Indus Vitals

KARACHI: Vice Chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Professor Jahan Ara Hassan, has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Dow Graduates Association of North America (DOGANA). The honour was conferred during DOGANA’s annual summer convention held earlier this month in Dallas, Texas. According to a DUHS press release, the university administration congratulated Prof Hassan on the international recognition, calling it a proud moment for the institution. An alumna of Dow Medical College’s 1989 batch and DUHS’s first PhD graduate, Prof Hassan has dedicated over three decades to medical education, research, and institutional leadership. Speaking after receiving the award, Prof Hassan described the recognition as a deeply meaningful milestone in her professional journey. She dedicated the award to her teachers, colleagues, students, and patients who supported her throughout the years. The press release noted that Prof Hassan is the first HEC-a...

A five-storey building in Karachi’s Lyari area collapsed in the first week of this month, killing 27 people — men and women of all ages — and injuring about a dozen others. It took rescue teams more than 50 hours to complete the operation, amid reports of poor coordination among the various agencies involved. As public outrage grew over the failure of building regulators and civic watchdogs, Sindh chief minister announced that a detailed inquiry had been launched and those responsible would be brought to justice. However, by the time of writing this piece, there was no official update on the findings or actions taken, apart from the suspension of two Building Control officials. Lyari has suffered similar tragedies before: in 2011 and 2020, two major collapses killed 55 people in total, with sporadic incidents reported in other years. Authorities have, from time to time, declared some 480 buildings in Karachi’s old city areas as dangerous or unfit for living, issuing repeated evacua...

New publications aim to deliver evidence-based policy analysis and regular economic forecasts; VC urges aligning Pakistan’s strategies with global trends IV Report KARACHI: The Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) at the University of Karachi (KU) on August 12 launched two research-based publication series aimed at providing actionable insights— Policy Brief Series and Economic Outlook Series —in a ceremony presided over by KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi. AERC Director Prof Dr Noreen Mujahid said the Policy Brief Series would provide concise, evidence-based analyses on pressing policy issues, while the Economic Outlook Series would deliver regular forecasts on Pakistan’s economic trajectory. In his address, Dr Iraqi reaffirmed the University’s commitment to conducting research not only for Pakistan but also on global economic matters. “We must align our policies with current global realities to ensure meaningful progress,” he said. Emphasising that “t...

Karachi Restoration Movement demands urgent action by January or vows street agitation; calls for federal oversight and forensic audit  IV Report KARACHI: A newly formed citizens’ collective, the Karachi Restoration Movement (KRM) , has issued a strong warning to the government, declaring that if Karachi’s civic and developmental woes are not meaningfully addressed by January 2026 , it will mobilise mass public protests across the city. Speaking at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club on August 1, KRM leaders outlined a detailed list of grievances and demands, citing the city’s prolonged infrastructure decay and continued official inaction. “The people of Karachi have silently suffered in their homes for too long,” said KRM Convener Ashraf Jabbar Qureshi . “This time, they will take to the streets and remain there until their legitimate demands are met. We are not here to be pacified by cosmetic approaches — we are here to reclaim our city.” Qureshi emphasise...