Pakistan Navy Official Elected to a Key International Body: Islamabad: Brushing aside remarks of US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, Pakistan has said that it would not allow any country to use its territory.
During a media briefing on Saturday, Foreign Office Spokesman Muazzim Ahmed Khan said that the US secretary was taking a rather complex issue easily and giving wrong angel to the issue.
He said Islamabad was fighting war against terror in its own interest.
Pakistan reaction came days after Panetta said during his India visit that US would continue attacking al-Qaeda safe havens in Pakistan. Later on, he said in Kabul that Washington was losing patience with Islamabad over al-Qaeda sanctuaries. He had said Pakistan would have to take action against Haqqani network soon.
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**Positive Pakistani: Wise beyond his years
Always mindful of the plight of others, 17-year-old Ghalib Khalil decided to wade right through to the ones who needed to be rescued during the 2010 floods and has won international recognition for it.
Seventeen-year-old Ghalib Khalil’s parents always knew that their son was a bit of a philanthropist. “Every time we saw a beggar on the street, he would force us to give something,” says his mother, recalling Ghalib’s childhood. “He was always curious about why people were weak, sick and poor.”
**It didn’t then come as a surprise to them that when the 2010 floods devastating Pakistan, **Ghalib was filled with the desire to help those thousands of people whose lives and livelihoods had been swept away by the surging waters.
Not one to simply switch the channel and move on, Ghalib instead decided to roll up his sleeves and pitch in with the relief efforts. Thus, with the help of school friends and one of his teachers, the Rescue Pakistan Youth Foundation was born and the real work of collecting funds for the flood victims began.
**But good intentions are rarely enough in this world, and despite his enthusiasm, Ghalib wasn’t too optimistic about receiving enough donations to make a difference. **“I had thought that only Rs25,000 would be collected in the first flood drive, but two days later when I checked my bank account, it showed a balance of Rs200,000,” said Ghalib in an interview with the BBC. “I was amazed at our people’s generosity.” It was an impressive beginning, but the best was yet to come: by the end of the campaign, which included a fundraising festival in Lahore that he had organised himself, he had collected 10 million rupees under the aegis of his newly formed NGO.
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For those who know him, the idea that this relatively unknown teenager could raise so much money wasn’t at all unbelievable. With a reputation of being trustworthy and responsible, it wasn’t difficult for him to gain the trust of donors.
“In school, **he was nicknamed ‘little angel’ because he was always lecturing us on helping people and being kind,” **says Ghalib’s close friend Haider Jamil.
The next step was to ensure that the money reached those it was meant for. “We made several attempts to contact the government and coordinate with their relief efforts, but received no response, Ghalib said in the BBC interview. Without any official support, Ghalib decided that the only way to complete this Herculean task was to simply do it himself. He then screened every single person who applied to volunteer for the foundation, selecting 40 young girls and boys. While he himself monitored every rupee that was donated, the volunteers he’d selected went to flood-hit areas to disburse the amount. “We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who helped us,” said Ghalib.
While he may not be a household name in Pakistan, he has certainly won accolades in the wider world. The Huffington Post, in partnership with youth service America included him in their list of 25 most powerful and influential young people in the world list for his relief work during the floods. The list was aimed at promoting teenagers and young adults who were having a positive effect on their community — and if anyone fit that bill, it was Ghalib!
But even as the relief activities for the 2010 floods wound down,
For Ghalib, humanity truly transcends borders — even hostile ones — and his best friend is an Indian girl named Arveen.
“I was surfing through my Facebook fan page when I saw a message in my inbox which was sent by a girl named Arveen Singh. In the message, she asked me to promote her page on my fan page. When I went to view her profile, I found out that she was from India. This immediately sparked my curiosity, and I sent her a friend request, which she accepted,” Ghalib writes in a blog for The Express Tribune.
From that simple step, they have developed a friendship deeper than their countries’ conflicts and gone on to become youth Peace Champions from India and Pakistan through Facebook’s Friends Without Borders project.
“The description on the project’s page intrigued me and I immediately joined. They soon launched a campaign in which they were selecting peace champions from eight countries,” Ghalib writes. The countries included Pakistan and India and Ghalib realised that he and Arveen fit the bill perfectly.
Excited, they brought out their cameras — Ghalib in Sialkot and Arveen in New Delhi — and made a short film showing that their friendship has survived cultural differences, customs and problematic ties between their countries. The video was selected by Unicef to be screened at the World Youth Conference in Mexico in August 2011.
“Peace is possible, but not by the help of government or nations. It is actually possible when we make our own selves peaceful. Only then can we maintain peaceful relationships in the world,” says Ghalib in the video.
Through his work, Ghalib has put that philosophy into action. He may not have a future plan of action sorted out already, but he knows what his calling is.** “My message to young Pakistanis, and people from around the world, is that they should let go of their differences to rescue the downtrodden and secure the oppressed.”
Positive Pakistani: Wise beyond his years – The Express Tribune
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**IBA Team excels at European Model United Nations
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The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) team participated in the European Model United Nations Conference held at Maastricht, Netherlands between May 16th and 20th and had the distinction of winning six recognitions, the highest by any individual team at the conference. Competing at the largest Model United Nations conference of Europe, with… representation of over 500 students from all over the world, this was the only delegation from Pakistan to take part in this conference.
The IBA delegation comprising 9 undergraduate students won the honors of ‘Best Delegate’ and ‘Honorable Mention’.
The following received the ‘Best Delegate’ award in their respective committees:
Syed Salman Haroon (United Nations Security Council)
Maha Arshad (United Nations Security Council)
Nida Haroon (UN General Assembly 1st Committee – Disarmament and International Security)
Ramla Ahmad (World Trade Organization)
The following received an ‘Honorable Mention’ for their performances:
Syed Naheer Ameer (UN General Assembly 1st Committee – Disarmament and International Security)
Namreen Akhter Syed (United Nations Human Rights Council)
Model United Nations IBA Karachi (MUNIK) is program in its fourth year which aims at giving the students an understanding of diplomacy and negotiations concerning complex international issues, it not only honed their diplomatic skills but also boosted their confidence at the international arena. During the conference the students studied resolution writing, public speaking and negotiating.
The team wishes to thank Dr. Ishrat Husain (Dean & Director) and Ms. Nadia Sayeed (Patron IBA Public Speaking Society) for their continued support. They would also like to thank BBQ Tonight, GIGA Group, and Abbott Nutrition for facilitating this endeavor.
Delegation Members included: Salman Haroon, Maha Arshad, Syed Naheer Ameer, Nida Haroon, Ramla Ahmad, Murshed Ali Qureshi, Zahra Aamir Millwala, Namreen Akhter Syed and Saad Zahid.
IBA Team excels at European Model United Nations
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**Pakistan military introduces new Android tablet
PAKISTAN: **Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra, a unit of Pakistan military, is set to launch Takhti 7, an android tabled-computer, reported ProPakistani on Tuesday. The first three products produced by PAC are a computing tablet (PAC Pad1), a notebook (PAC nbook 1) **and an eBook reader (PAC eBook1).
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The PAC Kamra, whose self-described mission is “to produce and support weapon systems for a high state of operational readiness of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF)” has partnered with a Chinese company Innavtek International to produce Takhti 7, a better form of PAC Pad1.
The report said that Takhti 7, priced at Rs15,500, has an enhanced hardware with a double RAM and better ARM Cortex-A8 processor, and also boasts of a 7-inch capacitive screen and improved battery time. It also uses Android Ice Cream Sandwich instead of Android Gingerbread used by the PAC Pad1.
However, PAC is still struggling with its sales network. Earlier a PAC official told The Express Tribune that the products were initially being marketed in Rawalpindi, but modalities needed to be finalised so it could expand to other cities including Lahore and Karachi.
“We will get in touch with courier companies to see if we can reach a deal to transport them,” he said.
Pakistan military introduces new Android tablet – The Express Tribune
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**A Pakistani technology wizard with a vision
You must be well aware of Steve Jobs who introduced magical devices in the world under the brand of Apple including iPhone and iPad. You may idealize Mark Zukerberg who brought out a networking platform for millions of people to connect with friends and closed ones virtually. But you might not recognize Junaid Mansoor who is running ****TradeKey, a fastest growing and world’s second largest B2B web portal.
A soft-spoken and down-to-earth person but an accomplished strategist and a successful entrepreneur, Mansoor has a dream of making his company, Tradekey, a leading e-commerce company of the world.****Sharing his vision and plans in an interview with The News Tribe, Junaid Mansoor said that I have dream seeing Tradekey to be the biggest e-commerce portal in the world and the day is not too far when it will come true by the grace of Allah Almighty, I believe in it because I and my team is working hard in pursuance of the goal with all best efforts, cutting-edge technologies and emerging innovations in the business.
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Vowing enthusiastically, Mansoor believes he must achieve this goal come what may. I am amongst the few people who know the power of internet and its wise use so I decided to exploit my skills towards a big goal in my life.Mansoor and his company won several awards recently in the brief history of business at global level, which inculcated a strong sense of motivation in him and his team members to work hard with innovation for attaining every possible success level in international arena.
I am practical person and believe in realism therefore my company has achieved a tremendous success in the short-time period and got listed among Pakistan 25 Fastest Growing Companies, 100 Pakistan and Arabia 500.I started my business with two people in 2006 at small office in Karachi now the company has five international offices and number of employees associated with have been increased to nearly 500.Tipping Point in Mansoor’s LifeMy life is full of success because whatever I had started in my career, I got remarkable rewards.Recalling his early life he said, “I used to be a lazy student who looked for escapes from lessons every day. Then I realized that I have to change myself for survival in the life. “Since then, I have been successful in my life and received several achievements in every projects and business.I started my business in Pakistan and
I was lucky to find a group of talented professionals and experts of ICT field, CEO Tradekey added.Though e-commerce is quite new concept in Pakistan but it is popular in developed world, hence more than 6.3 million traders and manufactures came on board with us.The company has been facilitating traders across the world while giving them solutions of purchasing commodities, raw materials and finished products in sophisticated ways.We are representing Pakistan in over 220 countries world and first and only B2B website with major clientele based in US and China. We have five-year aggressive plans for the company and I am hopeful with God, Inshallah, that He will strengthen us to transform our ideas into our business and its progress.Tradekey is presently working on the model of B2B, it will be expanded to B2B2C model with innovative supply chain management on web-portal, Mansoor said.
A Pakistani technology wizard with a vision | The News Tribe
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Pakistan Youth Forum doing a great job in raising awareness about thalassemia in the young generation so that they may realize the severity and sensitivity of the issue and cure themselves by taking preventive measure in the early ages.
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World’s Food & Shopping Capital
“Karachi once again ranked as World’s most cheapest city for expatriates, maintaining last year’s position while Tokyo has regained its unenviable title of the world’s most expensive city according to a survey by the Mercer group, with living costs around three times cheaper than in the Japanese capital.”
“Earlier in February Karachi had been ranked the cheapest city in the world, for the second year running, according to a report published in The Wall Street Journal. Pakistan’s biggest city and the financial capital landed up at the bottom of the index for the Economist Intelligence Unit’s world-wide cost-of-living survey.”
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TaranJeet Singh: A pakistani who works for Youth development, he currently runs a “Voice of Youth” on ptv channel
Pakistani’s Sitara Akbar sets new world record in O level Lahore: Another Pakistani student Sitara Akbar set new world record in O levels and also holds the title of the youngest Pakistani candidate in IELTS.
Sitara Brooj Akbar, at the age of 11, passed six O level subjects including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. In addition to this honour, Sitara also holds the title of being the youngest Pakistani candidate of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and successfully attained seven bands out of nine, scoring 7.5 in the testing system.“My daughter is a great fan of Dr Abdus Salam, Pakistan’s sole Nobel laurete and aims to become a top researcher in the field of biochemistry,” says her mother.
The little genius from Chiniot (Punjab) has been making headlines across local media but is yet to receive any recognition from the Government.
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**Pakistan’s first online library – by Hiba Khan
**Very rarely would you hear of libraries being opened up in our country. However, a lack of public reading spaces doesn’t necessarily signify a lack of reading culture. This can be proved by the success of an innovative business venture called The Readers Club, launched in 2009 by the enterprising duo- Usman Siddiqui and Jawad Yousuf. The Readers Club is a vast online library consisting of thousands of books that can be borrowed once you subscribe to the website. It is Pakistan’s first book rental service.
http://blog.uniquepakistan.com.pk/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif
I stumbled upon their website two years ago. Excited by the vast variety of books available for a small monthly membership fee; I instantly became a member and filled up my bucket list. I had the books delivered to my house the very next day. With excellent customer service, efficient delivery and good quality books, they won me over. A year later The reader’s club sister websiteKitabain.com](http://www.kitabain.com/)was launched. This is a platform where you can buy and sell books online. Perfect for those looking for books at a lower price delivered to their house and those wanting to get rid of stacks of books consuming space in the house. Kitabain.com also received the Service Innovation award at the P@SHA awards, Lahore in October, 2010.
An effort such as this one must be applauded as it not only promotes reading but makes books much more accessible and affordable for a majority of people. Last year in December, at the annual Karachi international book fair at Expo Centre I was delighted to find a stall by The Reader’s Club offering numerous books at quarter the original prices. It was probably one of the best stalls at the fair, offering the most affordable books.
Their next project includes digitizing Urdu books into an audio format. In our country where the older generation shake their heads in disapproval of the young and their supposedly non-existent reading habit; an online library is a sign that there are still ambitious people who cater to readers in Pakistan and a significant number of people who consume such services.
Pakistan’s first online library – by Hiba Khan | Unique Pakistan
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**Pakistan’s first-ever liver transplant centre opens in Shifa Hospital
ISLAMABAD: After performing four successful living donor liver transplants in last six weeks, Shifa International Hospital (SIH) on Saturday formally opened its liver transplant centre, the first such centre in Pakistan. Muhammad Yaseen, 12, the first living donor liver transplant patient operated upon a couple of weeks ago, formally inaugurated the centre.
**During a media briefing after the centre’s formal opening, Dr Faisal Saud Dar said, “Shifa International Hospital is the best tertiary care hospital that has all the facilities of an international standard needed to start living donor liver transplant programme on regular basis.”
Dr Dar said that around 34 different medical disciplines are involved in performing one liver transplant that is the most complex surgery the medical science has ever invented. He said that Shifa’s liver transplant programme was operational since 2009 with an aim to perform first liver transplant within three years.
“Since liver transplant surgery is not new to Pakistan, given that many previous efforts have failed in the past, the challenge was to develop a sustained liver transplant programme by studying and addressing existing deficiencies. “Shifa is in a unique position to conduct a successful liver transplant programme because it has all the ingredients for liver transplant pathway,” Dr Dar said. He said, “We are a team of 30 members. All were sent abroad for training prior to starting the liver transplant programme at Shifa.” It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Faisal Dar himself spent many years at Kings College Hospital, London in liver transplant programme under direct supervision of world’s renowned liver transplant surgeon Dr Muhammad Rela and performed many successful liver transplant surgeries.
He also acknowledged and thanked Dr Rela’s support for starting regular liver transplant at Shifa. “Now patients in Pakistan will get world-class transplant services.” Dr Dar said all the four patients – Muhammad Yaseen, Asad Mir, Safia Begam and Rehana Babar – and their donors – Humaira Sadaf, Waqas, Muhammad Irfan and Umar Zahid – were recovering rapidly.
Patient Muhammad Yaseen is the only brother of eight sisters. He had congenital liver disorder that resulted in complete liver failure. He has got a new life after successful liver transplant. “I am very happy and I want to be a liver transplant surgeon when I grow up,” he stated. To a question, Dr Dar said the cost of a liver transplant will vary from Rs 3 to Rs 4 million, but it was much less than in India or any other country where Pakistanis go for liver transplant. He also urged the people to not to hesitate to donate liver for saving precious lives as donors also recover very rapidly after donating a graft of their liver.
Dr Manzoor H Qazi, while thanking the media, Novartis and the stakeholders for helping establish the country’s first liver transplant centre, said, “Shifa’s LTP will not only offer liver transplant surgery, but will also train individuals within the country to help establish similar programmes across Pakistan to address the high need of liver transplant.”
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Payaam Trust’s mission is to provide free treatment to poor patients from all over Pakistan at their doorsteps.
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**An Honest Pakistani …Such an understatement!!!
**For my first blog post in Unique Pakistan, I was constantly thinking about what to write. Scribbled ideas, brainstormed but nothing clicked. Thanks to my mom who made me clean my messed up cupboard where I noticed a treasured piece of memory that I have kept with great care and love. It’s a tale about honesty and fidelity of a person whom I met just once in my lifetime but he has left an irrevocable impression, which still inspires me. Later in the post I will be narrating the whole story but before that, let us have an overview of how honesty is an understatement when it comes to Pakistanis.
Mostly, the first lesson given to us by our parents is of honesty and our entire life revolves around the value of it. At home, institutes and companies, the emphasis is on conducting our jobs honestly and not to lie. But we can’t deny the fact that being honest and being a Pakistani doesn’t go along too well. I have heard people criticizing that its all what the media portrays or the Jews are behind it. Let’s face it, no media or Jew paid, pushed or brainwashed us to lie and show the world that we are a dis-honest nation. I do agree that maintaining the status of ones honesty is not a very easy task in this big bad world but then its not impossible as well. Holy Quran says,
‘’O you who believe fear Allah and be among those who are honest’’
So this verse made it clear that remaining honest is something that we could all do and there are many Pakistanis who are practicing the essence of this verse in their daily lives. I had the privilege of meeting one such Pakistani during my tour to Swat; this was before our government’s started claiming that only terrorists lived in that part of the region.Funny how they could believe and propagate such a joke.
I was going back to my car after shopping from a market there and I heard a man shouting “Ruko! Ruko!” (Stop! Stop!) very loudly. Flabbergasted, I turned around and saw a middle-aged local resident come running towards me. While catching his breath, he told me that I had forgotten to pick up my one rupee coin from his shop and left. He searched the whole area just to return back that one rupee coin. At that moment I was speechless by his honesty and integrity. I thanked him and tried to give him a tip for all his effort but he blatantly refused by saying: “Hum sirf apni bikri ka paisa layta hai.” (I only take money in return of my sold goods).
Once Prakash Almaeda quoted in his book,
“The greatest quality of Jinnah that was deeply and unfailingly remembered was his honesty.‘’
The above-mentioned incident always reminds me of this quote. It is very true to say that an honest heart produces honest actions. Still, the question that usually arises is that we all have seen unscrupulous people who have a growing tendency of making money and still they are prospering, no lightning bolt has yet struck them and they are not diagnosed with any fatal disease. On the other hand, a candid person is faced with all sorts of mishaps. From an argument point of view, yes this is what we see on the surface level but when an honest man appears between the fraudulent, he is like a comet who needs no money and no lies as his honesty is his fame.
Rahim Khan Khilgi, a Pakistani residing in Abu Dhabi and earning his living by driving a limousine, found a wallet containing 40,000 Dhs and credit cards. Common perception would be that he would have thanked God for being so kind and lived happily ever after with that money but that is not the case. He immediately handed over the wallet with its contents to a police officer and as a result of this act of, a cheque of 40,000 Dhs was presented to him. So honesty does pay, probably in the long run but the satisfaction you get is immeasurable.
Another tale of such candor occurred at Gilgit Serena Hotel where house cleaner Essa Khan found $50,000 in cash left behind by a Japanese NGO worker. The hotel staff managed to track down the guest and returned the money which was intended to fund a feasibility study into tourism projects in northern Pakistan. The hotel rewarded the cleaner Rs10,000.
In such devastating economic conditions, we should be very proud to have sincere people who are representing the real face of Pakistan that people don’t normally get to witness.
Pakistan is not a nation full of corrupt people. It may seem so because majority of the honest people are gone unnoticed so all we need to do is to appreciate them and make them come forward so they can serve country the way it deserves.
An Honest Pakistani …Such an understatement!!! | Unique Pakistan
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F**rom mine detectors to augmented reality, students show talent **
**ISLAMABAD: ** **The NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) was a hub of genius on Wednesday as it hosted its 11th Inter-college software exhibition. With over 22 universities participating and 78 diverse projects, the event was a measure of the level of innovation within engineering and software development students across Pakistan.
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The projects, divided between the categories of electromechanical, information, communication and digital systems, demonstrated the extent of the talent of the youth, whose algorithms provided solutions for the improvement of security through robotics and efficient surveillance methods, as well as for improvements in quality of life through the assimilation of creative technologies.
“Pakistan is host to one of the largest populations of landmine victims,” explained EME students Salmanul Hassan, Zoya Tanzeel and Fatima Mahmood. The group had chalked out a system to detect landmines through multiple scanner operators wirelessly connected to a base station, enabling them to map the depth and location of the explosive devices.
Cadets Mashab Ali, Asad Ishtiaq, Abdul Waheed and Muhammad Abbas, whose awareness extends to the military, displayed a training simulator using Nintendo Wii for the use of the RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
“It is expensive and potentially lethal to use an RPG-7 for training purposes,” Mashab explained, adding that by attaching Wii’s remote control to the head of an imitation RPG-7, the shooter’s aim is recognised by sensors on the simulator screen, making it an effective means of training as well as significantly cutting costs for the forces.
Diverse ideas, solutions and algorithms circuited between the halls of the computer engineering building, as unmanned robots mapped out obstacles within indefinite terrains, motion vectors detected abnormalities in crowd behaviour, android applications guided the lost to their destinations through augmented reality, electrical wheelchairs improved accessibility for the disabled and radio frequencies were tapped using just a small circuit connected to a battery.
Students from Mirpur University of Science and Technology explained a complex diagram that showed the simultaneous use of multiple technologies to improve inter-vehicular communication. “We are working on a system that will allow greater security for vehicles on the road,” a confident Mohammad Ibrahim asserted.
Hailing from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the young men said there were few resources in their university to encourage and enhance their work. But, being immersed in a creative, competitive environment was a healthy boost to their creativity and future endeavours. “This has given us great confidence,” chimed Faisal.
Doctoral candidate and EME database administrator Abdul Wahab Muzaffar said, “This annual event is an opportunity for students from across the country to interact with their peers and competitors and for us to gauge the standard of innovation within the youth.”
Despite invitations to over a hundred institutions, representation from certain regions was certainly lacking.
“It is such a pity that the costs of travelling, coupled with a lack of confidence in students or desire to encourage their development has held a lot of students back from participating,” he added.
The competition is being judged by reputed academia from different universities and will be on display till Thursday (today).
From mine detectors to augmented reality, students show talent – The Express Tribune
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**Pakistani girl to be torch-bearer at London Olympics
**KARACHI, June 22: When young Zainab Imran puts on her running shoes on June 28, she will be doing it for her country and her people. The 16-year-old Karachi girl, a student of Nasra Trust School, Malir, will be carrying the Olympic torch as it makes its way to London.
Zainab, who has only recently done her Matric, is one of 21 people selected as torch-bearers from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Palau, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zambia through the International Inspiration programme.
The programme looks to use the power of sport to enrich the lives of tens of millions of children, young people and grown-ups, too, of all abilities in schools and communities across the world, particularly in developing countries, by offering them the opportunity to access and participate in high-quality and inclusive sport, physical education and play.
“There are young as well as older people [who have been] selected as torch-bearers through the programme and I’m the only one from Pakistan,” teenaged Zainab, who will be flying off to Nottingham on Sunday, excitedly told Dawn. “The oldest person selected as torch-bearer through the programme is a 53-year-old,” she added.
Each International Inspiration torch-bearer was selected either for their dedication and commitment to inspire children and young people in their communities through the power of sport or for the personal challenges they have overcome in their lives.
Zainab, who was nominated by the Nasra Trust School after she demonstrated strong leadership qualities, is also a member of the Young Leader of International Inspiration Club. She has taken Young Sport Leadership training and is also very active to cascade this training in her local community.
The spirited all-rounder enjoys playing netball for her school team. She has also done volunteer work as coordinator for the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), she said. “Then I regularly take part in Dawn’s Spelling Bee competitions, although I’ve yet to win it,” she chuckled. “But I got a position in the Pak-Turk Math Olympiad. I was 20th,” she said with pride.
About her selection, the young leader informed that she had to go through an entire process. “My school, as you may know, is one of British Council’s partner schools also taking part in the International Inspiration programme. So we, the students of Nasra Trust School, were given questionnaires to fill out. From there I was shortlisted for interviews, and I guess my interview must have gone pretty well because I got selected,” she remarked. The school partnerships are managed by the British Council, which has extensive experience of linking schools internationally, working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which utilises its expertise in developing teachers and young leaders through sport.
Asked if she has trained well for the Olympic relay, Zainab laughed, saying: “Well, I think so. Although I am not as yet sure what distance and exact route I’ll be taking. That will be disclosed to me after I reach Nottingham.”
But what she is sure of is that she will be running in an area in Nottingham, which has a big Pakistani community, who will be cheering her all the way. She would be needing that, too, as she is travelling alone to the UK, and that, also, for the very first time.
Pakistani girl to be torch-bearer at London Olympics | DAWN.COM
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A constable Ayaz (from Swat) found a bag having Rs 55 lacs, and he found the owner and returned it to him. The owner tried to give him 5 lac but he refused, these are the people who should be our role models.
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^ People like these are role models for the whole world. :k:
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**Pakistan set to make waves in Olympic pool
**KARACHI: Pakistan is set to make waves in the Olympic pool after two of its swimmers received confirmation to participate in the Olympic Games, according to a statement released by the Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) on Friday.
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**The international body for aquatic sports, FINA, has selected Anum Bandey and Israr Hussain of Pakistan on the basis of their performance in the 14th FINA World Championships, held in Shanghai last year. The allotment has been made on the ‘Universality Places,’ berths reserved for countries whose athletes are unable to qualify for the Games.
Husain, who clocked 57.69 seconds in Shanghai, will participate in the 100-metre freestyle heats. Bandey, who set a new national record at 5 minutes and 37.11 seconds, will feature in the 400-metre individual medley at the London Games.
Bandey will look to improve on the performance of her predecessor Kiran Khan](http://dawn.com/2011/01/25/kiran-unlikely-to-swim-for-pakistan-again/), who represented Pakistan at the Games in Beijing in 2008. She will be the third Pakistani female swimmer to make waves at the Games after Khan and Rubab Raza, who made Olympic history for Pakistan by becoming the country’s first female Olympic swimmer at Athens in 2004.
Hussain was named the best male athlete at last year’s National Swimming Championship in Islamabad.
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He hosted a very nice travel show series on PTV called Tehzeeb-o-Tareehk, visiting places of religious importance for Pakistanis of different faiths and historic sites.
Smaller clip of above show: