Bahawalpur  -  Secretary Higher Education Department South Punjab Dr. Ehtisham Anwar visited the Islamia University of Bahawalpur on Thursday. During his visit, he met with Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Naveed Akhtar, Deans, Principal Officers, Heads of Administrative and Teaching Departments. 

During his visit, the Secretary Education Department South Punjab also inaugurated an academy for competitive examinations at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Addressing the Heads of Teaching and Administrative Departments, he said that the Islamia University of Bahawalpur is the best university in the country which is establishing itself in every field. 

He said that the extraordinary increase in the number of students in a short span of two years was a great gift not only to the region Bahawalpur but also to South Punjab. He said that the enthusiasm of the teachers and students all over the campus shows that this university has now become a big and successful university not only nationally but also internationally. 

He congratulated Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob on these achievements.  The university should pay special attention to research activities especially in the field of environment to help find solutions to existing challenges, he said. He said that Bahawalpur Air Index is currently second only to Lahore in Pakistan.  Experts should find out the reasons behind this and look into the factors that have made Bahawalpur the second largest city in terms of environmental pollution and suggest measures to address the situation, he added.

He said that a task force should be formed to know the Air Quality Index of Bahawalpur which would make suggestions to the government for its causes and solutions as soon as possible. During his visit, he also reviewed the development activities at Islamia University Bahawalpur, especially the four billion development projects under public-private partnership. He appreciated the role of the College of Art and Design in preserving the history of Bahawalpur, especially the Hakra Civilization. 

He also visited the state-of-the-art smart classrooms equipped with audio and video in the Department of Management Sciences and the adjoining amphitheater and welcomed its establishment to the university. 

On this occasion he inaugurated the academy for competitive examination at Islamia University Bahawalpur and said that this academy was ready to hone the human resources in South Punjab especially in Bahawalpur and to appoint them to the highest administrative positions. 

He said that students here could not go to distant academies to prepare for the exams. Now students of Bahawalpur can prepare for CSS, PPSC and other exams at their university, he said. He also lauded the Solar Park project and its successful operation and said that it was the largest 2.5 MW project of its kind in any university which was providing alternative energy to the university. He reviewed the measures taken at the Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies for the breeding and conservation of Cholistani plants, animals and birds, and in particular the activities being carried out for the welfare and survival of the organisms in Cholistan.

During his visit to the College of Nursing, he was informed that the College of Nursing is the only institution of its kind which will provide education at the level of nursing degree.  This will not only provide a large number of nurses in the country but will also provide ample manpower in the country and abroad and will also open up job opportunities for the youth. 

On this occasion he also visited the e-Rozgar center and was briefed about the ongoing information technology and e-Rozgar and IT projects there.  In the briefing, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Bandisha briefed him about cotton and said that Islamia University Bahawalpur is the only university in the country where cotton seeds are grown on 45% area of cotton. The sale has earned the status of a fourth generation university.