School News, 2016

Lawrence College introduces kaleidoscopic events and each student picks up a set of events according to his flair which paves the way for choosing the profession in practical life. One of the segments of this chain of events was a paragliding course at Army School of Physical Training Kakul, Abbottabad from 11th to 16th of December, 2016, attended by a group of 29 students from the Senior School. The students were accompanied by Mr. Asghar Malik (Lecturer English) and two PTIs Mr. Muhammad Arif and Mr. Riaz Hussain. The group left for Abbottabad at 1 pm on 11th of December, 2016. On the way, they had lunch at Nathia Gali. They reached ASPT at 7 pm.
Training for paragliding started in the morning of 12th of December. On the first day, the boys did extensive practice in the ground where they were briefed about different parts of a glider and were trained to handle the glider.
The next day, the boys were taken to another ground where they practiced on the ramp. It gave them a better experience for how they had to run with a glider, fly and land. In the evening, the boys had a visit of the town where they enjoyed for one and a half hour. The next day again, the boys had training on the ramp, which further gave them confidence and experience to handle the glider.
Thursday 15th of December was a day full of thrill for Gallians as they were going to do paragliding at Mung, Haripur. The contingent left ASPT at 6 am for Mung. A team of Ptv News had also been invited there to cover the event. It was a fascinating experience to fly from a height of about 300 feet. The boys were happy after the successful flights. In the afternoon, the contingent moved back to ASPT Kakul.
The Wing Award Ceremony was held in the morning of 16th of December in ASPT Gymnasium. All the participants were awarded certificates and wings. After the ceremony, the boys left for Rawalpindi, from where they left for their homes for winter break.
It was a great opportunity and a unique experience for the Gallians which gave them great confidence and courage. It is worth mentioning that the staff of ASPT had trained our students with great dedication and in a professional manner.

Mr Ata-ur-Rehman (DHMSS) got retirement in December and was given a warm send off by the faculty of the three schools on 23rd of November, 2016.

Mr Ata-ur-Rehman served Lawrence College for 36 long years, from 1981 to 2016. He worked here as the Gamesmaster and then as the Deputy Headmaster of the Senior School. In both these capacities, he played a vital role not only in maintaining discipline, but also in training and grooming the students to become useful citizens of Pakistan. His leaving marks the end of an era. He took this department to the leading edge, which is the kind of record any institute should envy.

November 22nd, 2016, was the day, when Thanksgiving Lunch was served at Prep School Mess to recognize the tireless hard work and efforts of the support staff throughout the year. The Principal, Brig (Retd) Mujahid Alam, thanked the support staff for their contributions to facilitate the students and staff.

The prefects of Prep School served Thanksgiving to the support staff to pay homage to their yearlong services. Delectable aroma, good conversation and the comfortable atmosphere in the Prep School Dining Hall made the Thanksgiving Lunch one of the most favourite meals of the year.

The Senior School hosted a sumptuous Thanksgiving Lunch to recognize the tireless and most valuable services of the support-staff in the Senior School Mess on November 09, 2016. This golden tradition of Lawrence College was set by our worthy Principal two years back. The event was organized by the Intermediate Class under the guidance of the Vice Principal/Headmaster and the Housemasters. This time the lunch was held in the Senior School lawns.

Present on the occasion, were the Senior School janitors, peons, gardeners, mess & dorm-bearers, sanitary staff, runners, drivers, security guards, and other on-call attendants. The worthy Principal brought rosy smiles to the worked-out faces of his guests by personally ensuring their comfort and happiness throughout the lunch. He had already directed the conveners to make apt arrangements for the attendees. The Gallians of Inter-17, including all the prefects, took pride in serving the support-staff with smiles and caring attitude; translating their worthy Principal’s sublime philosophy of humanism and goodwill into a sound reality.

It was a unique enactment of the maxim ‘Love Begets Love’- which resultantly, begets respect that further cements bond between the served and the service-givers; bringing homely harmony to the institutional environment. For the support-staff, it was a very happy occasion; full of cheers, respect, and care that usually remains an unfulfilled dream of the under-privileged staff in any part of the world. They were served with fine quality cuisines, drinks and desserts. The Principal thanked the junior staff for their devoted services and expressed his hope that they would continue with the same spirit next year. The support staff also thanked the Principal for encouraging them in such a nice way and recognizing their services.

Earlier on, in the morning assembly, HoD Islamic Studies Hafiz Zafar Hayat highlighted the purpose and importance of holding an event like the ‘thanks-giving lunch’ in the light of Quran and Sunnah. He advised the boys to understand the spirit behind this tradition and to carry this spirit with them throughout their lives by treating their subordinates in a dignified manner.

Through this historic ceremony, the Principal also endeavoured to inculcate into the students, the worth of noble human and Islamic values that go hand in hand. Brushing aside sternly conventional administrative work-ways, the worthy Principal has always advocated and practiced a more embracing and natural administrative panache and aura, where education must not only remain a prerogative of the privileged class, but it must expand its wings also to accommodate, train and refine other people, working side by side with students and teachers at an educational institution. This is the true essence of education that the student community at Lawrence College will stash away as an asset to live a decent life.

On November 08, 2016, WWF-Pakistan’s Student Engagement Programme renewed its Green School partnership with Lawrence College, Murree for another three years.

The signing ceremony included pine tree plantation by both Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes, WWF-Pakisan and Brig. (R) Mujahid Alam, Principal, Lawrence College followed by a group picture. Principal, Lawrence College presented a shield and book, to Rab Nawaz.

Mr. Muhammad Khurshid (Dorm Bearer Peake House) passed away on 18 October, 2016. He was one of those unsung heroes of the College who continue to support and contribute to the development of the organization without being in the limelight.

Mr. Muhammad Khurshid served Lawrence College for a period of about 26 years. He was a devoted worker and a thorough gentleman. One could see him absorbed in his work silently. His modest self-effacing personality endeared him to the students and staff of Senior School alike. His memory will long linger with all those who know him.

Lawrence College hosted the sports fixture with APS this year from 5th to 7th of October, 2016. This was the event where both the colleges tested their mettle. This was indeed a nostalgic moment; seeing them again this year Abbottonians reached Lawrence College at 4:30pm on 5th of October.

Cricket:
Cricket match was played in the morning of 6th of October. The toss went to Gallians and they chose to bat first. The captain Tariq and Ehsan Ullah went as the openers. Gallians fought well but only managed to set a target of 71. Abbottonians won the match by 7 wickets.

Hockey:
In the evening of 6th of October, hockey match was played. Abbottonians scored an early goal which shook the spectators, but the captain Waqar Bugti bucked the Gallians up and kept their spirit high. After constant attempts at the opponant’s goal, we managed to equalize when Suleiman Amin converted the deflection of Anees Ranjha into a goal.
The first half ended 1-1. In the second half, Gallians took the lead due to the brace of Shehryar Abbasi. The match ended in favour of LC with 1 to 4.

Football:
The decisive match of football played the next morning at 9:30am. The Abbottonians won the match by 3-1.

Abbottonians won the fixture and were escorted to the car park where they were bid farewell.

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156^th Founder’s Day of Lawrence College was held on 29^th of September, 2016 in the Jamali Stadium where Gallians from the three schools put up a splendid show and received great appreciation from all and sundry present over there. The Chief Guest on the occasion was the Chief Minister of Punjab Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif who was cordially invited by the Principal LCGG Brig (R) Mujahid Alam. Parents of the students, former principals, former faculty members, old Gallians and many distinguished guests, including military and civil officials, also graced the ceremony with their presence.

Earlier, on his arrival, the Chief Guest was received by the Principal, Brig. (Retd) Mujahid Alam in his office. The Chief Guest witnessed the performances of the young Gallians with interest and expressed his pleasure. This was followed by the prize distribution. The Chief Guest, accompanied by the Principal, gave away the prizes to the young achievers. Asadullah Qayyum was declared ‘Best Gallian of the Year’ for 2016. Admiral Shamoon Alam Khan Shield for the Best House in Sports was won by Wightwick House. Knowledge Cup and Quaid-e-Azam Shield for the year 2016 were won by Wright House. Sir Henry Lawrence Runners up Trophy for the year 2016 was secured by Peake House.

The Principal, in his address on the occasion, presented the annual report of the College. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the chief minister Punjab for gracing the occasion and sparing a couple of hours out of his immense busy schedule.

In his speech, the Chief Guest, commended the efforts of the Principal and Staff for raising the standard of academics, instilling the core moral values and bringing in significant improvement in the overall standards of the College by raising the bench marks in academics and discipline. He specially appreciated the high achievers in academics who have showed excellent results in SSC Board Examinations through their hard work and genuine efforts.

The Punjab Government has always patronized LCGG through annual and special grants, but this time the benevolence increased manifold when the Chief Minister acknowledged the standard of curricular and co-curricular activities. The Chief Minister enhanced the annual grant of 10 million to 100 million and also emphasized upon increasing teachers’ salaries as an incentive to put in additional efforts for uplifting the competitive standards of the institute.

All the guests were served with refreshments at the end of the function.

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The Annual Performing Arts Show was held on 26^th, 27^th and 28^th of September, 2016. The first show on 26^th of September was attended by families of the admin staff, and the second show was attended by the faculty of three schools and their families. The guests were served with refreshments during both the shows.

The final show was held on 28^th of September. It was attended by distinguished guests including parents of the participants. The Chief Guest was an illustrious old Gallian Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali (Corps Commander Lahore) who graced the ceremony with his pleasant presence. The show displayed the talent of Gallians who gave remarkable amateur performances. The segments on the show included: singing, dancing and sitcoms in Urdu and English.

Addressing the audience, on the occasion, Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali said that all the plays were so touching that he could not resist, and didn’t want to resist. He advised Gallians to learn from the environment and participate in everything they come across. He said that it is the best place where they get finest mentoring from their faculty. Discussing the qualities of Gallians, he said that all the Gallians have one quality in common that they don’t accept defeat and never fail. He said that after passing out of this institution, they were going to take leadership role for which they must be fully prepared. He also reiterated that the hopes of this nation are with the future generation and these Gallians are the future generation. It is this generation that will remove the hurdles from the way to progress and one such hurdle is the stone of illiteracy and we need to remove this stone in order to progress and prosper.

Talking about his own memories of the College, he said that whatever he is today is all because of Lawrence College. He said that the College has rich traditions and culture and that Gallians should let others copy them and should not copy others. He said that he carried this strength with him throughout his life and differed with people where he thought they were wrong and stood up to the ground.

The Principal expressed his sincerest thanks to Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali for gracing the ceremony as the Chief Guest. He also thanked him for his generous donation of five million rupees for the College. He greatly appreciated the magnanimous and kind gesture from him towards his alma mater. He assured him that each and every penny of that donation will be spent in the most transparent, most honest manner and in the best possible way for the students, staff and the College.

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For the last one week, our viewers are seeing the modified version of this website. For general viewers, the development and modification of this website might be the labour of an IT professional against some consideration, but we feel proud and happy to inform everyone that all this has been done by an old Gallian Saquib Munir Ahmed (Inter 79) who was assisted by old Gallian Muhammad Ali Qazi (Inter 2002).

An IT professional no doubt is an IT expert, but he might be unaware of the ins and outs of Lawrence College. The fact that the IT professional is an old Gallian has added to the beauty of the website by meticulously making it compatible with the tone of LCGG.

It is also important to highlight that all this has been done purely on voluntary basis by Mr Saquib Munir. Each time a viewer visits this website, the Principal Lawrence College, the faculty and Gallians would feel indebted to the creative developer Mr Saquib Munir and his team. The Principal wishes to record his sincerest thanks and compliments to Mr Saquib Munir and Muhammad Ali Qazi.

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The Gallians of Prep School went to Murree for an edutainment trip. The boys were enthusiastic to reach Cinepax to watch movie. ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ was a 3D movie and it was so gripping that the boys became the part of the movie. After the movie, they headed for a sumptuous lunch at the Mall. The boys enjoyed the lunch and all scattered for an hour to absorb the beauty, hustle and bustle, and flow of life on the Mall.

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Juniors

Victor Ludorum: Bahadur Ali Khan (Wightwick House)

Mediums

Victor Ludorum: Muhammad Murtaza (Peake House)

Seniors

Victor Ludorum: Azmir Jan Maggal (Wightwick House)

House Positions Athletics, Prep School, 2016

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Junior School boys have been allotted areas to sow vegetable seeds and grow their own plants to take care. It is expected that this activity will teach children the basic skill of growing their own food instead of relying on the market sold produce. Children will also learn to take care of plants and environment and have the curiosity and satisfaction to see their plants growing slowly and gradually and bearing fruit one day.

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Best Player of the League                      :                       Husnain Ali Bughio  (WK)

Good Performance in the League        :                       Hamdan Munir          (WR)

Football Cup Winner                              :                       Wightwick House

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Mr. Zulfikar Ali Chatha (Walker House 1958-69) has recently contributed a generous amount of Rupees one million to his alma mater. Half of this amount will go to endowment fund for scholarships and half a million is for the welfare fund for junior staff of the College.

The Principal highly appreciated this act of generosity and positive approach. He further added that such gestures of goodwill would motivate the young Gallians to build the society with the same spirit and keep GG alive in their memories. The Principal, staff and young Gallians convey their sincere thanks to Mr. Zulfikar Ali Chatha, who has also set a very good example for old Gallians.

In continuation of Principal’s policy to increase knowledge and upgrade skills of all staff, Lawrence College library staff and one faculty member from Prep School, headed by Mr. Naveed Ahmed (College Librarian) attended the Asian Libraries Conference (ALC 2016) held at Islamabad from September 5-6, 2016.

The subject conference was hosted by the Department of Libraries, Government of Pakistan in collaboration with Pakistan Library Association and Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad. This prestigious Conference which was inaugurated by the Director General Department of Libraries, Government of Pakistan accompanied by the Secretary of Culture and heritage, and Vice Chancellor of Arid Agricultural University Rawalpindi.

This two days event titled “ODYSSEY FROM C- TABLETS TO E- TABLETS AND BEYOND” was packed with multipronged presentations of academic papers, intellectual debates, discussions of think tanks, exhibitions and technology stalls. Vice Chancellors and rectors of various universities, universities’ librarians, government officials, educators and authors participated in the conference.

The conference provided a single platform for all stakeholders to think, deliberate, share and formulate strategies to cope with challenges and opportunities of the digital world.  It was stressed to identify the core issues/problems and find suitable solutions regarding new ways of knowledge dissemination may be discovered. Our library staff would surely benefit a great deal from this conference.

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Defence Day of Pakistan was celebrated at Lawrence with traditional fervor and enthusiasm. Students and faculty of the three schools assembled at the Yadgar-e-Shuhadain in the morning of 6^th of September. Principal LCGG was the chief guest of the ceremony. He, on his own behalf and on behalf of the faculty laid wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada. Head boy of the College Ehsanullah laid wreath on behalf of the Gallians. Naara-e-Pakistan was raised as an expression of love for our sweet homeland.

After the wreath-laying, the function started with recitation from the Holy Quran. The honourable Principal, in his speech, highlighted the importance of the Day in the life of Pskistanis. He urged the gathering to observe one minute’s silence in the honour of Shuhada. He said that these shuhada sacrificed their lives for Pakistan without keeping any prejudice of caste, religion or sect. He also reminded students of the last line of the ‘Gallian Code of Honour’ that makes the Gallians pledge to sacrifice the last drop of their blood for protection and honour of their country.

The ceremony concluded with dua for the protection and prosperity of Pakistan by Hafiz Zafar Hayat.

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A distinguished old Gallian Brig (Retd) Tanveer Akhtar is a seasoned professional psychologist. Before he went into psychology, he was at LCGG for twelve long years. After his graduation, he did his masters in applied psychology and then M Phil from Quaid e Azam University.  He did his PhD from National Institute of Psychology. He had also undergone a number of professional courses. After a scant time in the civil side, he joined the Pak Army. He held a number of various appointments including working as Chief Psychologist of Pakistan Army in GHQ. Presently he is head of Psychology Department in the Foundation University.

In his address to the faculty members, he talked about stress management; how to reduce, prevent and cope with stress. We all respond to stress differently, so there is no one size fix all solution to managing stress. Stress management can teach you healthier ways to cope with stress, help you reduce its harmful effect, and prevent stress from spiraling out of control again in future. No matter how powerless you may feel in the face of stress, you still have control over your life style, thoughts, emotions and the way you deal with problems. He also recalled his memories here at LCGG and told the audience how his teachers dealt with their stress during lectures.

The Principal highly appreciated the extremely fruitful and relevant talk to the teachers which would certainly benefit them in their teaching process.

The next day, on Principal’s request, Brig (Retd) Tanveer Akhtar addressed the senior students of Class XI and XII. He discussed the essential features of career selection. He revealed the difference of passion and profession. He guided the students about the recruitment process of ISSB. The students were greatly impressed by his informative and motivational lecture. He guided the students about various tests for selection in armed forces that include written and different psychological tests. His talk was of great significance for those students who want to join Pakistan Army.

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Conscious of everything important for students and faculty, the worthy Principal invited an old Gallian Commander Ayaz Mahmud on 1^st September, 2016 to talk to the young Gallians. He joined Lawrence College in class 5 in 1974 and did his matriculation from here in 1980. Thereafter he joined the Pakistan Navy in the executive branch in 1985. During his long and distinguished career in the Navy he held a number of very important appointments. At present he is working as General Manager at Maritime Technological Complex which is a part of NESCOM.

During his motivational talk to the young Gallians. Commander Ayyaz, in his simple and natural style discussed different points regarding morals, character building and ethics. He said that one of the most important aspects of life is the importance of time. He said that time is equal for everyone. Those who are serious about their goals, they succeed in life as the chance always favours a prepared mind. He advised Gallians to respect their teachers as their parents brought them from heaven to earth, but the teachers take them from earth to the sky. Talking about the qualities of gentleman, he said that manners are those social rules that everybody follows in order to maintain civil discourse about contagious issues. Manners are critical part of social life. They are not required for anything; rather they make the things a lot easier.

He said that the creation of Pakistan is the result of struggles of our forefathers and it is our duty to protect it as soldiering is in the blood of Gallians. Recalling his memories of the days spent at Lawrence College, he told the audience that there is no place like Lawrence College in the world. The students should avail this opportunity of stay at GG and should not waist time.

The Principal thanked Commandar Ayaz Mahmud for his inspiring talk in a simple but genuine way.

Fifty six boys of Intermediate Class and three faculty members of Pakistan Studies and Social Studies Department visited Survey of Pakistan on 30^th of August, 2016. Mr. Asmat, Assistant Director SOP, welcomed the boys and gave an introductory lecture on the mission and objectives of this organization. After this boys were taken to different sections of photogrammetry department. In these sections, staff of the Survey of Pakistan was busy in collecting data from aerial photography. These photos were being used for different surveying purposes.

The boys were told that these surveys play very important role in the planning done by the government of Pakistan. Survey of Pakistan also plays pivotal role for providing sensitive data to the defence and security establishment of Pakistan. The boys were shown the printing of maps on litho printing machines. All the students took keen interest in this section of SOP.

At the end boys were served tea and this tour came to an end by thanking the Director of photogrammetry section for facilitating the students in getting an in-depth understanding of the working of survey of Pakistan. After this boys were hankering for availing the opportunity to visit the Centaurus Mall. They had exhaustive tour of this mall and finally this happy bunch of students left Islamabad for LCGG and landed on the soil of College at about 7.00 p.m.

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In the first phase of their long-awaited trip, young Gallians of Prep School reached Adventure Inn, Islamabad to attend a Summer Camp on 18 August, 2016 organized by  WWF-Pakistan. The young Gallians participated in the activities like Gluco Champion’s Hunt, ECO Adventure, Float Your Boat and Minute to Win It.

ECO Adventure was the most enjoyed activity by students which included tug of war, futsal and dart game. Float Your Boat promoted the quintessence of recycling and reusing with games like make your boat, water toss, catch the bomb, battleship, and squirt gun races. Gluco Champion’s Hunt entailed Rapid Fire, Dance off, Singing competition and Essay Writing. Luqman Ameen, M. Mehran Shahid and Taj Muhamamd secured first, second and third positions respectively in English Essay Writing Competition from a pool of topics. ‘Minute to Win It’ had exciting games like Cookie Monster, Defying Gravity, junk in the trunk, Stack the cups, Bucket Head and Air blowing.

Headmaster Prep School also shared his views on the occasion and appreciated the standard, organization, coordination and contributions of the WWF Team to save environment.

The Chief Guest Brigadier ( Retd)  Akram Khan, President – Adventure Foundation, gave away participation certificates, shields and trophies to participants and the winners. At the end, Gluco Duffle bags were distributed among all the Gallians.

After enjoying these activities, Gallians visited the Lake View Park. The students were jubilant, especially on the motion ride, boating and swings. Visit to aviary gave them very useful information about the birds. The boys took part in different entertaining activities in an active way. The trip was both informative and entertaining and the boys entered the College gate when the sun was setting.

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Principal Lawrence College Brig (Retd) Mujahid Alam has always encouraged the students and staff to actively involve themselves in different activities for the welfare of the needy and the poor. The medical department of Lawrence College, in association with the Red Crescent Society of Pakistan organized a blood donation camp in the college premises on 17^th of August, 2016. The gallant Gallians and teachers generously donated blood in the camp which will be used to save lives of many people in the government hospitals of Pakistan. There was a long line of volunteers. About 70 students and teachers donated blood in the camp.

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14^th August was celebrated with great zeal and zest at Junior School. Inter House PT and National Songs Competition was also held on that day. Chief Guest of the occasion was Principal Lawrence College Brig (Retd) Mujahid Alam. Junior School boys demonstrated vibrant display of physical agility, rhythm and coordination. National songs competition was equally good and enjoyable. Boys performed wonderfully well in their green and white attires reflecting the rhythm of unity and love for their homeland. Winner of both the competitions was Wightwick House. Best PT leader was Husnain Ali Bughio from Wightwick House. Second position was clenched by Wright House in both the competitions. Peake House got third position in National Songs Competition and Walker House got third position in PT Competition.

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Inter-House PT Competition of Prep School was held in the Prep School playground on 13th of August, 2016. The Houses participated in the competition with zeal and zest. This healthy segment of the physical training of the Gallians keeps them active and physically fit. Sportsmanship, discipline, tolerance, mutual respect and coordination are its positive outcomes.

Brig(R), Mujahid Alam, Principal Lawrence College, was the Chief Guest. Walker House secured the top position followed by Wightwick House. Wright House was on the third step on the victory stand. Hadeed Babar of Wright House was declared best PT Leader.

The Principal, in his address, appreciated the sportsmanship and high standards of physical training at Prep School. He also lauded Headmaster Prep School, Mr. Imtiaz Akhtar Ranjha, House staff and the games staff for putting their best efforts in ground activities to polish the physical skills of the young Gallians.

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Independence Day is celebrated every year at Lawrence College with great verve and vigour. This year too, all the students were eager to participate in the Independence Day celebrations. They started decorating their dorms and houses passionately with flags, buntings and lights in the evening of 13th of August.

The chief guest of the Independence Day celebrations on 14th of August was a revered old Gallian Mr. Anis Khan Satti. Mr. Anis Khan Satti attended Lawrence College from 1948 to 1955, where he did his Senior Cambridge & Higher Senior Cambridge. He was appointed Headboy in 1953 and served as Headboy through 1954 and 1955. In 1955, after a nationwide competition, he was selected to represent Pakistan in the 1956 World Youth Forum in the US. Another prominent old Gallian Inayat Ullah Khan Niazi, Maj Gen (Retd), also accompanied the Chief Guest.

The celebrations started with combined assembly in the Senior School lawn. National flag was hoisted, naa’ra-e-Pakistan was raised and du’a was offered for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

After the flag hoisting in the lawn, the students and staff moved to the Lawrence Hall where the main function was held. The function started with recitation from the Holy Quran by Abdullah Tariq and its translation by Asadullah. After the recitation, The Junior School students gave a wonderful presentation on the national song “shukria Pakistan, Pakistan shukria”. Then Muhammad Saad Amjad from Junior School highlighted the significance of the Day. A presentation titled “Power of Freedom” was shown by the Senior School. Sikandar Khan Babar from Prep School expressed his views followed by a milli naghma by Prep School students. After that, Hamza Muhammad Rehan from Senior School talked about the importance of the Day and highlighted the sacrifices and struggle of our forefathers in creation of Pakistan. Then another documentary was shown by the Senior School.

Then the honourable Principal introduced the chief guest to the audience. He told that Mr Anis Khan Satti completed his studies at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, where he was elected President of the Student Body. He was the first foreigner to hold this position in a major University in the US. After completing his education, he, along with partners, set up a financial publishing business on Wall Street, which consisted of magazines, newspapers, conferences and seminars on finance. Institutional Investor Co. continues today as a successful financial publishing enterprise. Its fast rise to success and fame made Time Magazine referring to the Company as the “Wonder Boys of the Wall Street”. In addition, he was also appointed as a Delegate to the UN in 1978 and served as Presidential Envoy in 1980. He is perhaps the only Pakistani who, after living in America for over 58 years, never became an American citizen but kept his Pakistani citizenship.

In his speech, the Chief Guest recalled the golden memories of his stay at GG. He told the students that he was fortunate enough to have the opportunity of studying at a wonderful place like Lawrence College. He added that the facilities and conducive environment provided at Lawrence College are matchless in Pakistan. He advised the young Gallians to fully avail this opportunity and make good use of their stay here. He further advised them to uphold the name of their college and that of their wonderful country, Pakistan. The Chief Guest also expressed his delight on knowing that a large number of students, including the head boy, from Baluchistan are studying at LC. He considered it a good omen for creation of harmony among the people from all the provinces of Pakistan.

The function concluded with national anthem.

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“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” Keeping this spirit in mind, Principal Lawrence College, Brig (Retd) Mujahid Alam, since his arrival three years back, has taken the beautification of the College as a priority and the horticulture department of the College has been made very active in this regard. On his special instructions, Lawrence College Horticulture Department and Ladies Club participated in the Mid-Summer Flower Show organized by the Parks and Horticulture Authority Rawalpindi at Murree. The ten days event was held in the lawns of PIA Park, Kashmir Point. The weather at Murree, cool breeze and splashing lush green grass were all set for a perfect flower show. People of all age groups came in large number to see the nature`s beauty.

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The Senate or the Upper House of the Parliament of Pakistan is the symbol of unity among the people of Pakistan. The Upper House was created on 6th August, 1973 as a result of a national consensus in view of the unique features of Pakistan’s federation giving equal representation to all the federating units since the membership of the National Assembly was based on the population of each province. Equal provincial membership in the Senate, thus, helped in creating harmony among people from the four provinces of the country.

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On 27^th July 2016, 48 boys of Wright House, accompanied by Housemaster Mr. Imran Yasir, Mr. Riaz ahmed, Mr. Basharat and PTI Mr. Riaz left the College to explore the beauties of Shogran, Naran, Kaghan and Babusar Top. The group stopped at Abbottabad for the night stay at Horizon Guest House.

The next day, 28 of July, 2016 marked a tiring travel on the convoluted roads along the Kunhar River passing through Mansehra and Balakot. After reaching Shogran at 1.00 pm, the group left for Siri Paya on jeeps. The road made the boys remember a roller coaster ride but the beauty of Siri Paya stunned the Gallians and a never ending session of photography and selfies followed. The night at Shogran was a romantic one with music and.

On 29^th of July, the travel to Naran was enjoyable for every second with myriads of waterfalls and lush green forests. The destination Hotel Faraan was reached and another adventurous travel on jeeps to Lake Saif-ul-Malook started. The lake, though very beautiful, was clamorous. After returning back from Lake Saif-ul-Malook, boys visited the Naraan bazaar and enjoyed a lot.

Well the most anticipated day arrived when Team Wright House started its journey to Babusar Top on 30^th of July. The top of Babusar presented an unprecedented beauty and the Gallians witnessed the apex beauty of KPK on one side and Gilgit-Baltistan on the other. Some members of the expedition climbed a nearby mountain which was 14,500 feet high, whilst most of them preferred to stay at Babusar Top. The jade like water of Lake Lulusar was enchanting and magical. Rafting in the river Kunhar was a new experience for the boys and all of them participated, but the turbulent river Kunhar left nobody’s clothes dry. After a sumptuous meal at night, Naraan bazaar agains faced the wrath of the Gallian hordes.

The journey back to GG was long and tiring and the Team Wright House reached the College at about 10 pm, on 31^st July. Wait, wait, I have missed one thing! Well that is the visit to the Shrine of the great saint; Saint Centaurus. Visit to the Centaurus Mall has the status of a pilgrimage for the Gallians.

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I (Malik Asad of Inter, 2017) on 27^th July 2016, woke up with the crack of dawn. It wasn’t that pleasant as it was expected. The rain washed away all our plans for the sports day and all our practice went in vain. We planned to leave on trip after the function of our Sports Day, which ended by 1:00pm. Soon after that we, along with our house staff, boarded our coasters and left for Abbottabad.. The first night we spent away from ‘Mini Pakistan’ was at Abbottabad. We had our dinner there and after a quick visit to Jadoon Plaza, we went into beds.

By the next dawn we woke up, had our breakfast and we were on the go. It was straight to Naran; no delays, no hurdles; full of joy and excitement. Finally, after a long journey, dead tired, we reached the place which was going to be our home for the next few days: Hotel Faran. We had our lunch there, and the senior classes rushed off for rafting in River Kunhar. After tearing the waves of Kunhar, we were allowed to roam about Naran Bazar. After strolling for about three hours in the bazaar of Naran, we were called back to the hotel for the dinner. We ate to our heart’s content and went to sleep wondering what the new day would bring us.

The next day we left with zeal and zest to climb-up 13000 feet. It was Babusar-Top. It took us five hours to reach there. The view was spellbinding. Being there for two hours, we left to visit Lulusar Lake. Beside the scenic beauty of Lulusar Lake, we had our lunch. We didn’t stay there for long and by dusk we were back at the hotel. After resting a little while we once again went to map the roads of Naran. Tired and exhausted, we had our dinner at the hotel and we slept soundly.

Our eyes opened the next day, and the jeeps were ready to take us to the Lake saif-ul-Muluk. Staying there for two hours, we left for the hotel, packed our bags, and left for Shogran. Five hours of drive and we were there. We unloaded our luggage at Hotel Green Valley and took our jeeps to visit Paya, a place to be praised.

Then it was Sunday; the last day of our trip. Slow and sluggish, with our faces drooping, we had our breakfast and left for Murree. On our way, we had our lunch at Neelum View Hotel, Muzaffarabad. The clock struck Six and we caught the first glimpse of Mall-Road, where we had our dinner. The beautiful journey ended as we entered the premises of ‘the King of the Public Schools’. Safe and sound with heavy hearts, we shouted three cheers for our house staff and there it ended leaving our souls rejuvenated.

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On 27^th July 2016, right after Annual Sports Day, at 2.30 pm we departed from the college. We had a short stay in Abbottabad and the boys and the staff had lunch. After we continued our journey and reached Shogran at 10.30 p.m. The arrangement of stay was already at Hilltop Restaurant and Hotel.  We were given sumptuous dinner in the lawn. After dinner the boys were tired and straight went to beds.

On 28^th of July, we got up early in the morning and offered fajr prayers. After having good breakfast, we had a challenge to reach Makra by hiking and we did it. We again got back to the hotel and had our lunch. Then we moved to Naran. After having supper most of the boys went to beds but a few with teachers visited Naran bazar.

Next day, it was Friday and we all were ready to make for Lake Saiful-ul- Maluk. 23 boys along with Mr. Haider Zaman had trekking to Ansoo Lake  Rest of the boys and staff members who stayed back, enjoyed the serene beauty of Lake Saif-ul- Maluk, The boys shot the surrounding scenes with their mobiles, made selfies, did horse riding and had snow slide and enjoyed a lot.

On 30^th of July, after having breakfast, we made for Babusar Top. On the way we stayed at Lulusar Lake. It was a wonderful lake and its water was greenish and cold. Wright House also reached there coming back from Babusar Top. After about one hour’s journey, we reached Babusar Top. We had packed lunch with us. It was too cold to stay outside. We ate our lunch and preferred to stay in the buses. There was great hustle and bustle over there. On the way back to Naran, we did rafting in River Kunhar and that was the happiest moment of our journey.

The last day of our journey, we got up early in the morning and started our journey back to Murree. On the way back, we had our lunch at Abbottabad,. Our next stay was at Khan Pur Dam, where we had a group photo and offered Asr prayers. At Islamabad, they were allowed to spend one hour at the Centaurus Mall. After that, we straight away made for our beautiful place: Lawrence College. Without calling in question, it was wonderful trip and we enjoyed every moment of this trip. Its traces are still fresh in the canvas of our minds.

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The morning of 27^th of July, 2016 wasn’t so pleasing as it was raining cats and dogs. However, due to inclement weather, the prize-giving ceremony was held in the Lawrence Hall in a graceful manner.

Immediate after the Sports Day function, Peake House boarded the three coasters hired for our trip and departed for their destination Sharda. The contingent had a respite at Muzaffarabad where they enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in the lawns of Neelum View Hotel at the bank of the Neelum River.

After the lunch, they were again on the road for 110 kilometers’ journey from Muzaffarabad to Sharda. It was around 11p.m. that we reached Park River Guest House at Sharda. We took our luggage, went to our rooms and changed up. After some time, we had our dinner and then went to bed with great excitement to explore the amazing natural beauty of the Valley the next day.

In the morning of 28^th of July, we had our breakfast and, at 10 O’ clock, we were ready for trekking. As we moved on, I remained focused on the beauty around me. It was magical. As we crossed the bridge on the Neelum river, we saw the ruins of Sharda university. After visiting the Sharda University, we again followed the path through the endless coves. On the way, we crossed Kishan Ghati village, and our destination were the Kishan Ghati Caves. After doing a lot of photography in the picturesque landscapes of the area, we started for our guest house.

On 29^th July, we experienced the most charming part of the trip. We took our breakfast and were ready for Arang Kel. The housemaster had arranged jeeps for us. We rode the jeeps and after a journey of 16 kilometres on a rough road, we reached Kel. The scene around was just enchanting. The trekking ahead was seriously tough. At last, we reached Arang Kel village. The scenic view around was unbelievable. We had some hiking and had a lot of photography there. After that we moved to the start of Shonter Valley where we had our lunch and then we returned to Sharda.

We woke up next day and were ready to go back; sad but satisfied. We boarded the buses and left Sharda for Muzaffarabad. We reached Muzaffarabad at about 5 O’ clock. We stayed at Neelum View Hotel. It was a very comfortable hotel. After the sunset, we had a round of the city and on our return had a delicious dinner. We enjoyed the night very much.

Next morning we started back for Lawrence College. On our way back, we had a view of the city and did some photography at PC Muzaffarabad. We reached the College gate at around 8:30pm. Although I have seen many good places but this memory will stay imprinted in my mind for the rest of my life. It proved an unforgettable tour for all of us.

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The Annual Sports Day was held on July 27, 2016. As usual, a great deal of planning, practicing and hard work went into organizing this eventful day. The event was attended by parents of the students and other guests from different walks of life. The honourable Governor of Punjab Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Unfortunately, due to inclement weather, the Sports Day function could not be held in the open ground. The prize-giving ceremony was held in Lawrence Hall. The ceremony started with recitation from the Holy Quran by Abdullah Tipu and translation by Malik Muhammad Asadullah. The Prep and Junior School students presented an inspiring rendition of Kalam-e-Iqbal “Muslim hain hum, watan he sara jahan hamara”.

The Principal, in his speech on the occasion, welcomed the Chief Guest, all the parents and local guests. He highlighted the importance of games and sports in the overall physical development of young boys at the College, as well as inculcating a healthy competitive spirit among them. He also mentioned some of the important steps taken for improvement in the College standards. He also informed the audience of the excellent result shown by SSC students in the BISE Rawalpindi Examinations 2016.

After the speech by the Principal, the Chief Guest gave away prizes to the winners. Raza Shah Shaheed Trophy for Athletics was won by Wightwick House. Habib Achakzai was declared the best athlete.

The Chief Guest, in his address, shared some of the experiences of his life. He advised the Gallians to attach importance to humanity more than anything else. He stressed upon the need of grooming the students in the best possible way and said that it was more important than just seeking knowledge and information. He congratulated the Principal, staff and students for bringing significant improvement in the College standards and showing excellent results in the Board Examinations.

The ceremony culminated with National Anthem. All the guests were served with refreshments after the function.

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Mr Ayaz Amir (Peake House 1958-64), a prominent journalist, analyst and former politician, visited Lawrence College on 23 July 2016 on special invitation of the Principal. Mr Ayaz Amir did his Senior Cambridge from Lawrence College in 1964.

He is a well-known columnist and nowadays he is writing biweekly columns in The News International. He is considered to be liberal, arguing passionately the case for rule of law, democracy, and an end to the extremist versions of Islam. As a politician, he remained a member of the Punjab Assembly representing Chakwal. He was elected to the National Assembly in 2008 elections when he scored a record over 120,000 votes, the highest in Punjab.

During his visit to the College, he addressed the Gallians from the three schools in Lawrence Hall. He recollected the golden days of the eight years that he spent here at Lawrence College. He recalled his teachers and admired their devotion and spirit. He told the Gallians that they were fortunate enough to be the students of this great institution of Pakistan.

He further told the boys that he was a regular visitor of the College Library and it was the love of books that made him a writer of such repute. He told them that they could not improve their writing skill unless they read regularly. He advised them to be aware of their history as we learn many lessons from history and can correct our ways through past experiences. His speech was followed by a lively question answer session in which the guest speaker answered some very interesting questions in detail.

The Principal presented College souvenir to the guest and thanked him for such an inspiring speech.

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It’s a matter of great satisfaction for all those associated with GG that the Institution has started enjoying the fruits of Principal’s policies and vision defined three years back at his arrival at the College. The SSC Part-II result is one of those glories and has been a matter of great pleasure and joy for everyone associated with GG. The achievement of this outstanding result was made possible through untiring efforts of the students and staff of the Senior School, but the most remarkable feature of the result is that it was achieved without resorting to any unfair means, following the policy of zero tolerance for cheating set by the Principal. The students will remain proud of their achievement that is the result of their genuine efforts.

This year, 51 students appeared for SSC Part-II examination. 32 students passed their exam by securing A+ Grade while 12 students scored A Grade. Junaid Ashraf and Rizwan Haider stood first by scoring 1058/1100 marks, Makhdoom Daniyal remained second by scoring 1046/1100 marks while Ahmed Wali secured third position by scoring 1037/1100 marks.

Resume of the Result

• Total number of students: 51
• A+ Grade: 32
• A Grade: 12
• B Grade: 05
• C Grade: 02

The Principal expressed his satisfaction, congratulated all the students in general for producing very good result and specially commended Junaid Ashraf, Rizwan Haider and Makhdoom Daniyal for showing remarkable performance. He also appreciated the efforts of the faculty of Senior School.

On July 19, 2016, a special assembly of the three schools was held in Lawrence Hall to pay homage to a great hero and pride of Pakistan, great philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi. Born in 1928, Abdul Sattar Edhi was the founder and head of Edhi Foundation, a non-profit social welfare programme in Pakistan.

The Edhi Foundation provides 24-hours emergency assistance across the nation of Pakistan and abroad. The Foundation provides, among many other services, shelter for the destitute, free hospitals and medical care, drug rehabilitation services, and national and international relief efforts. Its main focuses are Emergency Services, Orphans, Handicapped Persons, Shelters, Education, Healthcare, International Community Centers, Blood & Drug Bank Services, Marine And Coastal Services.

The special assembly was attended by faculty and students from the three schools. Mustafa Ahmed Ch from Junior School, M Ali Turi from Prep School and Head boy of the College Ehsanullah paid tribute to the great hero and urged the audience to follow his footstep. A short, but very moving video was shown highlighting the life and achievements of Mr Edhi.

The Principal, as he himself has always been involved in a number of welfare projects and has always encouraged and urged the students and staff to take active part in social welfare activities, highlighted different glorious aspects of the life of Abdul Sattar Edhi. He mentioned his frequent visits to different centres of Edhi Foundation and his meetings with Abdul Sattar Edhi and Bilqees Edhi in 1994-95 when he was posted in Karachi as a brigade commander. He said that after Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, Abdjul Sattar Edhi was probably the biggest blessing of Allah for Pakistan. He urged the young Gallians and staff to emulate his life and try to follow his example in a practical way. He declared that 08 July, every year, will be observed as Edhi day at Lawrence College wherein specially assembly will be held and voluntary donations will be collected for humanitarian cause. He also directed that Mr Edhi’s portrait be displayed at appropriate places in the College.

Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated in the College with joy and fervour. In keeping with the tradition set by the Principal on his arrival in 2013, it was an open house at the Principal’s residence. Although, all the students and most faculty members were on Eid leave, yet a large number of admin staff and some faculty members along with their families visited the Principal’s residence. It was heartening that this included many junior staff such as sanitary workers, gardeners, guards, bearers etc.

They were greeted by Begum Principal and the Principal himself. The guests were served with many traditional dishes. It provided the staff an opportunity to exchange Eid greetings with the Principal and also with each other. Such invitations of the Principal have always encouraged the staff and have helped in developing a cordial working relationship among all staff members.

In the holy month of Ramadan, the Inter-House Qir’at Competition was held at Prep School Mosque after the prayer of Juma-tul-Widaa on 1st of July, 2016. The Principal Lawrence College, Brig (Retd) Mujahid Alam, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Sami Ullah Umrani, the stage secretary, started the ceremony in a formal way right after Friday prayers. Twenty four participants, six from each House, recited verses from the Holy Qur’an. The boys of classes 5th 6th and 7th took part in the competition with religious sanctity and fervor.

Ladies Club at Lawrence College is playing an active role in organizing different activities for the families of the faculty and administrative staff. Members of the Club not only organize different functions, get-togethers, excursions and competitions, but they are also active in arranging different welfare activities for the families of junior staff.

Recently, in the holy month of Ramadan 2016, the Ladies Club arranged gift for the families of junior staff and distributed 2kg sugar packs among 88 families. The Principal and other staff appreciated this kind gesture by the Ladies Club.

It is said “charity begins at home” and the Gallians have always proved equal to this saying with their frequent acts of benevolence. Gallians and old Gallians have always taken LCGG as their second home, and have always contributed towards the infrastructure and human resource of GG.

One such old Gallian is Dr Malik Abdul Qadir Khan who passed out from Lawrence College in 1979. He has been benevolent round the year by giving away donation of Rs. 20,000/- every month. Apart from this, he has, twice, donated a generous sum of two hundred thousand in the holy month of Ramadan, 2015 and 2016. He also gifted a hundred and one suits for the junior staff.

Dr Abdul Qadir never desired this fact to be highlighted on the website, but the College administration and faculty could not resist themselves in bringing this noble gesture into the knowledge of our readers. Principal, faculty and Gallians indebted to Dr Abdul Qadir for his deep affiliations with LCGG

Books play an important role in our life. Books are our friends in a real sense. They demand nothing from us, but give us plenty of joy. They tone up our intellectual taste, make our outlook broad and inspire us to work hard with hope and courage. They remove our ignorance, enrich our experience and sharpen our intellect.

Here at Lawrence College, we encourage our pupils to read more and more. The Principal, as a true book lover, not only urged the students and teachers to read good books, but made all efforts to improve the condition of libraries and to add a large number of useful books.

To promote the joys of reading, Lawrence College Book Festival was held from 17  to 19 June 2016 in the Gymnasium of Senior School. The Principal Lawrence College formally inaugurated the Event on 17 June. The Festival hosted prominent book companies and national level organizations including National Book Foundation, Pakistan Academy of Letters, Urdu Science Board, Oxford University Press, Paramount Books, Kitab Ghar, Nigarshat, Haq Publishers, Al-Riaz Publishers and Islah Books.

The Festival was attended by Gallians and students from other institutions from Murree like Military College Murree, Convent of Jesus & Mary and Army Public School Cliffden Camp Murree. It was a great motivation for the students to read by offering them a wide selection of books to choose from that they can look at before they decide to buy. It gave them a bigger selection as the event exhibited a huge variety of books from different publishers.

The Festival attracted the Gallians from three schools a lot who bought thousands of books and were eager to buy more books. It gave a chance to instill a love of reading among our students that we hope would last a lifetime.

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After a thorough induction process, many new appointments have been made which would surely add to the strength of dedicated faculty of the College. We extend them a warm welcome and hope that they would synergize all their abilities in the calm and congenial environment provided by Lawrence College.

The newly appointed teachers are:

• Mr. Atif Aslam has been appointed as lecturer in Physics Department, Senior School.
• Mrs. Farwa Batool has been appointed in Junior School as English teacher.
• Ms Kiran Pervez has been appointed as ad hoc library teacher in Junior School.

Following the Principal’s vision, Prep School has laid down the foundation of Community Development Council on 12 May 2016. A meeting headed by Headmaster Prep School was attended by the staff and students of class-VII. In the meeting, the boys were told about importance of social work and community building. Gallians were motivated to take part in society building activities.

In this regard, the students of Class-VII performed an activity of cleanliness of academic block on 02 June 2016. Boys were motivated to buy, read and donate books, one each to the School Library. As a result of this motivation, the boys of Prep School have donated one hundred and fourteen books to Muhammad Munir Library which was highly appreciated by the Principal on the occasion of the Naming Ceremony of Muhammad Munir Library. Boys are enthusiastic and are positively charged to visit a local school to support the poor students.

The Margalla Festival Tent Pegging Championship, a two-days event, was held in Islamabad on 04 and 05 June 2016. Riders from all over Pakistan participated in this Championship. A team of four Gallians of Prep School, Lawrence College, participated in the event on both days.

In accordance with the Principal’s personal interest, horse riding was started in 2015 for boys of all three Schools. This was the first time in the history of Lawrence College that Gallians of Prep School participated in tent pegging event. It is also the start of a new and healthy tradition in the history of the College. Such constructive activities generate a great deal of confidence in the boys.

On the first day of the competition, a group of 25 boys, including four participants, under supervision of their teacher and physical training instructor, reached Islamabad. Four young Gallians, Abdul Raheem Niazi, Hadeed Babar, Umar Yar and Daniyal Ahmed participated in the competition. Abdul Raheem Niazi and Hadeed Babar reached the second stage. Daniyal Ahmed and Umar Yar also put up a good show. A lavish tea was served to the Gallians by the Festival Management.

On the second day, 05 June, another group of 25 boys, including the same participants reached the arena. All the riders performed well and spectators were greatly impressed and astonished at the performance of the young Gallians.

This was a new experience for the young Gallians to enjoy and learn. The contingent enjoyed dinner at Savour Foods, Islamabad and reached the College at mid night after an exciting and enjoyable experience of two days.

Naming ceremony of Muhammad Munir Library was held on 05 June 2016. The ceremony was attended by the family members and some students of late Mr Muhammad Munir.

The function started with welcome speech by Imad Khan of class VII. After the welcome note, Principal Lawrence College, Brig (Retd) Mujahid Alam, in his speech, paid tribute to the services rendered by Mr Muhammad Munir. He commended the contributions of Mr. Muhammad Munir as a Headmaster, educator and a role model. He added that Mr Muhammad Munir served twenty-nine generations of Gallians as the Headmaster and polished them in a matchless way. He thanked Mr Muhammad Abdul Basir , his family and all respected guests for gracing the ceremony. Moreover, he appreciated the young Gallians of Prep School for donating 114 books to Muhmmad Munir Library.

The Chief Guest Mr Muhammad Abdul Basir, son of Mr Muhammad Munir, in his address, shared the different facets of his father’s personality. He, particularly, threw light on the generosity, open mindedness, administrative skills, sincerity and caring attitude of his father.

Major General (Retd) Ovais Mushtaq Qureshi, a brilliant students of late Mr Muhammad Munir, in his address to the Gallians, recalled that Mr Muhammad Munir was one of the best administrators and an outclass teacher. Moreover, he was a thorough gentleman having great love and affection for his students and staff. His contribution in curricular and co-curricular activities was exceptional.

On the sunny morning of 24 April 2016, 46 students from Wightwick House, Senior School, set out to explore the 7^thNational Book Day Festival organized by National Book Foundation at Pak-China Friendship Centre Islamabad. The Festival offered something for every age and every interest, bringing readers and writers together for inspiration, entertainment and discussion. The students were accompanied by their Housemaster Mr Asghar Malik, House Tutor Mr Usman Ghani and the House PTI Mr Akhtar Hussain Ch.

The contingent left the College at 9 am and joined a large number of students, teachers, writers, poets and other visitors who were enjoying the tempting and fascinating Book Festival. At first, the students enjoyed some live presentations by school children about the local languages of Pakistan in the Auditorium. After that the boys moved to the book stalls area and started searching for the books of their interest. There were scores of book stalls exhibiting thousands of titles by different authors with a wide array of contemporary literature. They spent more than two hours there and bought a number of good books of their interest which were available at special discount rates. Then the boys had a delicious packed lunch in the Rose & Jasmine Garden in front of the Pak-China Friendship Centre.

After the lunch, the boys visited Jinnah Super Market for one hour. On their way back, they enjoyed for sometime in the Lake View Park and reached College back by 2000hrs. The students enjoyed the trip a lot. We hope it would further trigger their quest for reading and would encourage them to be a regular buyer of books.

In a fluctuating weather, the students of Classes 8, 9 and 10 had a hiking to the Mushkpuri Top. They left the College at about 8:15am, with 41 boys and five staff members, Mr Raza ul Haq, Mr Amjad Mehmood, Mr Abbas and Mr Zahoor.

Though the weather conspired against them, yet they reached their destination successfully. The boys were mesmerized to see the natural beauty of the Mushkpuri Top. They enjoyed a lot, especially with the snow. They were briefed about the surrounding areas like Kashmir, Miranjani, Murree, the River Jehlum, etc. After spending about one and half hour, the contingent moved to Dunga Gali. The boys had their lunch and then started back for Murree where the boys spent about one and half hour on the Mall. The Contingent reached College back at 5:45pm with high spirit.

The Oxford University Press (OUP) once again gathered avid readers, writers, academics, and literary figures from across Pakistan and the world, at the third Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) held at The National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa Islamabad, on Saturday, 16^th April 2016. The three days festival was packed with talks, panel discussions, Mushaira, English poetry recitation, book fair, book launches, readings, author signings, performing arts, Sufi music, art exhibitions and much more. Apart from Pakistani authors, poets and academics, foreign speakers also participated in the ILF.

Fifteen students of Senior Cambridge, accompanied by Mr Zulfiqar Ali Sajjad, attended the festival. They attended the first session in Faiz Ahmed Faiz Open Air Theatre on the topic “Nayee Purani Urdu Nazam”. The speakers were the great names of Modern Urdu Poem Kishwar Naheed, Fehmida Riaz and Dr. Ravish Nadeem. After 15 minutes’ break, the students were present in the same hall with British author, Orwell Prize-winning journalist, and policy analyst Anatol Lieven and Ex Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. They talked on “Softening the Hard Country”.

After the lunch break, some of us attendeded a conversation of Asif Farrukhi with great traveller, writer, novelist, columnist, actor, former television compere Mustansir Hussain Tarar. The others attended a discussion with veteran activist-politician, constitutional theorist and a left-wing statesman Chaudhary Aitzaz Ahsan, Indian poet, critic and writer Satyapal Anand, famous television actor and son of great Jamil U din Aali Mr. Raju Jamil and other great names of media, on “Mera Paigham Pakistan”.

The next were three very good talks in different halls. Some of us listened to Hina Rabbani Khar, Anatol Lieven, Nasim Zehra, Omer Zakhilwal and Jean-Francois Cautain on “Regional Connectivity and Stability”. The other group listened a talk on “Subjective Fictions: Stories We Invent about the World We Inhabit” with Qaisra Shahraz, Shehryar Fazli, Bina Shah and Piyush Jha. The last group attended a discussion with Indian Journalist and researcher Saif Mehmood and well known Pakistani poet Ali Akbar Natiq.

The boys were anxiously waiting for the great comic poet Anwar Masood. All settled in Faiz Ahmed Faiz Open Air Theatre well in time. The hall was fully occupied by the lovers of Anwar Masood. As he came and started his talk, everyone was enjoying his comic poetry and interesting conversation.

After this, boys again went to the book stalls and then departed for Lawrence College after enjoying at the favourite picnic point of Gallians “Centaurus Mall”. The ILF exposed the students to big ideas and stories. It was a literary and cultural show that brought together thinkers and writers from Pakistan and the world.

A group of 18 boys of Class XI visited PMA Kakul to witness the Commandant’s Parade on 14 April 2016. The contingent left the College at 04:30am and reached PMA at 07:30am. Before entering the PMA, the boys had a light breakfast at a restaurant in Abbottabad. After the security clearance, the boys got seated in the Red Enclosure by 08:00am. The commentary of the said function started at 08:30am followed by the march past at 09:00am. A simple and dignified prize distribution ceremony was also held during the function.

The students of Lawrence College witnessed the said parade with great interest and were highly motivated. After the function, the contingent had their lunch at a restaurant in front of Army Burn Hall College. The contingent departed from Abbottabad at about 01:30pm. We had a tea break at Nathia Gali and offered Asar prayer at Murree. After prayer, the students visited the Mall Road and reached college back by 06:00pm.

Overall, it was an excursion–cum-motivational trip for the students and they enjoyed every moment of the visit.

On 08 April 2016, Junior School welcomed new entrants of class 1 and other classes with true Gallian spirit, zeal and zest to make them comfortably settle in their new abode. Entertaining skits, music, playful activities and competitions followed by a sumptuous tea were all on the menu. The Principal, HMSS, HMPS, HMJS and faculty members of Junior School assured their all out support for their happy stay ahead.

Maj General (Retd) Shaukat Iqbal has served in Pakistan Army for 40 Years. He is a graduate of Pakistan Staff College, National Defence College and German Fuerungsakademie Hamburg. In civil education he is Masters in Strategic Studies, Masters in International Affairs, Masters in Military Sciences and presently a student of PhD in International Affairs. He was declared as the best officer in German Staff College and was awarded Clausewitz Honor and Shorn Horst Prize.

He has experience of fighting War on Terrorism and has also commanded the Division of Nuclear Forces. He served in diplomatic mission in Germany, Austria, and Poland for a long time. He also served in Saudi Arabia and China on military missions. He is also the author of two books: The New Great Game and Security Challenges for Pakistan andTurmoil in Muslim World – A moment of soul searching.

Maj General (Retd) Shaukat Iqbal, very graciously found time to talk to the Senior School boys about the educational opportunities in Germany. Giving example of his two sons who are studying in Germany, he dilated upon the various ways in which the students could benefit from the scholarship programmes offered by German universities. He assured the boys of his help in meeting the requirements for education in Europe, especially in completion of thirteenth year of education and courses of German language which are a prerequisite for admission to any university in Germany. He guided them for a bright future in academics that they could avail in Germany.

The Principal thanked Maj General (Retd) Shaukat Iqbal for sparing time and sharing such useful information with the students that will be helpful for them in shaping their careers.

Here at Lawrence College, we continue to strive for upbringing of our students to prepare them to excel in any field of life they choose for themselves. In this regard, experts and scholars from different walks of life are frequently invited to address the students on a variety of topics, in an effort to broaden their vision and equip them with necessary skills. As a large number of Gallians desire to serve the nation as an army officer, special lectures and training programmes are organized to help them develop the traits of a good army officer which are criteria for judgment in ISSB.

Brig (Retd) Abdullah Khan, an experienced army officer, visited Lawrence College on 03 March 2016 and talked to the Intermediate students in detail about the qualities they needed for remaining successful in ISSB. In his detailed lecture, he highlighted that the students needed to develop planning abilities and courage (physical and moral) among themselves. He said that they must have emotional stability, determination, integrity, sense of responsibility, self confidence and good communication skills. They should also be good in interpersonal and intrapersonal skills along with power of initiative if they wanted to appear for ISSB.

The detailed talk gave an insight to the students how they have to prepare themselves if they wanted to serve the nation as an officer in Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force or Pakistan Navy.

Setting new healthy, socio-educational traditions, the Principal Lawrence College, hosted a sumptuous tea-party on 29 March 2016 to welcome the new Class 8 who joined the Senior School last month. This batch of students included, boys promoted from the Prep School and also the new external students, who got admission to class 8^th this year.

Present on the occasion were, Vice Principal Senior School, Director of Studies, Deputy Headmaster Senior School, Senior School Faculty, Admin. Officer, the College Security Officer, and House PTI’s. In his address, the Principal warmly welcomed the new students and assured them all out support to make them feel comfortable on the campus. He reiterated and emphasized the need and importance of academic excellence, which he said, should be every student’s top priority during their stay at Lawrence College. This ceremony marks the beginning of a new Gallian tradition which will continue for years to come.

After a thorough induction process, many new appointments have been made which would surely add to the strength of dedicated faculty of the College. We extend them a warm welcome and hope that they would synergize all their abilities in the calm and congenial environment provided by Lawrence College.

The newly appointed teachers are:

• Mr Abbas Ali has been appointed as lecturer in Mathematics Department, Senior School.
• Mr Hafeez ur Rehman as lecturer in Physics Department, Senior School.
• Mr Usman Ghani as lecturer in English Department, Senior School

Dr Khalid Zaheer, an eminent religious scholar of international repute, visited Lawrence College on Friday, 26 February.

In his address to the College faculty and students of Senior School in the Lawrence Hall, Dr Khalid Zaheer highlighted some of the aspects of morality and goodness. He, in his pleasant and persuasive way, dilated upon the need of positivity in life. He stressed that the Muslims today need to be more tolerant and moderate in their appearance. He made it clear that we need to detach ourselves from any element of extremism and sectarianism. We need compassion and forbearance in our life as these were among the most prominent features of the life of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

He further said that just calling ourselves Muslim does not guarantee our success in the hereafter. We need to practically follow and act upon the teachings of Islam: the religion of peace. This enlightened discussion was followed by the question-answer session in which the students asked some pertinent questions which were answered comprehensively by the learned guest. After discussion with the students, Dr Khalid spoke to the teachers separately for a few minutes. On the occasion, the Principal thanked Dr Khalid Zaheer for his kind visit and persuasive lecture.

Later on, the honourable guest led the Juma prayer in the Senior School mosque followed by his address to the gathering over there. This visit of Dr Khalid Zaheer certainly left some positive marks on minds of the students.

Khawaja Shuja Ullah, an illustrious son of LCGG, donated clothing for the Support Staff of the College, as a token of love in February, 2016. He is of the view that the lower staff plays an important role in the smooth running of the system and they deserve our support to minimize their problems.

He kindly donated 195 Jackets, 150 Caps and 324 Scarves.

The clothing items were distributed among the support staff of the College and details were sent to the Principal and the Heads of the three Schools. It’ll be worth mentioning that Khawaja Shujah Ullah had also gifted Rs 50,000 to Prep School last year which was used to equip the Mathematics Classroom.

The Principal highly appreciated this act of generosity and positive approach. He thanked Mr Shuja Ullah for such an excellent thanksgiving to his alma mater. He further added that such gestures of goodwill would serve as a beacon of light for the young Gallians to build the society with the same spirit and keep their Institute green in their memories.

The heart-rending news of the death of a distinguished old Gallian Lala Nisar Muhammad Khan (Former Senator and Federal Minister) has sent a wave of grief to everyone at Lawrence College. He passed away on Tuesday 23 February 2016 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

During his political career, he held several important positions, including that of Federal Minister for Railways in Muhammad Khan Junejo’s government. He was also a Federal Minister for Housing in the 2008 caretaker set-up ahead of elections that year.

The Principal, staff and Gallians express their sincerest condolence to the family and friends of Nisar Muhammad Khan.

Dr Muhammad Amjad Saqib, a prominent social worker, volunteer, development professional, an inspiring speaker and a prolific writer, visited Lawrence College on 20 January 2016. Dr Amjad Saqib is medical graduate from King Edward Medical College, has a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship, from the American University, Washington D.C., USA. He joined civil service of Pakistan (DMG) in 1985. In 1998, he joined Punjab Rural Support Programme, as General Manager. He has been awarded Khushal Khan Khattak Literary award in 1993 and “Sitara-a-Imtiaz”, a coveted civil award on 23 March 2010. Dr Saqib has also authored six books. Besides rendering philanthropic and social services, he has been providing consultancy services to many national and international organizations, like Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, World Bank, and Canadian International Development Agency, USAID and DFID. He is a member of the syndicates of many universities. He is regular guest speaker at Civil Services Academy (CSA), NIPA, LUMS and many other professional forums. He has been among the visiting faculty at Kinnaird College Lahore, Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and University of the Punjab.

Having stood out as a public servant, right when his career was about to move towards higher echelons, he resigned in 2003 with the intent to dedicate himself to becoming a social entrepreneur and make a difference in societal change through Akhuwat – which had already been launched in 2001 and had meanwhile started taking strides towards the force it was to become. Dr. Saqib is founder and Executive Director of Akhuwat, first ever interest free microfinance programme. The desire to do ‘something different’, something more effective as a panacea for the poor spurred him on to conceive and introduce an interest-free microfinance model based on the idea of Muakhat or brotherhood, the model presented by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Madina where one Ansari took responsibility of rehabilitation of one Muhajir. This makes Akhuwat a unique microfinance organization – indeed the first of its kind. The model has by now been replicated by many organizations but at close to $110 million in disbursed amount Akhuwat remains the largest such institution in the world.

During an extremely inspiring and heart-touching talk to the students and faculty of Senior School, Dr. Amjad told them the story of his own life and that of Akhuwat. He told them that their aim in life should be to help and comfort the needy. He stressed upon the need of playing our role in poverty alleviation, as only then one would be successful in this life and the life hereafter. He advised the students that they should not be impressed by the Western civilization as they have inherited the best culture and civilization. He told them that the enemies of Pakistan were using the deadly weapon of spreading pessimism and disappointment among the youth. He advised them to have an unflinching faith in themselves and to do their job, whatever field they choose for themselves according to their aptitude, in the best possible way. If one organization like Akhuwat can help 110,000 people, to develop an honourable way of income, what other Pakistanis cannot do. The call of the hour is that we should identify our goals for the development of Pakistan and stick to it for life time.

The Principal thanked Dr Amjad for sparing time for such a wonderful and inspiring talk that had moved all the audience. Dr Amjad presented a set of his publications to the Principal Lawrence College. The guest was also presented with College souvenir.