A blood donation camp for thalassaemia patients and a girls sports gala was held at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) on January 4, 2015.

At the blood camp, Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) Managing Director Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh was the chief guest. Senator Najma Hameed was the chief guest at the sports gala. MNA Tahira Aurangzeb, MPAs Tehseen Fawad, Zaibunnisa, Sobia Satti, and Lubna Rehan Pirzada, PMAS-AAUR Vice Chancellor Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad, deans, directors, faculty members and large number of students were also present on the occasion.

 The blood donation camp was held in collaboration with the thalassemia centre of PBM, which draws a huge response from the students especially girls who turned up to donate blood for the patients suffering from thalassaemia. More than 100 students and faculty members donated blood at the camp.

The colourful girls sports gala was organised by PMAS-AAUR Directorate of Sports with an aim to provide female students with an opportunity to explore their talent in a practical way. Students from various departments showed their enthusiasm by participating in different sports activities.

Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh, while addressing the participants said that the practice of voluntary blood donation is very low in the country as compared to the developed countries and patients especially those who required regular blood transfusion were miserably suffering. He said there was a dire need to create awareness among the masses regarding thalassaemia and urged the students to continue actively participating in welfare activities especially those targeting the poor section of the society.

Senator Najma Hameed and MNA Tahira Aurngzeb while addressing said that said that women are the half of country’s population and through healthy sports activities we can prepare them for the tough future challenges. A woman can play a pivotal role in the uplift of the society, they added. They further said that present government has been trying to provide better opportunities for extracurricular events to the youth so that they could play their role in nation building. 

At the end, the chief guest distributed prizes and shields among the students who got top positions in different competitions.

Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad said that such extracurricular activities are essential for the personality development of students. He said the objective behind holding the sports gala was to engage the students in healthy activities. Speaking at the blood donation camp, he called on all the students to donate blood and highlighted the importance of voluntary blood donation in protecting precious human lives. He also appreciated the donation of blood by female students.

The management sciences team won the badminton championship by beating the agriculture faculty team. In the handkerchief snatching competition, faculty of veterinary department team got first position by defeating the biochemistry department team. Tug of war was won by the economics department team by defeating management sciences team.