‘China a trustworthy friend of Pakistan’

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman said that China was a trustworthy friend of Pakistan who had supported Pakistan in every difficulty. He said this while presiding over the first convocation of Punjab Tianjin University of Technology (PTUT) Lahore and awarded degrees to the graduates on Monday.

Chinese Consul General Cao Ke, PTUT Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Sattar Shakir, Secretary Industries and Commerce Punjab Ehsan Bhutta, faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the governor said that in 2013, China helped Pakistan to overcome energy shortage when Pakistan was facing a severe energy crisis. He said that the efforts of then Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif were instrumental in the establishment of Punjab Tianjin University of Technology, which was established with the cooperation of China in a record time.

The governor said that the plan to establish Punjab Tianjin Centre of Excellence in cyber security, artificial intelligence and advanced technology was a commendable step of the university. He said that the Punjab Tianjin University of Technology, which was established under a consortium of three well-known universities in Tianjin, China, had a prominent position among the technological universities of Pakistan. Baligh ur Rahman said that he believed that PTUT would continue to focus on strong industrial linkages to provide effective solutions to the economy and local industry. He said that there was no shortcut to success in life and hard work always pays off.

IDAP audit: Minister for Communications & Works Bilal Afzal asked the officers to conduct a transparent audit of Infrastructure Development Authority Punjab as soon as possible. The 59th meeting of the Board of Directors of Infrastructure Development Authority Punjab (IDAP) was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Communications & Works Bilal Afzal on Monday, in which the Chief Executive Officer of IDAP, Danish Afzal, officers from the Department of Finance, Irrigation, Planning and Development, Local Government, communications & Works, Housing and Transport along with other Board members also participated. The meeting deliberated a number of agenda items. While approving the hiring of Ibrahim and Company as external auditors of IDAP, the board decided to send the case of extension of the contract of the current Chief IT Officer Kashif Nadeem to the chief minister for approval.