117th Birth Day of Quaid-I-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah - Wazir Mansion - Birth Place of Quaid-I-Azam.

Karachi, a metropolitan city of Pakistan has the distinguish honour of having the birth place of our Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He was born in 1876 in a three storey building situated on Chagla Street near Mereweather Tower, New Neham Road, which is now known as Quaid-i-Azam’s Birth Place. This building was acquired by Jinnah Poonja, the father of the Quaid-i-Azam in 1872. The area of this building is 125 Sq. Yards and was constructed with stone masonry.
Quaid-i-Azam spent his childhood in this building and from here he went to England in 1892 for higher education. Mader-e-Millat, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, the youngest sister of Quaid-i-Azam was also born in the same building on 31st July, 1893. After her birth, Jinnah Poonja had sold this building and shifted in a big rented house in Ramji Patia building. After independence, the birth place of Quaid-i-Azam was purchased by one Mr. Wazir Mohammad (Poonawala) and named it as Wazir Mansion. In May 1953, this building was acquired and handed over to Pak PWD for renovation and repair.
In August, 1953 this building was handed over to Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan who established a library on the ground floor and relics associated with the Quaid-i-Azam were put on display on first and second floors on this historic building. These relics include the furniture used by the Quaid-i-Azam, his library books, clothes and the bed on which he breathed his last.
This building has been declared by the Government of Pakistan as the National Monument. (Contributed by: Department of Archaeology & Museums, Government of Pakistan, Karachi) To celebrate the 117th Birth Day of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative postage stamp of Re. 1/- denomination on December25, 1993, depicting birth place of Quaid-i-Azam, Wazir Mansion.

International Medical Congress '93 of College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan - 10-14 December, 1993

This stamp commemorates "CPSP Congress 93” which will be the largest international medical conference ever held in Pakistan. The College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan was established in 1962 to provide post-graduate studies within the country, thus obviating the need for our doctors to go to England for higher medical qualifications. Over the last 30 years the College has become a “Centre of Excellence” providing opportunities to Pakistani doctors to improve their knowledge and skills in various specialities, as the College deals with twenty seven specialities for fellowship examination and hold advance courses and organizes workshops. The number of doctors who have qualified in F.C.P.S. examinations from this College now exceeds 4500. This qualification is recognized by the Royal Colleges, with whom examiners are exchanged, on reciprocal basis. Joint Council Meetings have been held with Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh in 1990 and with Royal College of Surgeons, London in 1991. A third International Conference, \"CPSP Congress\" is being held at CPSP premises from 10th to14th December 1993 in collaboration with Bangladesh College of Physicians & Surgeons and International College of Surgeons (Pakistan Chapter) and the Congress theme is \"Health Care Challenges in the 21st Century\".
The collaboration with Bangladesh College of Physicians & Surgeons has been achieved to inculcate a feeling of brotherhood and friendship with our erstwhile countrymen and colleagues. The International College of Surgeons, which has its headquarters in the U.S.A., is being represented by its Corporate Secretary from Brazil.
The Congress aims at making the results of latest research and advances in the developed countries in the fields of medicine and surgery available to the large number of doctors from Pakistan and Bangladesh attending the Congress. Over 1000 doctors from Pakistan and about 200 from Bangladesh are expected to attend the Congress. The guest faculty includes 50 world renowned specialists from 15 countries of world, including North & South America, Europe, Middle East, Far East, China and Australia.
It is hoped that this Congress will enable our doctors to update their knowledge and meet the health care challenges of the 21st century to serve their patients better.
(Contributed by: College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan, Karachi)
To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative postage stamp of Re. 1/- denomination on December 10, 1993.

South & West Asia Postal Union (Swapu)

Pakistan shares common history, culture and religion with ECO countries. In Postal Sector these relations go beyond centuries with few disruptions in between. The end of colonial are heralded a new under-standing based on mutual respect as well as keep desire to cooperate with each other to the common benefit of the people in these states. It was in the background of this historical past that a regional body under the name of Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) was formed in 1964 to promote economic and commercial relations between Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. it was given a new name viz., Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) on revival after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Having been formed in the year 1977, the South and West Asia Postal Union (SWAPU) remained dormant till 1985 when with the revival of EGO it was also reactivated to promote postal cooperation side by side with collaboration in economic and commercial sectors. The aim and objectives of this Union were redefined as under:
- Member countries to form a single Postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of Postal and other services.
- Extend, facilitate and improve Postal relations and services.
- Evolve a common approach on important issues as far as possible.
- Introduction of EMS trace and track system.
- Establishment of joint training college.
- Joint venture in manufacture of postal equipment.
- Utilization of each other\'s printing facilities.
- Greater utilization of transit facilities.
- Joint conduct of quality of service tests.
- Promotion of philately to emphasize common heritage.
- Concessional rates equal to inland tariff have been introduced.
- EMS and fax links have been established.
- Money Order agreement with Turkey has been executed.
- Frequency of mail exchange has been increased to the maximum.
- The principle of preference to the National Air Carrier of each other has been accepted.
- Initial studies for consultants and experts have been carried out.
- Training facilities are being utilised to the advantage of each other.
- Regular visits of senior executives are being exchanged to maintain close liaison.
- Cooperation in philately is being expressed by simultaneous issues of commemorative postage stamps.
- Rapid custom clearance is being exercised.
With the joining of ECO by the Central Asian Republic, the membership of SWAPU is likewise to be offered to these states. Invitations for the purpose were extended to them at the time of first Congress of the Union held in April 1992. With a similar objective in view, Pakistan has also joined Regional Commonwealth of Post and Telecommunication (R.C.P.T.) recently formed by the states of the former Soviet Union with headquarters at Moscow. A Memo of Understanding covering postal sector has already been signed by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and similar cooperation with other states is already in the offing. These relations will grow as the aims and objectives of the ECO start assuming a greater reality.
To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative Postage stamp of Rs. 7/- denomination on November 18,1993.

50 Years of Burn Hall Institutions Abbottabad - (1943-1993)

Burn Hall traces its history back to 1943 when a team of missionaries from Mill Hill, London, known as the Mill Hill Fathers, established the School in Srinagar. It was a named after an English Manor House which had a Hall with a small stream (burn) running through it. The school was administered by the Fathers in English public school tradition.
After partition, in 1948, the Fathers, with a handful of students shifted the school to Abbottabad and set up it in a small hotel building, the Abbott Hotel. Khan Abdul Qayum Khan, a former Chief Minister of the North West Frontier Province acquired this building and handed it over to the missionaries. The school was among the best in the country and soon more buildings were added to accommodate the increasing numbers of students. The school was under the control of the Diocesan Board of Education, Rawalpindi.
In 1956, a new school was constructed a few miles outside the town to provide more room for seniors and become known as Senior Burn Hall. The new school was designed to allow for adequate sports facilities and included playgrounds for all games, including a swimming pool.
Ideally located at 4300 feet above sea level in natural surroundings, coupled with the zeal and fervour with which the Fathers and school staff administered the school, it became one of the leading schools of the country. It excelled in academic and literary activities and encouraged competition in sports by having House Games between St. Michaels and St. Andrews (later St. Gabriels). The high standards achieved were in keeping with the School motto \"Quo Non Ascend um\" (To what heights can I not rise).
In 1976 the Fathers faced insurmountable problems in running the school satisfactorily and handed over the management of the School to the Pakistan Army. Since then it has been renamed as Army Burn Hall Institutions. The new management has not only maintained the traditions set by the Fathers, but also has added new buildings and facilities necessitated over the years.
Since the take over, what was the Junior School has become the Army Burn Hall School and College for Girls, and the Senior School has become the Army Burn Hall College (for boys).
Officially they are known as the Army Burn Hall Institutions.
At Burn Hall, students are taught by experienced teachers, dedicated to teaching. Many of them are not only highly qualified but they have had experience of teaching in foreign countries as well. With a broad vision and understanding they perform a missionary role; they are motivated by the desire to impart knowledge for no reward other than what they get for shaping the destiny of those who are given into their charge. The small scale of the College stimulates dynamic relationship between the students and members of the teaching staff; it promotes an education that goes on both inside and outside the classroom, and fosters an atmosphere where academic work is respected and ideas appreciated. Education is a complete discipline; it means mental and moral training. There is hardly another residential institution in the country which takes keen interest in the mental and moral growth of the students.
The College has a number of societies and clubs which provide opportunities to all the students to develop qualities of leadership and sportsmanship. Besides debating, Bazm-e-Adab, Fine Arts and Photo-graphic club, the college has a Computer club which in time will equip our students with the latest computer technology.
Burn Hall is not behind in sports. Special attention is given to the physical growth of the students. The early morning PT, followed by games in the afternoon enable our students not only to remain physically fit but also creates in them a spirit of sportsmanship. In victory and defeat the Hallians never lose their self-possession. They are known for a balanced approach to life. You can easily tell a Hallian from any other student.
Burn Hall aims at teaching its students how to think, how to analyze and synthesis. Out of such intellectual and moral growth comes the kind of self-confidence, self-reliance and sense of responsibility which one must have to become a good citizen.
(Contributed by: Burn Hall Institutions, Abbottabad)
To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative Postage stamp of Rs. 7/- denomination on October 28,1993.

World Food Day

Our food and environmental security depends upon the diversity of life on Earth -the variety of all plants, animals, micro-organisms, and ecological systems. This biological diversity is the source of food, fuel, clothes and medicines. It also helps to maintain the Earth’s life support systems needed for the sustainable production of these essentials.
Harvesting natures diversity, the theme for World Food Day (WFD) 1993, will emphasize the importance of biological diversity and genetic resources in food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development, environmental management and international trade in commodities.
Nature’s diversity represents a global resource, on which all countries and all regions depend. WFD will stress the necessity of equity, shared access and mutual responsibility for the conservation, development, management and use of this resource. More specifically, it will build awareness of the alarming loss of biological diversity, which comes at a time when science is only beginning to unlock its full potential.
WFD will address the contribution of bio-diversity to the welfare of society- providing for people - and the role of society, mainly rural communities, in conserving bio-diversity. Conserving bio-diversity for its sustainable use by present and future generations is integral to UNCEDs Agenda 21 and the international Convention on Biological Diversity signed by more than 150 of the nations that attended the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. This highlights the extensive contribution of bio-diversity to the environment and to development, which includes its key role in food and agriculture. Atleast 40 percent of the worlds economy - and 80 percent of the needs of the poor - are derived from biological diversity.
Harvesting natures diversity will also set the stage for the 1995 International Technical Conference on Genetic Resources to be convened by FAQ as part of a series of steps towards turning UNCEDs agenda into action.
According to present estimates, food production in developing countries will have to increase more than 60 percent in the next 25 years to keep pace with population growth. The possibilities for expanding the areas used for terrestrial and aquatic farming are relatively limited and most of the worlds fish stocks are already overexploited. Therefore production must be intensified, productivity increased and productive natural systems must be suitably managed - all in a sustainable manner. This will require the combined application of new and old biotechnologies, including fresh approaches to plant and animal breeding and to farming practices.
This will depend on the sustainable utilization of a broader range of species and genetic material within each species, including wild relatives of domesticated species. The Earth contains a wealth of biological diversity, but only a small percentage has been tapped for food production. Throughout human history, several thousand species have been used for food, and many of them were cult~\"3ted. Today barely 150 plant species are cultivated.
Now, 12 plant species and five animal species provide more than 75 percent of human food. Only four plant species - rice, maize, wheat and potato - and three animal species - cattle, swine and chickens - provide more than half of it. Yet more than 80,000 tropical forest species are considered to be edible. In the aquatic sector, only two genera of fish, carp and tilapia, have been significant domestication for food production. Nearly 90 percent of fishery production still comes from wild stocks or from fish taken from the wild and raised in ponds, lagoons and other kinds of enclosure.
As a result of market pressures and other incentives, farmers are replacing varied and locally-adapted plant and animal varieties by a limited number of commercial ones, contributing to impoverishment of the genetic basis of our food supply. Since the beginning of this century alone, about 75 percent of the genetic diversity of the most important crops has disappeared from farmers fields. This has increased agricultural vulnerability and reduced the essential variety of people’s diet. Many traditional and local species, vital to the diet and nutrition of the poorest people, are underutilized or neglected. In fisheries and aqua-culture, the introduction and transfer of exotic organisms has helped local economies, but sometimes at the expense of ecological stability.
Over the millennia, man has created in each domesticated species thousands of land races and varieties to suit local conditions and needs. This man-made\" bio-diversity is also seriously endangered.
In most cases, the selection of plants and animals for domestication and utilization has not been made on technical or scientific criteria. Often the major species have been introduced from dominant cultures, not necessarily taking into account environmental conditions, or the needs of local communities. The introduction of bread in many parts of the world, for example, saw wheat overtake traditional local staples, which were often highly productive and stable crops well suited to the local environment and culture.
Most of the advances in technology, including bio-technologies, have been made in industrialized countries, often developed on a commercial basis. Most of biological diversity, on the other hand, is found in developing regions. The new bio-technologies provide excellent tools for enhancing the diversity of crop varieties and animal breeds among the already domesticated species and increasing this productivity. Biotechnologies also give new opportunities and capabilities for speeding the domestication and improvement of promising and/or neglected species. Many developing countries, however, lack the resources for such developments. Commercial considerations may overlook the social and nutritional importance of these species for the poor and their potential benefits for all mankind.
WFD 1993 will also focus on the links between bio-diversity and biotechnology and their importance for sustainable agricultural, fisheries and forestry production, It will stress the importance of diversifying food production and expanding food choices and tastes for improved nutrition. Harvesting natures diversity will encourage peoples participation in development, including social and community programmes that promote the collection, conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
The luck of economic incentive to conserve diversity in agriculture and nature is a key cause of continuing degradation. It is a vital challenge for our society that the precious value of natures diversity is properly reflected in the world economy and markets. The concept of Farmers Rights, unanimously adopted by FAO member nations, takes one step in that direction by recognizing the value of the historic and continuing contribution of farmer and rural communities to the development, conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources.
WFD promotes awareness of the global problems of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, which can be solved by the committed efforts of the international community acting to ensure that governments, institutions, NGOs, industry and individuals work together as stewards of nature\'s diversity. Genetic resources, information, funds and technology are all essential and complementary resources in achieving food security and sustainable rural development. Using and sharing these resources in a fair and equitable manner is a moral obligation for the present generation and a condition for the survival of future generations.
(Contributed by: Food & Agriculture Division, Islamabad)
To commemorate the World Food Day Pakistan Post is issuing one commemorative postage stamp for Rs. 6/- denomination on October 16, 1993. This set is the third in the \'WORLD FOOD DAY\" stamp series. The first series, consisting of a set of four (horizontal se-tenant) stamps of Rs. 3/- each design, was brought on October 24 1983 and the second was issued on October 16, 1989 in the value of Re. 1/-.

Juniper Forests At Ziarat

Ziarat valley, situated in the north-east of Balochistan, possesses one of the largest and finest examples of rare forest type i.e. arid juniper forest. This forest is scattered over an area of 50,000 ha. The trees are growing under extremely harsh conditions at elevation ranging from 1 800m to 3000m, in poor soils. The average annual rainfall is 200 to 250mm.
The growing season is 5 to 6 months per year. Growth of juniper is extremely slow, perhaps slowest in the world i.e. only one inch per year. In 100 years, the tree would become only 8 feet high and 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The existing trees are thousands of years old.
Apart from their aesthetic value, the biggest contribution of these forests is their watershed value. These forests absorb the rain and snow and slowly release water throughout the year in the form of springs and karezes in order to sustain the famous fruit orchards of Ziarat district. These fruit orchards give highest per acre annual income in the world, which ranges from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 500,000 depending upon variety, age of trees, fertility and insect control measures adopted. In order to maintain these orchards on thousands of acres, these juniper forests must be protected.
Due to increasing human and livestock population, there is tremendous pressure on these forests. It has been estimated that one family burns 150 years growth of a juniper tree in one day for cooking their food. Unfortunately, the natural regeneration of juniper forests is diminishing due to lack of fertility in the seed and non-availability of soil on the forest floor. Therefore, total volume of tree consumption by the people dependent on the forests exceeds that of growth. The growing stock is on the decrease day by day. It is imperative to not only conserve the existing juniper forests, but to adopt measures for improvement and restocking of blank areas within the juniper tract. Systematic supply of LPG and building materials on subsidized rates is expected to alleviate pressure on these forests to a great extent.
Unfortunately these beautiful forests has been attacked by a parasite plant called Mistletoe. it is a flowering plant which grows on juniper. The forests in Sasna Mana valley, north of Ziarat valley, has severe infestation of Mistletoe and large number of trees have been killed.
The spread of the parasite is generally from tree to tree through forcibly ejected seeds which can reach to a distance of 1 km. Old trees are more attacked as compared to young ones.
Mistletoe has been reported in USA in the States of Arizona and Minnesota on pines. There is no chemical control available in the world. The only method of control is to remove infested branches or - in severe cases - the whole tree in order to save rest of branches and trees from the mistletoe attack. In the Sasna Mana valley the control operation was carried out from 1979 to 1983 by the Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar. During that time 11,000 trees were felled and 14,000 trees were pruned. The disease remained under control for 8 years. Last year the parasite has again erupted and many trees have been killed. The Pakistan Forest Institute scientists have been requested to come for rescue. They are expected shortly and will start control operation from September, 93.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has surveyed the forests in 1989 but so far no financial assistance has been provided by it for control of Mistletoe or conservation activities in Juniper forests. The Dutch Government was requested for assistance but they have also declined to help.
Due to their great ecological importance these forests must be saved from all sorts of damages and destruction. Plantation of substitute species such as Arizona cyprus, Gleditsia and Wild almond needs to be undertaken. The juniper natural regeneration which is available in moist nullahs be protected. Legislation for control on juniper damage exists which needs to be enforced strictly. The forest can be developed for recreation for which great opportunities exist. Awareness campaign for arousing the importance of juniper among the local inhabit must be launched as early as possible. The Mistletoe attack is to be kept under control in order to prevent it spread beyond economic level. By adopting these measures it can be expected that we would be able to pass on these living fossils to our future generation.
The conservation and management of these forests requires heavy monetary inputs, which is not possible without foreign donor assistance. In this regard the World Bank has agreed to sponsor the Balochistan Natural Resources Management Project amounting to Rs. 340 million out of this five sub-project programme the share of Ziarat Juniper Forests component would be Rs. 107 million. The project is likely to start next year.
(Contributed by: Chief Conservative, Forest Department, Quetta)
To draw public attention to save Juniper Forests at Ziarat Pakistan Post is issuing a special postage stamp of Rs. 7/- denomination on September 30,1993.

Government Gordon College Rawalpindi - Centenary Celebrations (1893-1993)

Plato once said, "If you want to judge the standard of a nation, judge the standard of its institutions and calibre of its teachers."
Gordon College was established in 1893. Its history is a tale of unprecedented achievements both in curricular and extra-curricular activities and it occupies a very high position among all the institutions of higher learning in Pakistan and does not fall short of any mark of excellence.
Gordon College is one of the most prestigious and oldest institutions in the subcontinent. Since its inception, the College has been rendering tremendous services by spreading the light of knowledge over the whole region.
In 1856, a primary school, under the patronage of American Presbyterian Mission, was established in Rawalpindi. In 1867, the first batch of three students of this school, for the entrance examination, was sent to Calcutta as at that time there was no University in West Punjab.
In 1893, the School was given the status of a College and for nine years Intermediate classes were run in the building of Mission High School. Rev. E. E. Fife was the first Principal of Gordon College.
In 1902, the College moved to its present premises and in the same year the first B.A. class was admitted.
The first Intermediate Science class started in 1904. The first graduate was Ishar Das in 1904. The first Muslim graduate was late Justice Din Mohammad (former Governor of Sindh) in 1906. The College enrolment first past the mark of hundred in 1910.
Gordonian, the College magazine, was first published in 1915. The B.Sc. class begun in 1927 and the first science graduate was Barkat Ali, who stood first in the province.
Shaukat Wasti, Ahmad Zafar, Ahmad Shamim, Jamil Malik and Manzoor Arif but also provided a congenial atmosphere to teachers like Aftab Shamim, Tauseef Tabussam and Dr. Hamid Baig for their creative potentials.
At present, besides intermediate degree classes, one postgraduate class in the subject of English Literature is regularly admitted every year and its bring glory by showing excellent results.
The College has passed its 99 years. The year 1993 is its centenary year. A large battalion of Gordonian is now serving the nation in almost every field of human activity.
(Contributed by: Principal, Government Gordon College, Rawalpindi)
To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post is issuing a stamp of Rs. 2/- denomination on September 1,1993.

Pioneers of Freedom (Series)

RAIS GHULAM MOHAMMAD BHURGRI (1 878-1 924)
The surname\" Bhurgri\" is derived from a place named Bhurgarh in Dera Ghazi Khan (Punjab) from where his ancestors had migrated to Sindh. He was the eldest son of Khan Bahadur Wall Mohammad, a well known prosperous Zimindar of Sindh.
Ghulam Mohammad Bhurgri was born in village Dengan, District Tharparkar, Sindh in 1878. He received his elementary education at home. Later, he joined Mission School, Hyderabad (Sindh) N.H. Academy, Hyderabad and Sindh Madrassah-tul-Is!am, Karachi. In 1890 he went to Aligarh and passed his Matriculation Examination from Muslim High School Aligarh. He stayed in England for three years and was called to Bar from Lincoln\'s Inn.
After his return, he started practice in Hyderabad (Sindh). He was elected as Member, Bombay Legislative Council in 1909; re-elected in 1913 and again in 1916. He moved a resolution (1917) in the Council to enquire into the corrupt system under which peasants (Harees in Sindh) had to provide food and other facilities free to visiting officials. A RASAEE COMM ITTEE under Justice Heyward was set up whose shocking disclosures led to discontinuance of the practice.
Mr. Bhurgri was nominated as Member on the Council of State in 1921, but resigned his seat in protest against the Government repression. He was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1924.
In February 1920 he became President of All India Khilafat Conference. He championed the cause of separation of Sindh from Bombay Presidency with a view to safeguarding interests of Sindhi Muslims. He remained a dedicated member of the All India Muslim League all through his life and attended all its annual sessions. He was a Member, Reforms Committee (8th session, Bombay, December 1915-January 1916); Member of the Committee to discuss Congress -League Scheme (10th session - Calcutta, December, 1917- January 1918) and Member, Committee of Moplah Trouble (14th session, Ahmedabad, December, 1921).
He was elected President, All India Muslim League, (15th session) at Lucknow in March-April, 1923. In his Presidential Address Mr. Bhurgri touched upon, among other things, Turkish and Khilafat question and the possibility of a league of Oriental Nations. About the internal problems he said that the British rule in India had worked for both good and evil, that it was neither indelible nor eternal but it could not be eradicated without endangering our own existence; he was critical of the Government\'s arresting the non-cooperators and their ill-treatment. He suggested the appointment of statutory commission to examine the working of the Reformed Constitution and the formulation and implementation of scheme for Indianization of services and the army, for grant of complete fiscal autonomy, for safeguarding the status and interests of Indians abroad and for granting general amnesty to all political prisoners.
He welcomed the Reformed councils which could be used to increase the political awareness of the masses and held that communal representation was unavoidable.
Mr. Bhurgri was a Muslim League delegate, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, to give evidence before the Selbourne Committee of British Parliament on India Bill.
He was interested in the overall awakening of Muslims. He started Sindhi weekly \'Al-Amin\' from Hyderabad which was edited by Shaikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi. Bhurgri was an accomplished lawyer and defended Sheikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi against Government prosecution under press laws.
As President of \'Muhammedan Educational Conference\', Poona he tried to expand educational facilities among rural areas.He died on March 10, 1924 and was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard. In recognition of his services, the Sindh Government has changed the name of the town and Taluka of Jamesabad as \'Kot Ghulam Mohammad\'.
MIR AHMED YAR KHAN, KHAN OF KALAT (1 902-1 977)
Mir Ahmed Yar Khan, Khan of Kalat belonged to Ahmedzai Branch of Brahavis, who ruled Kalat State in the Province of Baluchistan for well over 280 years.
Mir Ahmed Yar Khan was born in Loralai in 1902. He received his early education in traditional way under private tutors; and in course of time gained a fair knowledge of Holy Quran and proficiency in Urdu, Persian and English languages. He started his adult career as a Personal Assistant to the Agent to the Governor General, Baluchistan in 1920. He underwent Military training for one year with 27 Punjab Regiment. On completion of this training he was entrusted with various important civil and military administrative assignments.
He ascended to the throne of \'Khan-e-Baluchistan XIII\' on September 20, 1933 at the age of 31.
In 1936 he was awarded the title of \'Khan-e-Azam\'. It was his religious zeal, coupled with political foresight, that inspired him to identify himself whole heartedly with the Baluch Community in the Muslim League struggle for Pakistan in the name of Islam.
He had been in close touch with the Quaid-e-Azam since 1936 and remained so till the demise of the Quaid in 1948. He was a personal friend of the Quaid, who alongwith his sister Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, stayed with him on several occasions during the crucial phase of Freedom struggle. His love with Quaid-e-Azam can be judged from the fact that when Khan-e-Kalat heard the news of the murderous attempt on Quaid-e-Azam he was shocked and pained and fearing such repetition he sent out his personal body guards to Bombay for the protection of the Quaid \'s life. By the grace of Almighty the biggest Muslim State came into existence on the map of the world on August 14, 1947.
Kalat state under the regime of \'Khan-e-Kalat\' was the first to nter into an agreement with Pakistan, ten days before the actual declaration of Pakistan and then realising the difficulties faced by Pakistan during the initial period of 1948, the Khan of Kalat, without obtaining the formal sanction from the Tribal Sardars, signed the merger in his own capacity as the Khan-e-Azam on March 30,1948 on their behalf.
Although he apparently exceeded the scope of his mandate yet, in doing so he enjoyed full confidence of the Tribal Sardars as they did not raise a single voice of any nature of protests; rather they welcomed the decision towards the noble cause of solidarity of Pakistan.
He accompanied the Pakistan delegation to the United Nations during the Prime Ministership of Liaquat Ali Khan. He also visited China as a member of Pakistan delegation. He was appointed Governor of Baluchistan in January, 1974 and continued as such till July, 1977.
He died on 23 October, 1977 and was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard with full honours.
MOHAMMAD ABDUL LATJF PIR SAHIB ZAKORI SHARIF (1914-1978)
Mohammad Abdul Latif Pir Sahib Zakori Sharif was born in a famous spiritual and religious family of Dera Ismail Khan (North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in 1914. After completing his education, he devoted himself toward reformation of society and propagation of Islam. The plight of the Muslims of South Asia compelled him to join the All India Muslim League in 1935.
He soon started playing an active role in politics and led the famous Movement concerning the incident of Islam Bibi in the North West Frontier Province in 1936.
He actively participated, alongwith his followers, in the Lahore Session of the All India Muslim League which adopted the historic \'Pakistan Resolution\' on March 23, 1940. On his return from Lahore he stepped up and launched in full gear \'Pakistan Movement\' in the Frontier Province. Pir Sahib was a trusted lieutenant of the Quaid-e-Azam who nominated him in 1945 to the Parliamentary Board of the Muslim League from the NWFP.
Pir Sahib Zakori Sharif played a leading role in the 1945 NWFP Assembly elections and was instrumental in securing17 seats for the Provincial Muslim League; himself returning from Lakki Marwat, Bannu District constituency.
During the crucial phase of Pakistan Movement he faced bravely a lot of hardships and imprisonment on many occasions. During the \'Civil Disobedience Movement\' he hoisted the Pakistan Muslim League flag after removing the Union Jack from the Deputy Commissioner\'s House in Bannu and was arrested soon after leading a procession against the British Rule. The arrest of Pir Sahib turned into a great public uproar and a large number of his followers turned up for voluntary arrest which almost filled the entire jails of NWFP; resultantly temporary prison houses had to be arranged at Serai Naurang, Bannu, and other places to lodge the protest-ors. On his release on June 3,1947 he preceded to New Delhi on the special invitation of Quaid-e-Azam to participate in the All India Muslim League Council meeting at Imperial Hotel. He delivered there an impressive and forceful speech. Quaid-e-Azam had a great faith in Pir Sahib\'s political acumen and sagacity and reposed a great confidence in him to turn the forthcoming \'Referendum\' in NWFP a success.
Pir Sahib Zakori Sharif did, indeed, come to the high expectations of the Quaid and worked so tirelessly for the NWFP Referendum that the Quaid-e-Azam addressed him as \"Fateh Referendum\".
He was one of those luminaries of the Pakistan Movement who laid the foundation of Muslim League in NWFP and nullified the hold of all India Congress and otherAnti-Pakistan forces in the Province.
He remained a member of the NWFP Assembly from 1945 to 1950.
He died on February 2,1978 depriving the Country of a great freedom fighter and leaving millions of his followers to mourn his death.
To commemorate the Pioneers of Freedom (Series) Pakistan Postal Services Corporation is issuing a set of three commemorative postage stamps of Re. 1/- denomination on August 14,1993.

Medicinal Plants of Pakistan - Saunf/Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare Gaertn)

Pakistan is endowed with the wealth of medicinal plants. These are the natural botanical source of medicines being manufactured by indigenous pharmaceutical houses in Pakistan. These are also the basic source of modern pharmaceutical market, although today it has become an entire medical world of synthetics, with elevated prices a common man can not afford.
It is therefore the most appropriate time to consider development and organization of our medicinal plants industry to become independent in the provision of common indigenous natural drugs that are being used to treat diseases in most of our rural areas. In our country there are grown wild or cultivated medicinal plants species which possess great potentialities not in the light of their use from centuries in the sub-continent in Greco-Arab (Unani or Eastern) system of medicine but also in the light of active principles or bio-dynamic compounds being isolated from them using ultra modern screening techniques available in our country.
Foeniculum vulgare Gaertn. Saunf/Fennel: Related to family Umbelliferae, the stout, glabrous, aromatic, biennial or perennial herb 5-6 feet high is a native of southern Europe and Asia, commonly cultivated in India and Pakistan. The seeds are used at large in Unani Preparations for their stomichic, digestive, carminative, expectorant, galactagogue, aromatic, diuretic and pectoral properties.
(Contributed By: Director Research Bait al-Hikmat, Hamdard, Karachi)
To mark the occasion Pakistan Post is issuing a special postage stamp of Rs. 6/- denomination on June 20, 1993.

World Telecommunication Day.

International Telecommunication was founded in 1865 and such is the oldest Intergovernmental Organization. In 1947 it became a specialized agency of United Nation and now has a membership of 176 members countries. It is International Organization for the regulation in planning of Telecommunication World wide, for the establishment of equipment and system operating standards, for coordination and dissemination of information for planning and operation of Telecommunication Services, and for the promotion of Contribution of the Development Telecommunication Services.
World Telecommunication Day is celebrated every year on 17th May. 25th World Telecommunication Day will be celebrated on 17th May, 1993. This year Theme of the day has been adopted as \"Telecommunication and Human Development\". This theme reflects the increasingly important role played by Telecommunications in the development of human potential in harmony with our natural environment. In the area of economic development, as well as being an important industry in their own right, telecommunications contribute to increase productivity and increased job opportunities in all economic sectors.
Telecommunications also have an important effect on the nature and location of work. They help companies to optimize the use of human resources, particularly through the decentralization of operations and the creation of \"telework\" opportunities for people who might not otherwise be able to participate in the labour market. At the same time, telecommunications can potentially help to counteract the social displacement and disorder that characterize industrial society, by reducing economic migration between rural and urban areas, as well as between developing and developed countries. In the past, migrations of this kind were generally based on hopes for better living conditions. The reality was often something quite different crowded urban slums, inadequate health care and other social services, crime and strain on the social fabric of societies. In the future, telecommunications will hopefully help create more balanced social structures by providing job opportunities and an improved quality of life in all countries and regions of the world.
Telecommunications play an important role in improving health care. To-day radio telex and satellites are essential to the monitoring and control of many diseases on a regional and global basis. For example, telecommunication technologies played a crucial role in the eradication of smallpox. Telecommunications also help to make health care available in remote areas by linking rural clinics to major medical centres and allowing rural health care workers to consult medical experts in urban hospitals.
In the field of culture and education, the contributions of radio and television have been immense both in promoting basic literacy and in broadening the outlook and enriching the lives of listeners and viewers.
Telecommunications play an important role in preserving and enhancing the quality of the natural environment on which human development depends. Remote sensing satellites are indispensable tools for monitoring the earth\'s atmosphere, coastal waters, agricultural crops and forests. The data they gather enable us to identify the sources and effect of man-made pollution and deforestation as well as natural threats to the environment, so that we can better manage our planet\'s environment.
Telecommunications also have a very important effect on our political life. In recent years, a wave of democratic reform has swept the world, bringing about a new era of human rights and freedoms. This process has certainly been helped by the \"real-time\" coverage these events have received in both domestic and world-wide media, coverage which would not have been possible without advanced telecommunications.
(Contributed by: Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation, Islamabad).

21st Conference of Foreign Ministers of Islamic Countries.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference was established when the Heads of Islamic States met for the first time in Rabat in 1969 in the wake of the sacrilegious act of burning of Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in August, 1969. The leaders participating in that Summit expressed their conviction that their common creed constituted a powerful factor bringing their people closer together and fostering understanding between them. They declared that their Governments would consult each other with a view to promoting among them close co-operation and mutual assistance in the economic, cultural and spiritual fields, inspired by the immortal teachings of Islam.
The area of work of the Organization of Islamic Conference extends to all aspects of co-operation among one billion Muslims, all around the world. In over two decades of its existence, the Islamic Conference has been able to establish close co-operation among member states in the political, economic and cultural fields and has set up institutions which would foster such co-operation.
Pakistan has been playing a very active and constructive role in the affairs of the Islamic Conference. The 2nd Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers was held at Karachi in December 1970 and in 1974, it had the honour to host the 2nd Islamic Summit at Lahore. The First Session of the Islamic Commission for Economic, Cultural and Social Affairs was also held at Karachi in January 1977 and in 1980 it hosted the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference as well as the regular Session of the 11th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.
The 21St Conference of Foreign Ministers of Islamic Countries is being held in Karachi from 25 to 29 April, 1993. The agenda of the Conference includes a number of items of great political significance to the Islamic world and relating to the co-operation among Islamic countries in the economic, social and culture fields. These issues include Middle East, Palestine, Bosnia Herzegovina, Jammu & Kashmir dispute, Afghanistan, destruction of the Babri Mosque as well as collective security of the Islamic Ummah.
(Contributed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad)
To commemorate the 21St Conference of Foreign Ministers of Islamic Countries being held at Karachi from 25 to 29th April, 1993, Pakistan Postal Services Corporation is issuing a set of two commemorative postage stamps of Re. 1/- and Rs. 6/- denomination on the inaugural day of the Conference on April 25, 1993.

Dresses Of Pakistan

The embroidery style peculiar to the Punjab (though executed in some parts of the Frontier also) is 'phulkari' generally done on shawls meant for the bride. In the traditional 'phulkari' the patterns are separated by plain spaces. But in the 'bag\' (garden) pattern sometimes the entire surface of the cloth is covered. The 'bagh' styles are named after the dominant motifs and colours, like 'Shalimar bagh' 'chand bagh', 'mirch bagh', 'satranga', 'panch-ranga', etc. Another variety is 'chop', in which the edges are richly embroidered. The technique is the simple darning stitch, done from the back, either by counting the threads or with the help of a thread line. In 'bagh' work the stitch is so refined that the embroidery becomes the fabric itself. The quality of workmanship is judged by the smoothness at the back that can only come from the evenness of stitches.

Traditionally, 'phulkari' was done with silk thread but now cotton, synthetic and woolen threads are also used. The dominant colours are red, pink, white and green.

In the Northern Areas and Frontier, bold geometric patterns in primary colours continue to be embroidered on shirts trousers, cloaks, bed-sheets and handkerchiefs. Swati embroidery still bears a strong Greek influence. Chitral and Gilgit are renowned for embroidery on 'chunghas' (loose cloaks) which are made from locally woven patti cloth. The decorative motifs include 'tughras', geometric and floral designs, creepers, etc. Embroidered woolen caps are made throughout the Frontier region and so are braided velvet waistcoats.

Baluchi embroideries are also famous throughout the world for their bold patterns and rich colour schemes. The best workmanship here, too, is on shirts. A unique item is the 'pushk' (loose shirt) which has embroidered pattern on the front portion, matching cuffs and a pouch on the lower half of its front. The techniques include hurmutch, inert laced, and chain-stitch. The buttonhole stitch is employed to set mirrors. The Baluchi women have acquired a special skill in ornamentation of clothes with mirror-work. They create equally pleasing effect with abundance of mirrors on a simple base and with a few mirror pieces set within an intricately embroidered design.

In Sindh exquisite patterns are embroidered on shirts, shawls and scarves. The most lavishly done pieces is the 'guj' the bride's wedding shirt. The entire shirt is covered with embroidery and mirror work. A common design is to divide the surface into rectangles with a sunflower motif in the centre and separated from one another by elaborately worked borders.

The traditional embroidered shawls include 'abochinais', worn by women, and 'malirs' worn by men. Another example of typical Sindhi embroidery is 'bokhani' a scarf thrown over the shoulder by the bridegroom. Usually, geometric, floral and animal motifs are embroidered in red and black. However, the largest variety of patterns is found on shirts. Besides ornamentation with decorative thread-work mirror pieces are used to enhance the beauty of the pieces. The darning stitch is often and inch long. The button-hole stitch is employed to bring out flowers and leaves in sharper relief or to set mirrors.

(Contributed by Shehla Rahman, Karachi)

The Pakistan Postal Services Corporation is issuing a set of special postage stamps of Rs. 6/- value each depicting four different dresses of Pakistan on March 10, 1993.