Mahtab Rashidi delivers inspiration speech at SSUET

Karachi Observer Report

Former Sindh Secretary for Information and Education, Mrs Mahtab Akbar Rashdi has said that the younger generation is our replica in which we have great hopes as future is waiting for them.

She was addressing a students and faculty members of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) while delivering a lecture on the topic of “Professional Grooming- Personal excellence comes first” the other day.

Mrs Rashdi was the first woman who joined Sindh Government as Secretary and served at different important positions till her retirement from service.

“We are the past and you are our replica and we want to you grow” she told the students.

“We have great hopes in our younger generation and they have all the opportunities to grow with knowledge and technology being in their reach”

At the outset of her lecture she paid rich tributes to great reformer Sir Syed Ahmed Khan for his vision for the Muslims of the sub-continent and produced people like Mr Z.A. Nizami and many other outstanding personalities.

She said that Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah carved out this country and today we are proud of our country and our being Pakistanis.

Telling that “we are the past now and you are the future”, Mrs Rashdi told the students that now it was for them to achieve which they are to achieve as being future hope of the country.

She said that when she and people like her entered the practical life, no one was there to tell them about professional grooming. But whatever they learnt, they had it from their home, parents and ultimately their teachers.

Mahtab pointed out that today is the world of competition and it is time fior them to learn how to march ahead as their strength is to be channelized for the country.

With the help of slides she explained to them at length as to what is a professional image and how to create it and quoted Laura Morgan Roberts who said that “if you are not managing your own professional image, others are”.

She categorized professional image as desired and undesired ones and explained as to what steps they can take to ensure that they are projecting the professional image they want. Their concern should be as to what their key constituent might say about them when they are not in the room.

She informed them about components of professional image which include personal appearance through clothing, grooming and personal behavior through manners and etiquettes and communication effectiveness.

Mrs Rashdi reminded them that judgments are made about people based on the professional image they display. She told them to think of a person who made a reat first impression on them and said having a good professional image is key because they never get a second chance to make a first impression.

She dilated upon projecting professional image matters, attributes of a professional image, appropriate professional appearance, professional personal behavior, manners and etiquettes, non-verbal communication and verbal and written communication.

In his presidential remarks on the occasion, the Chancellor SSUET, Mr Z.A. Nizami assured that such lecture sessions will continue for grooming of youth for augmentation of their knowledge to help lead them to their successful future career..

Mr Nizami said the University will continuously hold grooming lectures for its students with regard to their behavior and appearance for which all required facilities will be provided and which the university was already doing through career planning.

On the occasion Mrs Rashdi was presented university plaque and souvenirs by Chancellor Mr Z A Nizami.

As it was Defence of Pakistan Day, the participants and guests lit the candles to demonstrate their commitment to the Defence of Pakistan and in memory of the martyrs of 1965 war with India.

"My Parliamentary Dairies" launched in Karachi

Marvi Memon, a former parliamentarian, launched her book ‘My Parliamentary Dairies’ at a five-star hotel of Karachi on August 27. Addressing the launching ceremony, Marvi remarked that during her three years in the National Assembly, she had a choice; either to enjoy the perks of power ignoring the injustice with 99% of Pakistanis and playing the politics of hypocrisy or strive to bring a change in the system. “So I decided to bring that change”, she said.
Marvi said that she had taken her first step. She traveled through the length and breadth of Pakistan to highlight the issues and injustices that enslaved the nation. She spoke about people’s struggle for rights on the floor of the House, in the streets and in front of the judiciary. Marvi said that her people and she lived, laughed, cried, ate and struggled together and most importantly believed in each other. The former MNA said that she simply fought for people’s rights.
“We have to rediscover the meaning of Pakistan and act honesty and loyally with our family and country or we can continue watching and contributing to the downward slide till the meaning of Pakistan becomes irrelevant,” she pointed out. “We should treat each other as the Quaid-e-Azam advised, with no discrimination and no distinction among the communities, castes or creeds,” Marvi urged.
She has dedicated the book to her son Murtaza and all children of Pakistan. She plans to have the book translated and published not only in Urdu and Sindhi but all other national and regional languages. Marvi served as Member of Parliament from March 2008 to June 2011 as a PML MNA. She resigned from her party and parliament in order to set new standards in politics. She was born in Karachi in July 1972. After schooling in Karachi, Paris and Kuwait, she graduated from the London School of Economics with a B.Sc (Econ) Honors in International Relations. She started her career as a banker at Citibank Pakistan where she specialized in Marketing and Quality Management for the consumer bank.
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DCO KARACHI URGE FLOUR MILL OWNERS TO MAKE SUBSIDIZED FLOUR SCHEME EASY

DCO Karachi Mohammad Hussain Syed has expressed apprehension on that the general public was not receiving the benefits of Rs2billion and 26 crores subsidy given by the government on flour during Ramazan-ul-Mubarak. Addressing a meeting in Civic Center on Wednesday he asked the flour mill owners and food department to make the whole procedure easy and better so that the people could avail its benefits. 

The meeting was attended by EDO Revenue Ghanor Leghari, Addl. EDO Revenue Matanat Ali Khan, District Officer Revenue, DDOs Revenue, representatives of Food Department of Sindh Government and floor mills association. 

The meeting reviewed in detail, the benefits receiving by public from subsidized flour scheme. DCO Karachi urged the mill owners and food department to make the delivery of subsidized flour easier so that it could reach to maximum number of poor people in city. He also directed DDOs Revenue to check that how many flour bags were brought to market. He also instructed to compile the complete record of delivery of subsidized flour on town level.

Pak-American student receives US President’s education award

Ali Adil Baloch, born to the parents of Pakistani descent, has received outstanding achievement award in education from United States President Barack Obama.

According to a report published in The Capital Post, a Washington DC-based daily newspaper, recently Ali, from Maryland, has been recognized for having scored consistently high in all his subjects and was awarded this certificate at the end of his elementary school tenure.

The achievement award programme is sponsored by the United States Department of Education (DoE) in association with National Association of Secondary School Principals. It was developed to help principals recognize and honor students who have achieved higher academic goals through their hard work and dedication to learning.

Ali, born to the parents of Pakistani descent, Adil Baloch and Salma Baloch, is one such student who was recognized by his school (Jones Lane Elementary School) and was conferred this award of achievement.

The President's Award for educational excellence recognizes academic success in the classroom. To be eligible for President's Award of educational excellence, students at each award level (elementary, middle, or high school) must meet score 90% or above on a 100-grade scale.

Ali was responsible for presenting his class to the crowd at his class’s graduation ceremony. Despite his academic excellence, Ali is also one of the top performers in his school’s chess club. He loves roller coasters, loves to plays golf with his dad and takes online classes of the Holy Quran regularly.

Youth to take a leading part in the country politics in future: Ahmed Chinoy

KARACHI: Renowned politician and focal personality of political circles Marvi Memon has expressed hopes that the Pakistani youth will change their country’s destiny.

She expressed these views while addressing the third session of the ‘Youth Leadership Development Programme 2011,’ organized by All Pakistan Memon Federation (APMF) Education Board at the National Museum of Pakistan.

The 10-week programme has been launched for Pakistani youngsters between the ages of 17 to 25 years with the slogan of ‘Ae Jazba-e-Dil Gar Me Chahon’ for invoking leadership ability in them. In each session of the programme, leadership in separate sectors is being discussed.

Memon was the chief guest of the third session of programme, which was organized to discuss political leadership. Addressing the session she said that the youth of Pakistan was her only hope.

She expressed her disappointment with the ongoing rulers and politicians present on the floors of assemblies and parliament and said that positive change can be attained if an alternate leadership comprising the youngsters replaces them.

She urged the youth to discharge their duties by casting vote so as to take an active part in constructing the future of Pakistan. Memon highlighted the need of alternative leadership and said that a process was being undertaken and contacts were being made on several levels. She vowed to unite the youth power of both rural and urban areas.

Commenting over the current political situation she said, “Current assembly is a debating club where issues are not solved they are in fact created, political parties fight for power and musical chairs of opposition and treasury benches are played for vested interests”.

Commenting over her resignation she said that she went to the assembly for her people and she has returned for her people. She said that she had been overwhelmed with the respect in response for her decision from across the country.

She termed her struggle as Karavan-e-Haq and said that the only purpose of her struggle was the provision of clean leadership, which will give Pakistanis ‘Rozgar, Tahafuz, Insaaf, and Taraqee’.

Talking about the qualities of her visionary real leadership she said that leadership will be from the people, it will live, eat, suffer, laugh, dream, and progress with them. It will not be only a VIP leadership, which only addresses them through large jalsas. It will be accessible, available, in their streets, their fields. It will understand their pains of not having clean water to drink, their endless load shedding traumas, their gas shortages, their dirty streets without proper sewerage issue. In short it will understand their daily troubles.

She said that talks about the formation of new party was before time. She was of the view that at the time she does not require any separate political forum and people of Pakistan were her platform. To a question she said that under her vision a great alliance of all those politicians, who feel pain of people, is going to be formed and will clean sweep the Pakistani politics.

Responding to a question about the chances of a coalition among existing prominent political parties she said that how would those elements found a greater alliance against corrupts, who had already bestowed them with life. Only Pakistani people will form a greater alliance, which would turn the fate of the country.

On the occasion, Chief Executive Officer Learning Minds Sohail Zindani delivered an eye-opening presentation and highlighted the civic responsibility of Youth in the current political scenario.

An interesting activity was undertaken amid that session in regard with politics. Six political parties were formed. The parties designed their manifesto, announced their candidates and election was held after a short election campaign on the basis of party agenda. Zonar Ponawala was the successful candidate on the occasion. The activity was held so as the participants could examine and understand the political process.

APMF president Ahmed Chinoy urged the youth to take a leading part in the country politics in future and said that their critical contribution will help Pakistan to get politically strong and prosperous.

APMF-Education Board Director Education Rehana Naz also expressed her views on the occasion. She also urged youth to realize their responsibility.

Muhammad Yousuf Adil Chairman APMF-Education Board, Rehana Naz, Director Education, Abdul Razzaq Vayani, Ibrahim Mamdani, Altaf Bawany, Shabbir Bilwani, Farooq Members YLDP Committee also attended the programme.

Youths are the backbone of any nation: Ahmed Chinoy

Future of Pakistan lies in the youngsters, which direly needed proper education and skill development training to meet the global challenges, says chairman Arif Habib Investment and leading businessman. He was speaking as chief guest at inaugural ceremony of Youth Leadership Programme-2011 (YLDP), being organized under aegis of All Pakistan Memon Foundation-Educational Board (APMF-EB).

Vice Chairman, All Pakistan Memon Federation- Education Board (APMF-EB) Hanif Jakhura presenting memento to Arif Habib, the Chairman Arif Habib Investment at the launching ceremony of Youth Leadership Development titled YLDP 2011 organized by APMF-EB. Ashraf Bawany (Convener, YLDP Committee, Ibrahim Mamdani and others also seen the occasion.

Arif Habib laid emphasis on the need of education, saying no nation could run on the track of development with fast pace unless its education system meet the modern requirements. It is an excellent opportunity to interact with youth with diverse academic and social background, Arif said, adding participants should contribute in sessions with fervour and zeal. Chief CPLC and President APMF Ahmed Chinoy lauded the efforts of Memon federation saying youths are the backbone of any nation.

He said youngsters could make the country by their positive and constructive activities and broke as well, if indulge in negative activities. It is our obligation to guide our youths so that they can play their constructive role in betterment of the society, he stressed. Earlier, sharing the details of the YLDP Rehana Naz, Director Education, APMF-EB notified that programme comprising eight consecutive Sundays which will kick off from (Today) Sunday, June 19.

She said some 150 youth applied, of them 135 were selected including males and females between the ages of 17 to 25 years of youth. Participants will be provided opportunities to build their confidence through multiple interactive learning sessions, hands-on and minds-on activities will interact with successful Community leaders, visit to Memon community institutions and lots of fun.

Earlier in his welcome address Ashraf Bawani, Chairman YLDP committee highlighted APMF-EB is working hard to pursue its vision of being the catalyst for quality education to students in an environment that promotes self-discipline, motivation and excellence in learning. He was of the view that the degradation of our educational system has been one of the major factors hampering our national development.

Bawani marked that YLDP-2011 will be focusing on young male and female students to develop in those competencies and skills which would not only help them to unleash their potential but also groom them as good human being and a successful person not only for themselves and their families but also for playing their due role for the enlistment and well being society and country at large.

He said organising YLDP-2011 is a gigantic task, however, APMF-EB is moving forward resolutely and successfully with the support of people who are generously contributing in form of sponsorship, advertisement and donations to this noble cause. Secretary General, APMF Razzak Vayani, Vice Chairman, APMF-EB Hanif Jakhura, Convenor, YLDP Committee and others were also the key note speakers.

GOVT. LOOK FOR WAYS FOR PERMANENT SOLUTION OF STORM WATER DRAINAGE

Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Khan Durrani said storm water drainage a big problem in Karachi which is due to the presence of lot of encroachments on the old natural drains system that dates back to colonial era. Blockage in the flow of water resulted in overflow of drains and ultimately creating problems for surrounding localities. Government is now mulling over the plan to clear these drains from encroachments by providing alternate residence to people residing there.

He expressed these views while addressing a press conference in DCO Camp Office on Saturday.

The Provincial Secretary of Local Government Ali Ahmed, Administrator Karachi Muhammad Hussain Syed, M.D KWSB Misbahuddin Farid, EDO Revenue Roshan Ali Shaikh, EDO Municipal Services Masood Alam and other officers were also present on this occasion.

Agha Siraj Durrani said despite of huge spending on the repairing and maintenance of drains required results were not obtained due to presence of encroachments on drains. Therefore, he said, efforts were on to find out a permanent solution of this problem for which cooperation of people and people’s representatives was required; we will try to take everyone along to solve this problem.

Provincial Minister said a meeting of town administrators was convened on the directive of Governor of Sindh Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to review the preventive measures that have been taken in view of the expected rains in whole province including Karachi. A lot of things came into discussion in this meeting and important decisions were made. City Government in Karachi and Town administration has also taken all necessary measures in this connection. However, he said, encroachments on drains were creating obstacles at some locations especially in Saddar Town which is the main route for all drains. All possible measures will be taken to remove the encroachments from storm water drains and assistance will also be sought from the people’s representatives in this regard.

He said that Karachi is the heart of Pakistan and Sindh, therefore, all possible steps will be taken for its beatification and progress. Efforts were being taken to solve the problems of city government and water board including funding.

Replying a query, the provincial minister said that stern action will be taken against the revenue officers found involved in helping water board’s land occupied.

He also directed Administrator Karachi Muhammad Hussain Syed to take powerful measures for bringing stability in the milk item’s prices in Karachi.

EDO Revenue Roshan Ali Shaikh on this occasion while giving a briefing on the action against land grabbers informed that city government had under the anti encroachments act took action and recover about 3378 acres of government land from the possession of illegal occupiers. He further said that a full operation will be taken next week in Cattle Colony to vacate all occupied government land.