Recently I went through the whole process of applying for NICOP online through NADRA’s website and received our cards by mail a few days back. It was kind of a roller coaster ride as some aspects were clear in the beginning and others weren’t. The whole process has educated me enough that I wanted to pass my experiences on to others who are interested in applying online for NICOP.

Why Apply Online?

I would highly recommend to my fellow overseas Pakistanis to apply online if:
1. You want it as soon as possible (I got mine in less than 3 weeks!)
2. You hate working with papers, photocopies and filling forms (I really hate that!)
3. You are comfortable working with websites and online services (e.g. if you pay bills online)
4. You can operate a scanner and a few easy to use photo editing software with instructions (isn’t everyone into digital pictures these days?)

Getting NICOP is a Good Deal!

Here are some other compelling reasons to go get your NICOP.

1. Visa free entry into Pakistan, that’s currently a savings of $124 for people living in US (if you are a US citizen, travel on US Passport and don’t have a valid Pakistani Passport)

2. NADRA now requires every overseas Pakistani Citizen to obtain a NICOP.

3. It’s also a requirement now for the issuance of Pakistani Passports by our consulates/ embassies in foreign countries. Though you can still get a passport using your CNIC, but don’t count on it for too long. They will eventually expire as well and can only be renewed while you are in Pakistan, so you will need a NICOP eventually.

4. CNIC is printed in Urdu and targeted towards local population in Pakistan, NICOP is printed in English and thus targeted towards overseas Pakistanis. It serves as an identity in situations where you may need to prove your Pakistani Citizenship in the absence of a valid Pakistani Passport.

5. In my case it was a superb deal and best value for my money. My wife’s CNIC was about to expire so getting her a NICOP was a just investment. I needed a NICOP for my daughter who was born here in US so that she can enter Pakistan on our upcoming trip, and paying $124 for a Pakistani visa was just out of the question for a guy like me who keeps a very tight control over waste of his hard earned salary.

6. In the end I was the only one with a valid CNIC, which was good for another 5 years, but had to go get one as applying for NICOPs for your whole family at the same time is the best way to go, plus being the ‘Family Head’ I had to get it, as I needed to prove my status as such so that they can issue a NICOP to my daughter.

7. Our NICOPs are valid until 2018/2020/2023 (see my little concern below on validity periods) and we paid $37.11 (NICOP Fee) + $1.11 (Foreign Transaction Fee, charged by my credit card issuer), a total of mere $38.22 (per card) for them.

8. I personally think it’s a great deal and I thank our government for not robbing us, though they recently increased the fee (from $15 to $25 – this did affect me, I paid $25 plus delivery charges, totaling $37.11) & lowered the validity period (from 10 to 7 years – this didn’t affect me, as mentioned above the validity of our NICOPs is in the range of 10 to 15 years) but it still is pretty cheap, at least in my personal view.

Concern: I never understood why they issue CNIC/NICOP to everyone with totally different expiry dates, even if the cards were issued at the same time! All of my family members got our CNICs back in Pakistan at the same time and only a couple of us had the same expiry date or validity period, some had the validity of 5 years, others for 10 and 12 years! Same issue is there with our NICOPs.

By Mansoor Akbar Kundi

Reference: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/education/education1.htm 

Student politics have taken a nasty turn over the last few decades with violent protests and harassment on campus becoming the norm. Mansoor Akbar Kundi analyses how this happened and what the future holds.

POLITICS in public run universities and its affiliated colleges is a sad reflection on the achievement of these educational institutions. No matter what the bases of student politics — ethnic, political, ideological/religious, regional or even academic — the fact remains that it undermines academic pursuits and discipline at educational institutions.

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Gone are the days when higher education meant doing MBBS or B.E only! Nowadays, a host of fresh disciplines are available for young scholars in pursuit of a career. Kanza Tariq takes a look at the options offered by the major universities in Pakistan for you all…

The Aga Khan University

The Aga Khan University founded by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan and chartered in 1983 has the honour of being Pakistan’s first private university. The programmes offered include Medicine (MBBS), Nursing, Study of Muslim Civilisation (based in London) and Educational Development. Candidates are required to have HSSC (Pre medical) or A-level with pure sciences including biology. Candidates awaiting their second year or A2 are also eligible to apply. A test is conducted in the first week of April; at least 60% marks in test for each subject are required to be eligible for the interview conducted in June. The fee includes deposition of a sum of Rs.159950 at the time of admission and Rs.145400 per semester. Financial assistance is also provided on the basis of merit and pecuniary conditions.

(www.aku.edu.pk)

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Reference: www.jang.com.pk

Lahore College for Women University is one of the most prestigious institutions of Pakistan with a full time enrollment of about 6000 students.

The glorious academic values of this oldest premier post-graduate female institution have been shaped by its institutional history, which is spread over a span of 84 years. Established in May 1922 as an Intermediate residential college and affiliated with the university of the Punjab, it was housed in a building on Hall Road, Lahore, with a strength of 60 students, 25 of whom were boarders and 13 staff members. In 1950, the college with 600 students was shifted to the present building on Jail Road, which was originally a school known as Sir Ganga Ram High School and Teachers Training Centre. This intermediate college was upgraded in 1925 M.A. English started in 1940 and B.Sc. classes started in 1955. Post-graduate classes in the subjects of Economics and Physics started in 1966, in Islamiat, Political Science and Psychology in 1979.

The year 1990 was a turning point in the history of the Institution. It was granted Administrative and Financial Autonomy on 1st August 1990, declared as a Degree-Awarding institution on 13th August 1999 and was elevated to the status of a Women University on 10th September 2002.

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Pakistan School of Fashion Design (PSFD) is a graduate school for fashion design located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The school was founded in 1995 and is known as the preeminent fashion school in Pakistan. PSFD was the first institution to offer graduate training in fashion design in Pakistan. It is affiliated with Les Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale Parisienne in Paris, France.

In 2006, the PSFD and the French Federation for Ready to Wear Women Garments (FFPAPF) decided to formalize cooperation and collaboration for the exchange of knowledge and skills and promotion of business between France and Pakistan’s garment industries. The agreement envisages a programme for development of the PSFD into a modern international fashion marketing institute, which could support and prepare Pakistan’s garment industry for the international market. It also creates links between the Pakistan and French garment industries for exchange of information, awareness raising, delegations and seminars.
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IT is gratifying that President Musharraf has often emphasised the need for reforms in the existing system of education. But the way in which the present government is experimenting with the school curriculum is hardly encouraging. I have my doubts and fears about the Pakistani system of education which is now in the hands of a retired General and, above all, the General was commanding the country’s, and may be world’s, most powerful intelligence agency. I wonder how the government plans to make Pakistan a modern and welfare Islamic state when the country’s educational minister is an ex-warlord and not an educational expert? The irony of the situation is that no one in the legislature or political leadership worries about such things.

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Reference: http://www.thepost.com.pk

According to a recent report , ANY DIET that limits calorie intake to 1500 calories per day will result in weight loss. However, this groundbreaking report emphasizes that only a diet that is moderate in fat and high in complex carbohydrates will help you keep weight off permanently. In addition, this moderate fat, high carbohydrate diet — which is what we serves up in our daily meal plans–is the only proven way to produce long term health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels and reducing cancer risks.

Popular weight loss programs such as the high protein Atkins diet and other similar dietary regimes. While high protein diets seem to produce a significant weight loss in a quick amount of time such diets produce a greater loss of body water than of fat. Other evidence against these high protein diets include the fact that there are no controlled, randomized studies which support the loss of body fat even over the long haul. One other strike against them: there is no evidence that such diets help to reduce blood cholesterol or improve blood sugar levels.

Carrying excess body weight is a significant risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and other chronic health conditions. In addition to daily eating a moderate fat, high complex carbohydrate diet, regular exercise and social support are critical adjuncts in keeping weight off.

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Is Your Dream To Start Your Own Business?
Learn about careers in business management, business administration.Who decides how much a new computer should cost? Who tells phone companies what services they should offer in different areas? Who determines this month’s flavors at the local ice cream shop? Marketing Managers. Marketing managers are high-powered professionals who work long hours in fast-paced business settings to make sure a company is selling its products to the right people in the right place at the right price.

WHO?
You need a college degree to become a marketing manager, but it can be in almost anything: some businesses prefer a broad liberal arts background, while more specialized industries (like computers and electronics) want you to have a B.A. in engineering or science. Many employers also require a master’s in business administration (M.B.A.).Whether you major in English, math or anything else in college, you should also take classes in business, economics, statistics and related subjects. To be the best candidate for the job, try to get an internship in a public relations or marketing department while still in school. To find out more about work as a marketing manager visit Sales and Marketing Executives International.

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