Lahore, `1The Amt-ul-Arifa Reading Room, established at the Government College University Lahore Postgraduate Library with a generous donation of Rs 3 million by the GCU English Department Chairperson Prof. Dr. Nosheen Khan, was inaugurated on Wednesday. Eminent Old Ravian Mr. Majid Nizami was chief guest at the inauguration ceremony which was chaired by GCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ikramul Haq. Dean of Arts and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Khalid Perviaz, Chief Librarian Mr. Abdul Waheed and a large number of eminent Old Ravians and GCU faculty were also present at the ceremony.
Prof. Nosheen donated Rs 3 million to perpetuate the memory of her late mother Prof. Amtul Hayee – the professor of History at Lahore College for Women – and her late sister Arifa Khan – lecturer in Psychology at Govt Nawaz Sharif College. She has desired to use the profit generated through this amount to purchase the latest books of History, Political Science, Psychology and literature in English.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Abdul Waheed opined that the book reading was pivotal in the preservation and promotion of human civilization. He shed light on the utility of donations in cash and in the form of personal library collections to the public sector libraries. The GC University Lahore Library has received the highest number of personal collections and cash donations in Pakistan which exceeds 60. He specified that contrary to general practice, the donors did not charge a single penny from GCU since they had faith in the university system of preservation of books for the sake of posterity.
GCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ikramul Haq (S.I) stressed on the expansion of library services on digital as well as conventional parameters owing to their significance viz-a-viz scientific research. He termed Prof. Noshee Khan’s donation to be the trail blazer for the academia as well as the financially sound segments of the society.
Addressing the ceremony, Mr. Majid Nizami showered accolades on Prof. Nosheen Khan for her generous donation and her philanthropic zest. He urged the youth to inculcate among them the love for book-reading. Reminiscing his time spent at the Government College as a student back in 1950, he paid homage to his outstanding professors particularly Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum. He said he used to pen down articles while sitting in the lash green Oval Ground of GCU. Later, Mr. Majid Nizami unveiled the commemorative plaque at the Amt-ul-Arifa Reading Room.