Turkish delegation calls on UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan at VC Chamber

Forest net in Pakistan is less than 5 percent which is very low as compared to international standard of 25 percent becoming responsible for increase in climate changes challenges, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan on Friday. He addressed prize distribution ceremony of Lyallpur Literature Festival, at New Senate Hall, UAF. Senior Tutor Prof Dr Aslam Pervez and Principal Officer Students Affairs Prof Dr Muhammad Younis also spoke on the occasion. The Vice Chancellor said that UAF has set up Forestry, Range Management and Wildlife College in Layyah in order to foster the forest and wildlife knowledge among the dwellers at their doorstep. It is first Forest College in Punjab and second in the country after the Forest College in Peshawar. He said that the college will train manpower equipped with the knowledge of forestry that will help boost up the forest net in the country. He said that the College will bring tangible results in enhancing the forest net, modern agricultural results and alleviating the poverty keeping in view the scope of the area. He said that climate changes were playing havoc with the lives of people and agriculture in the form of increased floods, soil erosion and other natural calamities. He said that it is need of the hour to increase the forest net to combat with the disasters. He said that country faces massive loss worth billion of rupees because of floods. He said that the as the average global temperature, which increased. He said that global temperature has gone up by 0.6 °C over the past century which is likely to increase by 1.1 to 6.4 °C by the end of the current century. Already Pakistan is rated as a “high risk” country in the global rankings for Climate Change Vulnerability Index. He said that Lyallpur Festival brought a platform to the youth to give voice to their innovative ideas that remained of a hub of literature lovers for five days. Prof Dr Aslam Pervez said that festival was first of its nature for the literature activities in the city of textile. He praised the skills of the young talented students to prove their mettle in the area of literature. Dr Muhammad Younis thanked the audience, management and university staff for making it a success story.