Day: February 15, 2023

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Launch of the National Centre for Research on Parental Mental Health and Child Development 

Karachi, February 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):On Friday, February 10th, 2023, Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning (PILL) and Ziauddin University launched Pakistan’s first National Centre for Research on Parental Mental Health and Child Development at the Ziauddin University. Pro Chancellor, Prof Nida Hussain, The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, CEO PILL, Prof Nasim Chaudhry. Prof Zafar Abbas, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, Director ORIC Dr. Zulfiqar Umrani, Chair Department of Psychiatry, Ziauddin University Prof Imran Chaudhry, Assistant Directors PILL Mr. Ameer Bux and Sehrish Tofique were present at the occasion.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed to facilitate joint working in mental health research, teaching and training. Director, ORIC and programme organizer, Dr. Zulfiqar Umrani welcomed the delegates and briefed them about the importance of mental health, particularly research and capacity building in health and social sciences.

Speaking on the occasion of the inauguration Pro Chancellor, Prof Nida Hussain said that it will be a state-of-the-art research centre to lead work on parental and child mental health and wellbeing with a strong focus on capacity and capability building of existing researchers and healthcare workers. She also talked about the importance of training teachers and parents to raise awareness of mental health issues and to early identify and treat them. The Vice Chancellor, Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder emphasized the importance of mental health issues particularly after covid-19. He assured his full support to the whole team and congratulated them on the successful launch of the centre.

CEO PILL, Prof Nasim Chaudhry said that “The purpose of this centre is to work for parental mental health and ultimately enhance child development. Parents, especially in LMICs, experience huge stigma of mental health issues and are unable to fully contribute to their child’s development if they are depressed. Prof Chaudhry highlighted that the evidence-based Learning Through Play plus programme and all the work PILL has completed including an ongoing Grand Challenges Canada funded (LTP+Dads-R-TTS-2106-39652) trial across the city of Karachi should be considered top priority to promote early child development and parental mental health while National Institute of Health (NIH) funded SABAR 2 (NIHR132027) aimed to inform new health care solutions to end preventable stillbirth and neonatal deaths and provide supportive care.

Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Dr Zafar Abbas emphasised the importance of collaboration and partnerships and working together towards shared goals for positive outcomes. Chairman Department of Psychiatry at Ziauddin Hospital, Prof Imran Chaudhry stressed upon early identification and treatment and shared his experience of working in the UK largest early intervention service.

He said through learning from the developed countries we can build on similar models in Pakistan with specific cultural modifications. Prof Chaudhry also discussed the world leading Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT-PK) programme soon to be started with the support from Sindh Health Department in districts Sukkur and Qamber Shahdadkot.

The meeting was concluded with a dedication and commitment that the national centre for research on parental mental health and child development will be a state-of-the-art centre to investigate the prevalence, causes, methods and prevention strategies to overcome this significant public health problem.

For more information, contact:
Ziauddin University
4/B, Shahrah-e-Ghalib, Block 6,
Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-35862937-9
Email: info@zu.edu.pk
Website: https://zu.edu.pk

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FoMS, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship has signed an MoU with BRET Solutions Company 

Lahore, February 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):FoMS, Department of Management and Entrepreneurship has taken an initiative to foster the entrepreneurial culture at UCP in collaboration with BRET Solutions Company. Dean FoMS, Dr. Muhammad Athar Siddiqui signed a MoU with the company. Managing Partner BRET Solutions, Mr. Muhammad Nauman and Business Partner BRET Solutions, Ms. Tahira presented the key features of UMARKT application for UCP students. Speaking on the occasion, Dean FOMS shared that this partnership would help UCP-BRET support the budding entrepreneurs who are keen to start their entrepreneurial journey while studying at UCP.

Both organizations agreed on the following scope of the understanding:

Organising free mentoring sessions for UCP Students using the UMRKT application.

Workshops for doing online business on the UMARKT application.

Organising and sponsoring innovation-led competitions.

BRET to enable entrepreneurship culture by providing consultancy services in mentoring, business planning, website development, product development, project management, and outreach to UCP students.

For more information, contact:
University of Central Punjab (UCP)
Khayaban-e-Jinnah Road, Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan
Phone: +92-42-35880007
Fax: +92-42-35954892
Email: info@ucp.edu.pk
Website: https://www.ucp.edu.pk/

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Department of Management Sciences Held Awareness Walk on Standard Development Goals

Islamabad, February 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):The Department of Management Sciences under the supervision of Ms. Rabia Habib organized a SDGs awareness walk on Jan 09th, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. The students of BBA participated in the walk and designed banners, charts and panaflex to highlight the importance of SDGs, on campus. Dr. Lakhi Muhammad, Head of the Management Sciences department also participated in the walk. According to the United Nations, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Universities are the primary institutions for the dissemination of knowledge, through teaching, and for the generation of new knowledge, through research. These aspects make universities essential players in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The primary SDG targeted through the awareness walk was SDG 13-Climate Action.

For more information, contact:
Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST)
Islamabad Expressway, Kahuta Road, Zone-V, Islamabad, Pakistan
UAN: +92-51-111-555-666
Tel: +92-51-4486700-4
Email: info@cust.edu.pk
Website: https://cust.edu.pk

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In-House Session with H.E. Danila Ganich, Ambassador of Russian Federation to Pakistan 

Islamabad, February 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):The Centre for Strategic Perspectives (CSP) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organised an In-House Session with H.E. Danila Ganich, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Pakistan. The focus was on “Pakistan-Russia Relations: Recent Developments.”

The group of distinguished participants comprising of academics, area study experts, and practitioners included: Ambassador (R) Zamir Akram; Ambassador (R) Tasneem Aslam; Dr. Tughral Yamin, Institute of Policy Studies; Dr. Adam Saud, Department Head, Bahria University; Prof. Dr. Shabbir Ahmed, Director, Area Study Centre for China, Russia and CARs, Peshawar University; Dr. Salma Malik, Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University; and Dr. Farah Naz, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (S3H), National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

DG ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, in his welcome remarks, highlighted the evolution of Pakistan-Russia relations, recent bilateral exchanges, and the scope of cooperation in diverse fields. Ambassador Ganich shared his perspective on the recent developments in bilateral relations and the international and regional context in which the relationship was evolving. This was followed by an interactive session with the participants. Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman BoG of ISSI, made concluding remarks.

For more information, contact:
Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI)
Sector F-5/2, Islamabad – 44000, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9202481
Fax: +92-51-9204658
E-mail: strategy@issi.org.pk
Website: http://issi.org.pk/

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HRCP mission finds upsurge in rights violations against religious minorities in Gujranwala

Lahore, February 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):A fact-finding mission led by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has underscored an alarming uptick in the persecution of members of the Ahmadiyya community in Gujranwala and surrounding areas-specifically, the desecration of their graves, the destruction of minarets at Ahmadi sites of worship and first information reports (FIRs) filed against community members for carrying out ritual animal sacrifice on Eid.

The mission’s report, released earlier today, finds evidence to suggest that the civil administration in Gujranwala and Wazirabad were directly involved in destroying the minarets on Ahmadi sites of worship in December 2022 and January 2023, following objections raised by members of a local political-religious outfit. While the administration claims to have done so to circumvent the threat of mob violence, the way it has handled the matter has only fostered growing hostility towards the Ahmadiyya community and increased the vulnerability of Ahmadi residents in the area.

Of particular concern is the district administration’s perception that some legal and constitutional provisions provide room for persecution of this kind, although the report notes that, under Article 20(b) of the Constitution, this is not the case. ‘While the mission understands that the local bureaucracy, police and judiciary were successfully intimidated by a religious group, their response displays a pitiful inability to manage law and order while respecting the fundamental rights of the Ahmadiyya community,’ the report adds.

The mission recommends that the judgments of Supreme Court Justices Tasadduq Hussain Jilani and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah from 2014 and 2022 be implemented in letter and spirit, including the establishment of a special police force to guard religious minorities’ places of worship. Additionally, the police’s capacity to deal with the threat of mob violence in such situations must be augmented through proper infrastructure and training.

For more information, contact:
Chairperson,
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
Aiwan-i-Jamhoor, 107-Tipu Block,
New Garden Town, Lahore-54600
Tel: +92-42-35864994
Fax: +92-42-35883582
Email: hrcp@hrcp-web.org
Website: www.hrcp-web.org

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Turkiye and Syria Earthquake Appeal 

Lahore, February 15, 2023 (PPI-OT):On Monday morning of 6th February two massive earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 hit south-eastern Turkiye, near the Syrian border, taking lives of thousands of people and bulldozing millions of residential buildings. The aftershocks and repercussions of deadly earthquake are still there as the death toll rises to 41,200 many people became homeless and waiting under open sky in freezing cold weather for help. Rescue teams are busy in unearthing people under the heaps of rubble.

Right now, the main needs are emergency shelters, hot meals and basic relief. There have been more than 100 aftershocks. People have left homes. They are fearful of staying inside, or perhaps fearful of another major earthquake. In these tough times Pakistan is standing with Turkiye and Syria by providing aid through various ways. Amongst them is Pakistan’s Leading non-profit organization Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan. Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan is one of the leading, non-profit organization, fully dedicated to humanitarian services since 1990. Alkhidmat volunteers are doing great job on all forefronts in aiding earthquake victims of Turkiye and Syria.

At this crucial time Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan needs your help when thousands of people have lost their lives and many are injured being under the rubble for several hours. Alkhidmat is extending a hand of help with your support and relief supplies to earthquake victims. Alkhidmat Foundation in collaboration with Turkish partner organizations is responding on the ground in quake-hit areas of Turkiye and Syria by distributing hot meals, blankets, mattresses and shelter tents to the victims.

For more information, contact:
Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan
711, Block J-2 Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42 35957260
Fax: +92-42 35957261
Email: info@al-khidmatfoundation.org
Website: http://al-khidmatfoundation.org/