Karachi’s petroleum dealers call off strike.

KARACHI: Karachi’s petroleum dealers who went on a strike against declining profits earlier on Monday have decided to resume operations.

Prior to the decision, petrol pumps had not been operating across the city.

Citizens had been experiencing difficulties and minor clashes were also witnessed in some areas of the city.

Citizens also protested against the unavailability of petrol and blocked roads in various parts of Karachi.

Shahrah-i-Faisal had also been blocked by protesters and traffic was suspended as a result. However, Rangers personnel baton-charged demonstrators and reopened the road for traffic.

However, Chairman Petroleum Dealers Association Sindh Zone Shabbir Sulemanjee told petrol pump owners to immediately reopen the stations.

Moreover, the Sindh Assembly denounced the strike and passed a resolution against it.

Two Pakistani universities ranked among top 200 World’s Technology Universities.

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani universities ranked among the top 200 Technology Universities of the World, one of them is Federal Government University, according to Quality Standard World University Ranking 2010.

However, another five Pakistani universities including Quaid-i-Azam University, National University of Science & Technology, University of Karachi, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore and University of Lahore (Private Sector) ranked among World Top 600 Universities, according to World Ranking of Universities.

Research growth from Pakistan ranked first in two areas in January 2011. The disciplines are Microbiology and Plant and Animal Sciences. The research output in both subjects has increased from 815 in 2002 to 4650 in 2010.

According to a senior official of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the educational standard of Federal Government Universities is improving in the global rating and the HEC has made significant progress in improvement of quality of academic standards and research in all the Universities and Degree Awarding Institutes of the Country including Federal Government Universities.

A total four Accreditation Councils have been established by Higher Education Commission to monitor the quality of the education in the country, he told APP.

The HEC has adopted a systematic process of reforms in higher education focusing on faculty development, improving and widening access, promoting excellence in learning and research, ensuring relevance to the economy, enhancing quality, improving governance and management and development of technological & physical infrastructure.

A number of steps have been taken to improve the educational standards of the universities of the country including process of faculty development to improve the quality of teaching and research support in institutions through targeted programmes to improve the skills and qualifications of faculty members.

Quality Assessment and Accreditation has been introduced to establish and implement stringent quality criteria developed against international standards to access the performance on both the programme and institutional level.

Rahat Fateh Ali arrested in India

NEW DELHI: Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik on Sunday telephoned High Commissioner of Pakistan to New Delhi Shahid Malik to inquire details about the detention of famous Pakistani singer, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

According to a statement issued here on Sunday, the minister said that he was examining the matter. He has also asked Pakistani High Commissioner to India to monitor the matter thoroughly.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who was arrested at Delhi airport on Sunday for possessing undeclared currency of 100,000 US dollars will be presented before court on Monday.

His manager Chitresh Srivastava has also been arrested.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan arrived here on a flight from Karachi and was intercepted by personnel from Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

Khan has several hit numbers to his credit and had won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer this year for 'Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji' from the movie 'Ishqiya'.

Rahat, 37, who has crooned several Bollywood chartbusters, had flown from Karachi to New Delhi. He is the nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.