Day: July 20, 2026

Bahawalpur: Dr. Mueen Alam Khan, an Associate Professor at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), has been awarded the prestigious TUBITAK Visiting Scientific Fellowship by the government of Turkiye.

According to an official press release issued by the university here on Sunday, faculty members and students of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment extended their warmest congratulations to Dr. Khan, who serves in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics.

He was selected under the highly competitive TUBITAK Visiting/Sabbatical Scientist Support Program, which is administered directly by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye.

Under the framework of this international research fellowship, Dr. Khan is currently working as a Visiting Scientist at Mersin University, Turkiye.

He is conducting advanced research in plant breeding and genetics aimed at strengthening academic and scientific collaboration between Pakistan and Turkiye.

The university administration stated that the achievement reflects Dr. Khan’s research excellence and underscores the growing international recognition of IUB’s academic programs on the global stage.

It further demonstrates the institution’s commitment to fostering global research partnerships and upgrading academic standards.

Meanwhile, IUB Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kamran and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment Prof. Dr. Tanveer Hussain Turabi also congratulated Dr. Mueen Alam Khan on this distinguished international accomplishment.

They expressed confidence that his academic success would further enhance the university’s research profile and pave the way for future international academic collaborations.

Sukkur: Pakistan’s private regional carrier South Air has commenced scheduled flight operations from Begum Nusrat Bhutto Airport Sukkur, marking a major expansion in the country’s domestic aviation network.

The inaugural flight on the Islamabad to Karachi via Bahawalpur route departed from Sukkur on Sunday.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Divisional Commissioner Sukkur Abid Saleem Qureshi said the launch of the new airline is a significant milestone for the region.

He said the new air service will not only reduce pressure on ground transport routes but will also help strengthen cultural ties and regional integration.

Operating under the Tourism Promotion and Regional Integration (TPRI) Licence, the new services are expected to promote tourism, facilitate trade, and improve air connectivity across Pakistan, he added.

The Commissioner also said that work on the Sukkur-Karachi Motorway is progressing rapidly, which will significantly reduce travel time and provide better facilities to passengers.

Official of South Air, Kaleemullah Buledi, said the airline has already launched scheduled operations on the Karachi-Turbat-Quetta and Karachi-Bahawalpur-Islamabad routes, and has now added Sukkur to its network.

He said the new services will enhance domestic connectivity and provide passengers with more convenient and improved travel options.

Chief Security Officer of the Airport Security Force (ASF), Colonel Arshad Ali, said South Air has launched its operations with modern ATR 72-600 aircraft, which are widely used globally for short and medium haul flights due to their fuel efficiency, operational performance, and compliance with international safety standards.

Airport Manager Naqash Baig said the establishment of South Air is not merely the addition of a new airline, but a national effort to strengthen Pakistan’s air connectivity.

Our commitment is to provide every passenger with safe, punctual, and high quality travel services and to connect those regions with the national aviation network where air services have remained limited, he said.

Mirpur: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has postponed his scheduled visit to Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, due to adverse weather conditions forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department. The visit, originally planned for July 20, was called off as a precaution, party sources said on Sunday.

According to the revised election campaign schedule, Nawaz Sharif will now arrive in Mirpur on July 24, where he is expected to address a major public rally at the Quaid-e-Azam International Cricket Stadium in support of the party’s candidate, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed, contesting from the **LA-III Mirpur City** constituency in the July 27 Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections.

The rally is being viewed as one of the PML-N’s key campaign events ahead of the AJK polls, with party leaders expecting a large turnout. Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed, a former AJK minister for sports, youth and culture, is among the party’s prominent candidates in the constituency.

Meanwhile, the PML-N’s AJK chapter has stepped up preparations to accord a warm welcome to its supreme leader on his arrival in Mirpur. Party organisers said extensive arrangements are being finalised to ensure a massive public reception, reflecting the importance of Nawaz Sharif’s first election campaign address in the region ahead of the July 27 vote.

Faisalabad: Federal Minister for Investment Board Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh on Sunday said that Pakistan had entered into a new phase of investment-led economic revival after securing practical agreements worth around $40-42 million with Chinese pharmaceutical companies. The inflow of foreign investment coupled with a nationwide commitment to economic stability would generate employment, strengthen healthcare infrastructure and accelerate sustainable national growth, he added. Talking to media persons during visit to a free medical camp organized in Chak No.146 Bhakri Jhuk, a rural area of Chiniot, the federal minister said that nearly 100 Chinese investors and business leaders were currently in Islamabad to participate in a Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) conference focusing on the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.

He said that unlike previous engagements which largely concluded with Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), the conference had resulted in practical investment agreements valued at around $40-42 million. He termed the achievement a reflection of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s investment-friendly policies and proactive efforts of the Board of Investment. He said the agreements would pave way for Chinese companies to establish pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Pakistan, enhance technology transfer, create employment opportunities and strengthen country’s healthcare industry while contributing to overall economic growth.

Highlighting the need for political stability to sustain economic progress, the federal minister urged all political parties to rise above partisan differences and evolve a unified economic roadmap in the larger national interest. He endorsed the concept of a ‘Charter of Economy’, and said that Pakistan’s long-term development depended on continuity of economic policies and a stable investment climate. He observed that successive governments had faced political instability over the past 27 years, adversely affecting economic planning and development. ‘No country can achieve sustainable growth without political harmony and policy continuity’, he added.

He said the government intended to allocate huge resources to health and education, but achieving that objective required substantial growth in national revenue through investment, industrial expansion and increased economic activity. He said with concern that many countries allocated around four percent of their national income to healthcare, but Pakistan’s health expenditure remained close to one percent, limiting the state’s ability to provide quality medical facilities to all citizens. Referring to the free medical camp, the minister said that such welfare initiatives were particularly important for underserved rural communities where access to hospitals, diagnostic facilities and specialist medical care remained limited.

He said that around 500 patients had already been examined at the camp and many had undergone medical screening for the first time in their lives. He appreciated the doctors, paramedics and organizers for providing free consultations, diagnostic tests and medicines, describing the service to humanity as one of the noblest forms of public service. He said that Pakistan’s economy had recorded an estimated growth rate of about 3.7 percent during the current year but stressed that the pace of economic expansion must increase further to match the country’s rapidly growing population. Comparing Pakistan’s economic trajectory with neighboring regional economies, the federal minister said that great emphasis on investment promotion, industrialization and national consensus was imperative to improve living standards and ensure long-term prosperity.

The efforts would continue to attract domestic and foreign investment, generate employment opportunities and improve healthcare and education services to enhance quality of life across the country, he added.