Quack! Online

It was very heartening to read all the comments of protest and condemnation following the disturbing events at the campus last week. As some of you may know by now but the Board of Governors of TIP invited me to re-join as President and I am pleased to inform you that as of last Friday, I have taken charge.

TIP is a very unique institution and this can only be understood by students and faculty who over a period of time have grown to know it and love it as their second home. Although TIP can boast about the beautiful campus facilities, it is the spirit of ‘community’ which gives it the strength to weather all storms.

I have come back to TIP at a very critical juncture as it struggles to maintain its identity under severe financial constraints. However it is my belief that together we can all revive our institution back to its glory but for this I need your help and support. Through this blog, I appeal to all former and present students of TIP to come forward and give their suggestions as to how we can secure a sustainable future for TIP. You can email me on zbandukda@yahoo.com and it would be a pleasure to meet group of alumni to discuss this urgent matter at any convenient time and place.

Finally, as for the untimely termination of number of staff members few days before my joining, on my request the Chairman NTF has agreed to convene a TIP Board meeting soon after Eid holidays to be chaired by our Chancellor to review this matter.

In response to Quack! Online’s earlier report titled ‘TIP honours employees this Eid‘ on the governing board’s recent decision to lay off a significant number of employees under the pretext of ‘cost cutting’ on the festive occasion of Eid, we share with you some responses expressed on social media by popular activists based in Karachi.

Urooj Zia is a freelance researcher, journalist, and a human rights activist. She writes a popular Op-Ed column in Pakistan Today.

Sabeen Mahmud is the founder of PeaceNiche, an NGO with the mission to alleviate intellectual poverty in Pakistan.

The chock-a-block Karachi Fashion Week (KFW) successfully entered into its third day, after bagging a huge response from the international buyers here on Saturday.

The fashion presentations started with a slight delay, and contrary to the previous day, the hall was filled to capacity. The event bloomed with presentations of dresses designed by a group of Iqra University students, Anny Wear, Samar Mehdi, Fifth Avenue and Arslan & Yasir. It concluded with the fashion parade of MNS’s designs. Huma & Zara were the stylists for the day, Imran Qureshi as usual, was the choreographer, while back stage arrangements were finalised by Maida Qaiser and Textile Institute of Pakistan students.

Read the rest at the Daily Times.