GUJRAT, Oct 1: The district administration went the extra mile by declaring schools’ holiday during PML-N MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to the University of Gujrat on Tuesday.

The Sharifs’ scion after landing at the local air strip along Bhimbher Road went straight to the University of Gujrat where he inaugurated a two-day national event “DICE 2013” – an exhibition organised by ORIC UoG in collaboration with the PCST, the British Council, the Higher Education Commission and the Distinguished Innovation Collaboration and Entrepreneurship (DICE) foundation.

Speaking to the participants in the opening ceremony, Hamza pledged to extend the Punjab government’s support to the UoG to acquire land for the extension of the Hafiz Hayat campus. He also reiterated his promise of more vehicles for the varsity which had been facing shortage of buses for long.

He announced construction of a new dual road up to the Hafiz Hayat campus from Gujrat city’s Kutchery Chowk since the flow of traffic on a single track -- Gujrat to Jalalpur Jattan Road -- has increased manifold.

“No society can progress without being knowledge based in modern age. Pakistan is passing through multiple crises -- energy, terrorism, law and order. These are hindering pace of our economy” he said.

He said it was a good sign that UoG was playing an important role for industry-academia linkages.

UoG Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin said in his welcome address, “DICE-2013 is a mega event in the history of UoG as nations always make progress through practical and useful knowledge.

“The aim and objective of DICE is to promote distinguished innovation in the field of knowledge and to help the progress of industries through this creative knowledge. Pakistan is a unique country of the world which has largest younger population and in this way, Pakistan’s future lies in its youth,” the VC said.

Officials said the police had issued a security alert and all institutions on the route where Hamza Sharif had to travel, had to be closed.

Later, Hamza inaugurated a party office along GT Road, where the legislators and workers were also present. He urged the party workers to start preparations for the local elections and assured them of party leadership’s support in resolving the problems being faced by the masses.