaz, Naveed Azhar, Fahad Ahmad Missan, Tariq Ali Virk, Muhammad Faraz Malik, Shehzad Ahmad Khalid, Director Press Media and Publications, Dr. Azhar Hussain, Director Alumni were also present on the occasion.
Rana Adnan, the focal person of the event, thanked the Vice Chancellor for attending the event and for his encouragement. Shields were also distributed among the alumni members on the occasion.