PhD Foreign Scholarships

PhD Foreign Scholarships

News submitted by: SYED TAHIR ABBAS

Applications under Higher Education Commission Funded project are invited from candidates possessing medical or health professional qualifications after 16 years of education, duly recognized by relevant statutory regulatory bodies of the country i.e. Pakistan Medical & Dental Council / Pakistan Nursing Council and Higher Education Commission in the following disciplines for the grant of scholarships for pursuing higher studies leading to the award of PhD degree in the HEC identified world top ranked discipline wise Universities:-

Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Public Health, Vision Sciences and Medical EducationAfter completion of their respective PhD degrees, the selectees shall be required to serve on the faculty of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar for at least

Five (05) years.

Eligibility Criteria

Pakistani / AJK nationals only
Maximum two 2nd Divisions throughout the academic career
No 3rd division (less than 50% marks) or D-Grade in academic career.
Maximum age on the closing date of submission of application:-
40-years for full time faculty members of public sector Universities / Colleges and R&D Organization.
35-years for all others.
Should have minimum cumulative 50% academic marks as per HEC Academic Evaluation Formula (HEC-AEF).

Candidates who are availing any other HEC Scholarship are not eligible to apply.
The selected applicant will have to secure admission into PhD program or mater’s leading to a PhD in the specified disciplines in the HEC identified world top ranked discipline wiseuniversities.

Selection Criteria:

The selection of the candidates for PhD will be through open national competition by merit established through HEC AEF (Academic Evaluation Formula) for faculty members and other candidates.The applicants fulfilling the criteria will be required to appear before a selection committee of Khyber Medical University. Job will be offered to the successful candidates by the University.

Application Procedure:
Application form may be downloaded from the university website i.e. www.kmu.edu.pk
Last date for submission of the application is 11th July, 2009.

Forex Trading Tips In The Foreign Exchange Market

Are you one of those who have heard about Forex trading but not sure what it really is? Or you would like to find forex trading tips on how it works and if you can make money out of it, but not sure whom to ask? Well, I can tell you are not alone in this situation. Many people think that they are familiar with Forex trading, but in reality, most of them think that forex trading has something to do with stocks or bonds.

Forex trading is different from stocks or bonds. It is a type of trading that involves trading of currency pairs. The currencies that are usually chosen for trading are considered above the rest because they are stable and have a greater value than other foreign currencies.
For all the newcomers to the forex market, the first piece of tips is to protect themselves from frauds. If you’re new in forex trading, it doesn’t hurt to take some advice from the ones who are already engaged in forex trading. In fact, you can make use of their tips for your own good, and even to your advantage.

People across the globe participate in forex trading and that’s why it is not surprising to see the kind of frauds that are able to infiltrate the financial market. To shield the legitimate traders from these frauds, they must be made aware of these growing facts, so that they can take suitable actions to protect their trading career.

The opportunities that forex trading provides for different individuals, firms, and organizations is growing rapidly every year. And accompanying this growth is the widespread growth of different scams related with forex trading. But you should not worry because there are a lot of legitimate companies or firms that can help you in forex trading.
The best thing to do is to find these legitimate companies to stay away from fraudulent ones. However, most new traders fall prey to these scammers because of their savory offers.
Don’t get fooled by the companies that advertise high profits for minimal risks. The fact is that, if you want to earn high profits, then you are likely subjected to high risks as well. Higher rate of profit means higher risk.

So, always stay on the safer side. If you’re looking for a forex trading broker, and since each broker is part of a certain company, make sure that you select a government registered company. In signing any contract with them, double check if they are registered or certified brokers. This is one basic precaution that will prevent any misfortune that you might encounter in the future.

The job of reducing the risk is entirely yours, not that of the broker; so if the company offers or promises little risks, guaranteed profits, and the like, that is a sure sign that they are there to make a fool out of you.

Even if you are not a professional trader, a little use of the common sense can help in long run.
Before actually participating in any forex trade, make sure you have done your homework. Do the research and jot down all the necessary details about the trading transaction that you wish to perform. Ever heard of inter-bank market? Stay away from companies which lure you into trading in the inter-bank market because the currency transactions are negotiated in a wobbly network of large companies and financial institutions.
Also, make sure to check the background or history of the trading company. If a certain company does not disclose information about their background, that should serve as a red flag. It means that you should continue doing transactions with them. Nor is it advisable to transfer/send cash through the mail or the internet. Practice caution in everything you do, and you’ll be more than sure that you are always safe.

Fraudulent companies often solicit services and advertise soaring pressure tactics to attract you in participating or joining their services. An offshore company which guarantees no risk and return of profit is a big NO. Always be skeptical and don’t give in to any instant offer that comes your way.

TRADING ONLY WITH MOVING AVERAGE

TRADING ONLY WITH MOVING AVERAGE

At the moment I am rather busy. Moving to a new place and house. The house still needs a lot of work. As a result, I do not have time to update this blog. Trading is still going on but on a shorter timeframe. Result is consistent now.

AudUsd is very kind at the moment with no sudden movement.In the next few weeks I will show you how to trade using only MA. As usual what works for me may not work for you. This is because some of you may not be able to follow the rules of the game.RULES OF THE GAME1. Trade based on your capital and the time that you have. The bigger your capital the longer the TF.

The more time you have the longer the TF. Vice versa.2. Only trade at the direction pointed by the MA pairs. If the MA pairs is showing mixed direction, do not trade. The MA pairs must be pointing at the same direction.3. If a trade suddenly change direction, do not hesitate to close it at a loss and turn the trade. This is the hardest part where most of you failed. Free your mind or become a loser all your life.4. Keep in mind, there is no such thing as winning all the time. Just make sure you win a lot more than you lose. In the end your profit will grow along with your confident.Simple system with simple rules. I like to keep it simple. No point of having the most complex system when simple system can have the same result. With this system you will be out of the market most of the time.

This is because you will only be taking the big move and avoiding the small move and market noise. Last advise. Do not anticipate. Forex is not a game of inteligence eventhough this system at full swing will show you possible turning point.

I am having a possible turning point for audusd at 0.7200 but I will not take it coz there will be market swing before the actual turn. Why wast time waiting for the big move when you can actually see when its going to move.In the mean time, good luck for all of you.

I will be back once my pc is online again. At the moment I am posting this on a laptop. I dont like laptop, too small keypad, makes it hard to do speed typing.

Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: بانک مرکزی جمهوری اسلامی ايران, Bank Markazi Jomhouri Islami Iran) is the central bank of Iran. It is entirely government owned.

History

The Ilkhanate were one of the rulers of Iran that tried to introduce paper currency in Iran in the late 13th century, without success.

In modern banking, the British first opened the Imperial Bank of Persia in 1889, with offices in all major cities of Persia and India. To compete with the British bank, Imperial Russia also opened the Russian Loan and Development Bank.

The first state owned Iranian bank, Bank Melli Iran was established in 1927 by the government of Iran. The bank's primary objective was to facilitate government's financial transactions and to print and distribute the Iranian currency (rial and toman). For more than 33 years, Bank Melli Iran was acting as the central bank of Iran with the responsibility to maintain the value of Iranian Rial.

In August 1960, the Iranian government established the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and separated all central banking responsibilities from Bank Melli Iran and assigned it to the newly formed central bank.

The Central Bank of Iran was renamed to "the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran" immediately after the Islamic revolution and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran. Scope and responsibilities of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran (CBI) have been defined in the Monetary and Banking Law of Iran

CBI maintains a museum of historic and ancient jewelry owned and used by the ex-kings of Persia. This museum houses the Imperial Crown Jewels and is one of the most appealing tourist attractions in Iran.

Governors of the Central Bank of Iran


Governor
Date
Ebrahim Kashani
1960
Ali Asghar Poor Homayoon
1961
Mahdi Samii
1964
Khodadad Farmanfarmayan
1969
Mahdi Samii
1970
Abdolali Jahanshahi
1971
Mohammad Yeganeh
1973
Hassan-Ali Mehran
1975
Yoosef Khoshkish
1978
Mohammad Ali Molavi
1979
Alireza Nobari
1979
Mohsen Nourbakhsh
1981
Majid Ghasemi
1986
Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli
1989
Mohsen Nourbakhsh
1994
Mohammad Javad Vahhaji (acting)
2003
Ebrahim Sheibani
2003
Tahmasb Mazaheri
2007
Mahmoud Bahmani
2008

Objectives

Objectives
The objectives of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran as per its charter and according to section 10 of the Monetary and Banking Law of Iran are as follows:
Maintaining the value of national currency
Maintaining the equilibrium in the balance of payments
Facilitating trade-related financial transactions
Improving the growth potential of the country

Islamic banking

In a country where the government claims to follow the strict Islamic principles, running a traditional banking network would be against the fundamental teachings of Qur’an. Therefore, immediately after the Islamic Revolution, the Central Bank was mandated to establish an Islamic banking law. In 1983 the Islamic Banking law of Iran was passed by the Islamic Majlis of Iran. According to this law, Iranian banks can only engage in interest-free Islamic transactions (interest is considered as usury or riba and is forbidden by Islam and the holy book of Qur’an). These are commercial transactions that involve exchange of goods and services in return for a share of the assumed "profit". Iran uses what are officially termed "provisional" interest rates, as rates paid to depositors or received from borrowers should reflect the profits or losses of a business.
All such transactions are performed through Islamic contracts, such as Mozarebe, Foroush Aghsati, Joale, Salaf, and Gharzol-hassane. Details of these contracts and related practices are outlined in the Iranian Interest-Free banking law and its guidelines. This law describes and authorizes an Iranian Shiite version of Islamic commercial laws. Iran’s banking system adheres to Islamic rules that prohibit earning or paying interest.

Critics believe that this law has simply created the context for legitimizing usury or riba. In reality all banks are charging their borrowers a fixed pre-set amount at a rate of interest that is approved by the Central Bank at least once a year. No goods or services are exchanged as part of these contracts and banks rarely assume any commercial risk. High value collateral items such as real estate, commercial paper, bank guarantees and machinery eliminate any risk of loss. In case of defaults or bankruptcies, the principle amount, the expected interest and the late fees are collected through possession and or sale of secured collaterals.

Karachi Stock Exchange

Karachi Stock Exchange

The Karachi Stock Exchange or KSE is a stock exchange located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1947, it is Pakistan's largest and oldest stock exchange, with many Pakistani as well as overseas listings. Its current premises are situated on Stock Exchange Road, in the heart of Karachi's Business District.

History

Karachi Stock Exchange is the biggest and most liquid exchange in Pakistan. It was declared the “Best Performing Stock Market of the World for the year 2002”. As on May 30, 2008, 654 companies were listed with a market capitalization of Rs. 3,746.203 billion (US$ 56.334 billion) having listed capital of Rs. 705.873 billion (US$ 10.615 billion). The KSE 100TM Index closed at 12130.51 on May 30, 2008.


Business
Trading

The exchange has pre-market sessions from 09:15am to 09:30am and normal trading sessions from 09:30am to 03:30pm. It is the second oldest stock exchange in South Asia. The karachi stock exchange has undergone a considerable deal of downturn partly due to global financial crisis and partly on account of domestic troubles. It remained suspended in excess of 4 months and resumed normal trading only on December 15,2008. The KSE 100 Index and KSE 30 Index after hitting the low around mid january has now rebounced and recovered 20-25% till March 12th 2009.

Growth

The KSE is the biggest and most liquid exchange in Pakistan and in 2002 it was declared as the “Best Performing Stock Market of the World” by Business Week. As of December 20, 2007, 671 companies were listed with the market capitalization of Rs. 4364.312 billion (US$ 73 Billion) having listed capital of Rs. 717.3 billion (US$ 12 billion). On December 26, 2007, the KSE 100 Index reached its ever highest value and closed at 14,814.85 points.

Foreign buying interest had been very active on the KSE in 2006 and continued in 2007. According to estimates from the State Bank of Pakistan, foreign investment in capital markets total about US$523 Million. According to a research analyst in Pakistan, around 20pc of the total free float in KSE-30 Index is held by foreign participants.

KSE has seen some fluctuations since the start of 2008. One reason could be that it is the election year in Pakistan, and stocks are expected to remain dull. KSE has set an all time high of 15,000 points, before settling around the 14,000 mark.

Karachi stock exchange Board of Directors has recently (2007) announced plans to construct a 40 story high rise KSE building, as a new direction for future investment.

Disputes between investors and members of the Exchange are resolved through deliberations of the Arbitration Committee of the Exchange.

KSE began with a 50 shares index. As the market grew a representative index was needed. On November 1st, 91 the KSE-100 was introduced and remains to this day the most generally accepted measure of the Exchange. Karachi Stock Exchange 100 Index (KSE-100 Index) is a benchmark used to compare prices overtime, companies with the highest market capitalization are selected. To ensure full market representation, the company with the highest market capitalization from each sector is also included.


In 1995 the need was felt for an all share index to reconfirm the KSE-100 and also to provide the basis of index trading in future. On August the 29th, 1995 the KSE all share index was constructed and introduced on September 18, 1995.


2008 Karachi Stock Exchange Crisis

• April 20 : Karachi Stock Exchange achieved a major milestone when KSE-100 Index crossed the psychological level of 15,000 for the first time in its history and peaked 15,737.32 on 20 April, 2008. Moreover, the increase of 7.4 per cent in 2008 made it the best performer among major emerging markets.
• May 23: Record high inflation in the month of May, 2008 resulted in the unexpected increase in the interest rates by State Bank of Pakistan which eventually resulted in sharp fall in Karachi Stock Exchange.
• July 17 :Angry investors attacked the Karachi Stock Exchange in protest at plunging Pakistani share prices.
• July 16 : KSE-100 Index dropped one-third from an all-time high hit in April, 2008 as rising pressure on shaky Pakistan's coalition government to tackle Taliban militants exacerbates concern about the country's economic woes.
• August 18: KSE 100 Index rose more than 4% after the announcement of the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf but Credit Suisse Group said that Pakistan's Post-Musharraf rally in Stock Exchange will be short-lived because of a rising fiscal deficit and runaway inflation.
• August 28 :Karachi Stock Exchange set a floor for stock prices to halt a plunge that has wiped out $36.9 billion of market value since April.
  December 15: Trading resumes after the removal of floor on stock prices that was set on

The HFX Automated Forex Trading Solution Components

In a corporate environment an application or computer used to make real money is referred to as a "production application" or a "production system" Meaning that this system is making money and must be treated as such.

When you run MetaTrader 4 on a Forex trading account you do so with the intention of making your financial investment grow. This makes your MT4 a Production Application!

Large corporations know enough to set these production applications up in the best possible operating environment because they understand that this is necessary in order to achieve the best possible outcome.
The HFX Complete Automated Forex Trading Solution brings this optimum environment within the reach of the average Forex investor regardless how 'computer challenged' they may be. The solution includes everything needed to run a state of the art private automated trading terminal. Complete with software and remote VPS server infrastructure. The solution is completely built from the ground up and tested by our staff to ensure proper functionality. In the end, you receive a completely functional and working solution that is already set up and properly configured.

In addition, you also receive superior support, system monitoring and on-going maintenance for your private Automated Trading terminal.

The Foreign Exchange Market

The Foreign Exchange Market (currency, forex, or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. It is where banks and other official institutions facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies. FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The foreign exchange market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.

Now, the FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial mark and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements. Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney’s annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008.
The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc., and the need for trading in such currencies.

The Forex market is a non-stop cash market where currencies of nations are traded, typically via brokers. Foreign currencies are constantly and simultaneously bought and sold across local and global markets and traders’ investments increase or decrease in value based upon currency movements. Foreign exchange market conditions can change at any time in response to real-time events. The main enticements of currency dealing to private investors and attractions for short-term Forex trading are:

• 
  24-hour trading, 5 days a week with non-stop access to global Forex dealers.
  An enormous liquid market making it easy to trade most currencies.
  Volatile markets offering profit opportunities.
  Standard instruments for controlling risk exposure.
  The ability to profit in rising or falling markets.
  Leveraged trading with low margin requirements.
  Many options for zero commission trading.

Bank of America

Our Philosophy“We believe, very simply, that it is the actions of individuals working together that build strong communities ... and that business has an obligation to support those actions in the communities it serves.”

Kenneth D. Lewis, CEO and President At Bank of America, we are committed to creating meaningful change in the communities we serve through our philanthropic efforts, associate volunteerism, community development activities and investing, support of arts and culture programming and environmental initiatives.

Grant Programs We are building strong, healthy neighborhoods where all of us can live, work and dream by investing in innovative programs designed to serve local community needs.

Working in partnership with community leaders, Bank of America's local market leadership directs the majority of our giving through local grants that address pressing social, economic, and cultural needs of communities across our global footprint. In addition, we partner with national organizations such as the United Way of America and Habitat for Humanity International to direct resources to local communities. Through our signature philanthropic program, the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative®, we enhance nonprofits' ability to serve more individuals and families in need and develop nonprofit visionaries, local heroes, and students as our community leaders of today and tomorrow.

Associate Commitment At Bank of America, we are proud to support our associates who give their time, energy and financial resources to create better neighborhoods in the many communities we serve. Through generous Matching Gifts and Volunteer Grants programs, we encourage associates to direct charitable giving from the bank to organizations they support financially or through volunteerism. Each year, Team Bank of America volunteers donate more than 650,000 hours to help meet critical community needs across our global footprint.

Philanthropic Management The Philanthropic Management group at Bank of America delivers expertise and a comprehensive suite of investment and charitable management services to help individuals and institutions build and sustain their missions. Philanthropic Management also provides discretionary grantmaking services for numerous foundations for which it serves as Trustee

FOREX-Asian comments provide a big boost to the dollar

The dollar recovered from its lowest levels this year against the euro on Wednesday after monetary sources in Asia said they would keep buying U.S. Treasuries even if the U.S. credit rating were to be cut.The remarks from sources in China, Japan, India and South Korea [ID:nSP412010], compiled by Reuters from separate interviews, helped to stem recent selling that has driven the dollar index .DXY to its lowest this year and down more than 7 percent since the start of May.Traders viewed the comments as an expression of support for dollar-denominated assets from the nations that control about half of the world's currency reserves. Dollar weakness would erode the value of U.S. investments."As the dollar continues to weaken, vocal intervention of this sort will rise," said Jacob Oubina, currency strategist at Forex.com in Bedminster, New Jersey. "This at least sets some kind of ceiling on euro strength and puts a floor under dollar weakness."The euro pulled away from a five-month high it had hit in early trade and selling accelerated after the Reuters story was published. Sterling retreated from a seven-month high against the U.S. currency.In early New York trade, the euro traded 0.7 percent lower at $1.4210 on electronic trading platform EBS , after hitting a session low $1.4177 and falling from $1.4339 hit in early trade, its strongest since December.The dollar index, which tracks the currency's moves against a basket of six currencies, rose as much as half a percent after the comments, keeping just above its lowest level of the year hit on Tuesday. .DXYSome of the dollar's slide in past weeks has been attributed to speculation that the U.S. credit rating may be downgraded, a move that may prompt nations to diversify their foreign reserves away from U.S. Treasuries.The comments by the monetary sources in Asia came after a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to China, the world's biggest holder of Treasuries, during which he assured Beijing its U.S. investments were safe because Washington is committed to a strong dollar policy.Analysts said that the dollar-positive comments had prompted traders to lock in profits against the suffering U.S. currency and that it might help to stem its recent selling for the time being but was unlikely to change the trend."The market is becoming somewhat stretched on short dollar positions as there has been decent-sized buying in euro and sterling, so traders were looking for a reason to calm things down," said Geoffrey Yu, currency strategist at UBS in London.

Introduction of Forex

IntroductionAlthough the foreign exchange market is the largest traded market in the world, its reach to the retail sector pales in comparison to the Equity and Fixed Income markets. This is in large part due to a general lack of awareness of FX in the investor community, along with as a lack of understanding of how and why currencies move. Adding to the mystique of this market is the lack of a physical central exchange akin to the NYSE or the CME. It is this very lack of structure that enables the FX markets to operate on a 24-hour basis, beginning the trading day in New Zealand and continuing through the time zones.Traditionally, access to the FX market was limited to the bank community that traded large blocks of currencies for commercial, hedging, or speculative purposes. The creation of well-capitalized firms like FXDD has opened the door of Forex trading to such institutions as funds and money managers, as well as to the individual retail trader. This sector of the market has grown exponentially over the past several years.

Sana Tariq ARY Oneworld Morning Show Bakhabar Savera

WORLD FOREX: Dollar Sold Vs All Major Currencies

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The dollar declined to session lows versus all the major currencies Friday after Moody's Investors Service issued a downgrade warning to California.
Moody's said California's A2 general obligation rating, as well as the ratings for lease debt and other state-backed debt, are on Watchlist for possible downgrade.
Concerns on California stem from an expected budget gap and announcements by the state controller that without solutions the state won't be able to meet all its financial obligations in July.
"The state set no limits on spending, and we're heading that way across the U.S. as well, raising concerns [on the dollar]," said Jacob Oubina, a currency strategist at Forex.com.
The dollar, therefore, was sold off in a knee-jerk reaction.
The timing of the dollar's move also coincided with the closing of positions ahead of the end of London trade. In addition, several options expire Friday across markets in equities and commodities.
As a result, "it can get pretty nasty," said Oubina.
The fixing time, or a key reference point for rates, around 11:30 a.m. EDT, is increasingly the moment at which businesses choose to execute their deals.
"That's why you get such a big run up in currencies at that time, without even that much volume," said John McCarthy, manager of currency trading at ING Capital Markets in New York.
He added that there were trading stops just above the $1.40 level for the euro, $1.65 for the pound and $0.8100 for the Australian dollar.
"That's all we do now ... just stopping people out of the bottom and top all the time. It's partly because the equity markets aren't telling us anything," given recent choppiness, said McCarthy.
The euro hit its highest level since Monday, $1.4013, while the dollar fell as low as Y96.02. The U.K. pound advanced to a one-week high of $1.6562. The dollar fell to CHF1.0765. The Australian dollar gained to $0.8117.
However, since the close of European markets, the dollar has come off its lowest levels and the euro retreated with a decline in U.S. stocks.
The euro recently hit an intraday low against the yen at Y134.11.
Friday afternoon in New York, the euro was at $1.3961 from $1.3894 late Thursday, while the dollar was at Y96.06 from Y96.62, according to EBS. The euro was at Y134.12 from Y134.22. The pound was at $1.6485 from $1.6341, while the dollar was at CHF1.0800 from CHF1.0868.
Trading has been volatile and largely range bound all week, indicative of the market's uncertainty ahead of next week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
Analysts say traders are looking for a new trading catalyst, now that it appears the global recession is ending, but growth is far off. Possible contenders next week besides the FOMC include U.S. housing data; a U.S. Treasury auctioning for $104 billion in two-, five-, and seven-year notes; and a one-year, longer-term refinancing operation by the European Central Bank.

Samaa TV

Samaa TV awards scholarship and job offer to new media talent through HEC-Samaa TV scholaraship program

Islamabad, The first Scholarship programme for Media students in Pakistan announced its first batch of successful candidates at an award ceremony held at the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad.SAMAA TV, one of Pakistan’s leading urdu news channels, in joint collaboration with the Higher Education Commission today awarded scholarships to selected media students of public universities across Pakistan through the HEC-SAMAA TV Scholarship Programme. The successful students were awarded certificates by Ms. Shehnaz Wazir Ali, Chairperson HEC.Speaking at the media conference, Chief Guest, Mr. Qamar-Uz-Zaman Kaira, Federal Minister of Information & Broadcasting applauded HEC and SAMAA TV for taking a landmark initiative and developing the first scholarship programme targeted for media students. “This has highlighted the need for developing and catering the potential within our youth who carry the aspiration of pursuing a career in the media industry. This scholarship has further endorsed the importance of the public-private partnership model, which is the future road for improving the socio-economic situation in our country, as engaging all stakeholders across the board makes the journey more focused, result oriented and achievable”.The selected candidates for the HEC-SAMAA TV Scholarship Programme are Mr. Jaffar Hussain Pahnwar (University of Sindh), Mr. Muhammad Ashad (University of Karachi), Mr. Samar Abbas Qazafi (NUML), Mr. Usman Umer (Punjab University), Ms. Ghazala Zia (PU), Mr. Muhammad Atif Waheed (PU), Ms. Pawan Masaud Amna (PU), Mr. Muhammad Tauseef Sabih (PU), Mr. Hafiz Atiq ur-Rehman (PU), Mr. Muhammad Qurban (PU).Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV spoke on the new media age and said that ”The media is evolving on a fast track and is now one of the key players in the development of any nation – be it social, political or economic role play. The global journalism and competitive market now also demands quality work force. This scholarship programme is a step towards bridging the gaps between the academia and industry and creating the quality work force required to take Pakistan forward and position our country on a more competitive global footing”.Mr. Jahangir also said that SAMAA TV believes in constructive innovation journalism, which is particularly relevant to Pakistan, as since long the local media has relentlessly only pursued the country’s challenges. He said that “We, at SAMAA believe that it is time to move from “raising a problem” towards a solution oriented perspective”. Mr. Jahangir announced ten (10) new scholarships for mass communication students of public universities across Pakistan.The Scholarship Programme took its start through the signing of a MoU with the Higher Education Commission on 20th October 2008. Samaa TV will through this scholarship programme be providing (10) students from any public university across Pakistan with a scholarship of Rs. 50.000/- per student to cover the tuition fee for two years of Master’s level degree in Mass Communication. All of the successful candidates will upon completion of education and a min. scoring of GPA 3.0 be offered a one year job contract with SAMAA TV with salary at par with the industry standard and with desired departmentTo ensure a transparent selection and also to identify the most eligible and suitable candidate, a selection committee was established consisting of representatives from the HEC, SAMAA TV, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and Pakistan Federal Union Journalist (PFUJ). Each of the organizations carries an in-depth insight into the needs of a professional media person, who can become an asset to the development of the media industry.Samaa will through this initiative be creating potential and talent for the media industry and also be building the capacity of young individuals, who have the talent but lack the resources to achieve their educational standards. By financially supporting a talent, Samaa will be playing its active role in bringing a positive change in the social, political and economic scenario in Pakistan.SAMAA TV is one of Pakistan’s leading private satellite television channels, which takes pride in its fair, factual and independent news coverage through its on-the-hour bulletins, breaking stories, incisive political analysis and current affairs programs. The channel has also made a niche for itself through its programs on women and youth issues besides infotainment and sports. SAMAA TV, launched in December 2007 has network of district correspondents and 5 bureaus across Pakistan along with international stringers in the Middle East, Europe and North America