SARGODHA: A group of a dozen robbers wreaked havoc in the village of Bakhar Bar, Shahpur tehsil, on Thursday night and targeted more than a dozen homes in a well-coordinated three-hour operation.

The robbers, armed with weapons, entered homes at intervals of 20 minutes, tied up family members and snatched their mobile phones before looting valuables.

According to the Shahpur Saddar police, cases have been registered on the complaints of residents, including Mohsin Raza, Hafiz Nasr Hayat, Qamar Abbas, Shah Nawaz, Muhammad Ijaz, Ghulam Abbas, and Muhammad Buta.

Goods worth more than Rs7 million were reported stolen.

The residents of Bakhar Bar are gripped by fear and insecurity as no arrests have been made so far. Police said they were looking into the incident.

SEMINAR: The Department of Urdu Language and Literature at the University of Sargodha organised a one-day international seminar titled ‘Enlightenment and Coexistence in Urdu Literature’.

The seminar explored the significant role of Urdu literature in fostering harmony, tolerance, and intellectual growth. Renowned poet and critic Dr Syed Taqi Abidi from Canada was the chief guest. The event also saw active participation from Prof Dr Naseem Abbas Ahmar, the department chairman, along with Dr Sumaira Ijaz, Dr Sajid Javed, Amir Sohail, faculty members, and students.

Dr Abidi discussed the importance of Urdu as a unifying language reflecting South Asia’s rich cultural diversity. He said Allama Iqbal’s contributions and his philosophy continued to inspire intellectual enlightenment and mutual respect.

ADMISSION: The University of Sargodha has extended the application deadline for its spring 2025 admissions. Students can now apply for 141 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programmes until December 30, 2024.

Merit lists for regular programmes will be displayed on Jan 8, Jan 10 and Jan 14, 2025. Self-support merit lists will follow on Jan 16, Jan 20 and Jan 22, 2025. Reserved seat lists will also be posted on Jan 16, 2025, with classes commencing on Feb 3, 2025.

For MPhil and PhD programmes, the HAT test for PhD is set for Jan 1, 2025, followed by interviews on Jan 3. MPhil. test and interviews are scheduled for Jan 1. Sports trials, co-curricular activity tests, and other admissions-related evaluations will take place between Dec 31, and Jan 3, 2025.

The university has also scheduled specific dates for various admission tests and trials, including sports-based admission trials on Jan 01-02, 2025, for male candidates and Jan 03, 2025, for female candidates. Co-curricular activities test will be on Jan 01, 2025. The test for Hafiz-e-Quran and the medical examination test for the disabled quota will be conducted on Jan 01, 2025.

Physical efficiency tests for the sports science discipline will be conducted on Dec 31, 2024.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024