Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Ashfaq Tola elected as VP of South Asian Federation of Accountants

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Another feather was added to the cap of Ashfaq Yousuf Tola, acclaimed as one of the financial wizards of the country, when he was recently elected as the Vice President of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) in its annual elections, which include member countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Afghanistan. 

Having served as the Minister of State on Revenue and Chairman of the Tax Reforms and Resources Mobilization Commission in the government of former Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Ashfaq Tola is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan and the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan, besides Former President ICAP for the term 2022-2023. He has been a member of the ICAP’s Council since 2017. 

He has also served as the Vice President for the term 2020-22 and headed various committees of the Institute, including the Fiscal Laws, Economic Advisory and Government Relationship, Overseas Coordination, and Examination Committees. 

He is a life member of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry; he has also served as a technical advisor to a member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Board, a Member of the Board of Directors CA Worldwide, a Member of the Board of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA), Member of the Board of Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA), President of Karachi Club for four years. 

Ashfaq Tola, himself a fine exponent of the mind sport of bridge, has also held top positions at the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF) besides having played a pivotal role in its development and growth.

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Overseas Coordinator aims to keep KLA flying high

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Overseas Coordinator of the Karachi Librarian Association (KLA), Muhammad Younis Hashmi, has set high goals for letting the association continue flying high in every nook and corner of the world. 

Having relocated in Canada’s city of Milton, after having been a practicing librarian for more than four decades in his home country, Pakistan, he has kept himself busy in professional and social engagements. He has had incredible passion for his chosen field and he desires to raise the bar for KLA, of which he is one of the co-founders. 

“The KLA has tremendous potential. While my fellow office-bearers are doing a great job in their respective capacities at Karachi, I am trying my best for the furtherance of our noble cause abroad, particularly in Canada and the United States of America (USA). I am reaching out the librarians who are based here now after having studied and worked at the City of Lights,” Younis Hashmi remarked enthusiastically while talking to PNFS on Boxing Day. 

“I have already touched base with quite a few stalwarts of the profession who have made North America as their home. Almost every one of them is excited and thrilled with the development and progress which the KLA has made in just four months after having emerged on the horizon on August 25, 2023,” he disclosed. 

“Now I am planning to introduce the KLA to the library community of USA and Canada. We are confident that they would extend cooperation to us. Our librarians can learn lot from each other by sharing experiences. The KLA will bridge the gap with the active support of its energetic office-bearers under the leadership and guidance of our President, Farheen Mahmood, and our Advisor, Syed Khalid Mahmood” he concluded.

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Sudden rebirth of Karachi Library Association

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As some people say many great things happens by chance. So was the case of birth or rather rebirth of Karachi Library Association (KLA). It was during an informal conference call between four like-minded visionaries, three of them career librarians and the fourth one a library activist, when the word KLA was mentioned for the first time during the second week of August 2023. 

Muhammad Younus Hashmi, now having relocated in Canada after serving the technical library of the national flag-carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), for more than four decades, floated the idea of creating a platform by the name of KLA to carry out activities to boost the community of librarians. 

Both Farheen Mahmood, Chief Librarian, Adamjee Government College, and Shama Bano, Chief Librarian, PECHS Government College, equally passionate to do something good for fellow librarians, promptly agreed to the suggestion and they tasked Syed Khalid Mahmood, having vast experience of social sector, to do spadework for the proposed KLA. That’s how it all began! The rest is history as they say. 

The goodwill and endeavours of the quartet helped in turning the dream into reality much more quickly than anticipated. Syed Munawwar Ali, Nasir Mustafa, Bushra Roohi, Prof Amir Subhani, Wajid Ali Chandio, Rehana Sadiq, Ali Asghar Dars and Farzana Zafar, eight more librarians of eminence, sharing the burning desire to make things happen, got together on the historic day of August 25 as the ‘dedicated dozen’ joined hands formally by declaring the formation of KLA with a bang. A new star was born. The date is now set to be celebrated as Foundation Day of KLA in the years to come. 

Historically there used to be an organization by the identical name of KLA, established soon after the creation of Pakistan. They contributed their bit before receding into background. Therefore, technically it could also be described as rebirth of the first-ever library body of the country. Birth or rebirth, the newly launched KLA seems to be having the energy as well as resources to bring about revolution of sorts. The founder members of new KLA possess the drive and determination to sail through rough tides in order to achieve their objectives.

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

KLA dignitaries recognized in Syed Khalid Mahmood’s author session at Habib Public School

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The top officials of the Karachi Library Association (KLA) were recognized by the Principal of the famed Habib Public School during the Author Session, conducted by Syed Khalid Mahmood, an eminent media personality and library activist, as a part of the International Literacy Day celebrations. 

Farheen Mahmood, President, KLA, and Shama Bano, Senior Vice President, KLA, were specially invited at the event as the guests of honour. They were also escorted to the Senior Library where they went around its various sections. 

“The library team thoroughly appreciates your efforts in reviving the reading culture in society through your activities and initiatives from the platform of the KLA,” Rubina Merchant, Head of Library Science at Habib Public School, reckoned. 

The Principal of the school, Minhas Tejani, presented mementoes to both the guests of honour as well as to the man of the moment, author Syed Khalid Mahmood, who also happens to be the Advisor to KLA. 

The author session on the subject of ‘explore the world of sports through books’ turned out to be an extremely lively event as a large number of students from Class VI to VIII participated actively in it and showed a lot of inclination towards creative activities. The participants displayed hunger for reading and listening to stories of outstanding athletes besides other high-achievers.

KLA delegation attends digital library inauguration at Nusrat Bhutto College

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Other than participation of a delegation of the Karachi Library Association (KLA), the inauguration ceremony of digital library at Nusrat Bhutto Degree College in Lyari, Karachi, on September 19 turned out to be a lackluster affair. 

The Director General of Colleges, Government of Sindh, Prof Shadab Hussain, who was the designated chief guest, didn’t turn up for the event The Regional Director of Colleges, Prof Suleman Sayal, in his presidential address spoke about various challenges being faced by his department without even touching the subject of digitalization of libraries. 

The Principal of Nusrat Bhutto Degree College, Prof Muhammad Rauf, also didn’t deem it proper to share details of the digital library which was being inaugurated which looked quite strange to the participants of ceremony, which featured heads of various other colleges of the area. 

The college librarian, Abdul Wajid Chandio, who also happens to be the Joint Secretary of KLA, conducted the proceedings in an impressive manner but it were the majority of the speakers who didn’t deem it proper to talk about the subject of the day which was digitalization of library. 

The KLA President, Farheen Mahmood, was the only speaker to briefly touch the subject. The KLA Advisor, Syed Khalid Mahmood, was also present on the occasion.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

KLA President believes in letting work do all talking

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Unlike the majority of her contemporaries, the Founder President of Karachi Library Association (KLA), Farheen Mahmood, firmly believes in letting the work do all the talking instead of making noise simply by engaging into publicity stunts.

“The media coverage of events is obviously vital which has to be earned but setting high standards. The best way to stay in the news is to keep performing at the stage. From the platform of KLA we plan to be doing lots of things to boost the image of the librarians as well as serve the cause of general public,” the soft-spoken seasoned library professional remarked in a brief chat with PNFS on September 13. 

Currently working as Chief Librarian at the iconic Adamjee Government College, after having served as Principal of the Government Degree College for Women Sector 11-I North Karachi, where she had set a new trend by organizing a fun-filled and action-packed Library Day in February 2022, Farheen foresees a bright future for KLA. 

“The KLA founding members are committed to the profession and all of them also care for the society. We feel blessed to have gathered such a strong team which has already started making vibes due to its sincere efforts and regular activities,” she pointed out.

“The KLA will be sustaining this momentum as all the founding members are on board to drive the Association with their constant participation. It’s really fulfilling for me to be leading a well-knit team of such dedicated professionals all of whom are raring to go,” Farheen concluded.