Abdul Khaliq 8th Mar 2012

The purpose of the Thesis was to study the relationship between Public-Private Partnerships and the ‘Effectiveness’ of energy projects in Pakistan. For the last few decades private participation has been prescribed as a way forward to address the challenge of infrastructure underdevelopment by pooling best of the resources and faculties belonging to public and private sectors. But, so far, the studies seen in the literature were few and devoid of statistical analysis to evaluate PPPs’ role on some provable evidence, especially in the energy sector. Pakistan’s experience of inducting independent power producers in the 1990s further distorted widely acclaimed role of private participation. This situation necessitated undertaking an analytical study to measure the impact of public private partnerships on the effectiveness of energy projects on some verifiable basis.
To achieve this objective three pronged methodology was adopted. Main Research Framework was evolved based on a questionnaire containing forty questions as the measures of effectiveness grouped under four dimensions. The response data, collected from energy sector public and private stakeholders, was tested through statistical analysis and weighted frequency method. Two case studies on Kot Addu Power Company Limited and Pakistan Petroleum Exploration and Production Data Repository Project were also carried out with the help of data taken from published literature and the primary data collected through the projects specific questionnaires seeking response from the respective stakeholders. A Landfill Gas to Energy project (PPP) model was also developed based on the municipal solid waste data for the city of Peshawar. Feasibility of the model project was tested on financial internal rate of return and net present value basis.                                                                                                                 
Analysis of the broad based response data from the variety of stakeholders belonging to public and private energy sectors and evaluation of the selected energy projects evidenced significant positive impact of the PPPs on the effectiveness of energy projects and helped in deriving a set of findings which may provide some insight, in future, for selecting appropriate type of projects for the energy sector in Pakistan. The study is likely to add deeper vision for making energy sector more vibrant and sustainable.

Adnan Tahir on 1st Mar 2012

English language teaching in Pakistan has been experiencing a period of rapid and multiple reforms in different areas including professional socialization of English teachers. This doctoral study was conducted to examine the relationship between socialization content and effective socialization process of beginning English teachers during the initial four years of their service. Socialization content was identified with four variables: task mastery of teaching skill, professional learning, relationship with senior colleagues, and organizational culture. Effective socialization has been interpreted as the criterion through which the success of the organization’s socialization programs and individuals is evaluated. The survey method was used for generating the desired data. A sample was chosen carefully from the colleges located in Punjab province and Islamabad. A detailed questionnaire comprising three main sections and four sub-sections was used for data collection. A separate questionnaire was used for the Heads of English Department to supplement the research findings. The collected data, from 295 respondents, was examined through descriptive analysis and then computed for interpretation with linear and multiple regression analyses to test study hypotheses. The results rejected the Null hypothesis of no relationship between socialization content and effective socialization of beginning English teachers. The alternative hypotheses were accepted which assumed a positive relationship between effective socialization (DV) and individual variable of socialization content (IV). Many socialization challenges were found related to beginning teachers’ mastery on teaching skill, on-the-job professional development through formal training programs and job experiences, relationship with experienced colleagues for advice and support, and administrative and cultural inconsistencies. Finally, the study has suggested that introducing mentoring and cost-effective PD models can improve professional skills along with the enhancement in relationship among teachers through various socialization programs. The principals/ administrators can contribute to favorable organizational culture, empowering beginning teachers in classrooms, which may have a positive effect on teachers’ self-perception. There is a need to focus on workplace learning programs with a mind shift from theoretical lectures/ workshops to real life practices. It is hoped that findings of this research would help in developing strategies for the forthcoming socialization and professional challenges in the perspective of English language teaching reforms in Pakistan.

Ambrina Qayyum - 16th Mar 2012

The Feminist Movement, besides winning equal rights for women in legal and political matters, also influenced contemporary literary artists who, in their works, presented the problems of women. In the twentieth century D. H. Lawrence portrayed the situation of women in his novels. The researcher plans to identify feminist elements in Lawrence’s fiction, particularly through an analysis of the portrayal of his female characters. She selected Existentialist Feminism to be used as theoretical framework for her research.
The first chapter of this thesis presents various stages of the Feminist Movement and discusses different political, social, economic and philosophical influences which contributed in shaping it. The second chapter delineates the role played by Existentialist philosopher and feminist Simone de Beauvoir in the development of a feminist theory through her voluminous book ‘The Second Sex’. The same chapter also contains analyses done by various critics of Lawrence’s female characters who appear in all his novels. The third chapter presents the research plan which is based on identification of similarities in Lawrence’s portrayal of women in his major novels and de Beauvoir’s delineation of feminine characteristics.
The five following chapters of the thesis consist of the study of various roles in which Lawrence presents his female characters. The fourth chapter discusses Lawrence’s portrayal of woman in her formative years, her childhood and adolescence. The married woman’s life as presented by Lawrence is the focus of the discussion in the fifth chapter. The sixth chapter deals with matters related to motherhood. The seventh chapter studies Lawrence’s presentation of independent women and, particularly, the problems she faces in order to gain her independent status. The eighth chapter discusses the variety of emotions experienced by Lawrence’s women when they are in love.
After a thorough study the researcher reaches the conclusion that the characteristic feminine features identified and discussed by de Beauvoir are almost all present in the female characters of Lawrence’s fiction. Hence, Lawrence proves to be a feminist who has real knowledge of the problems of women and highlights these feminist issues in his works through his female characters.

Mahwish Anjum - 6th Mar 2012

Management and Business education industry is considered to be in the era of mushroom growth as variety of programs is offered throughout the world, and similar is the trend of admissions and enrolments in such schools. However, this expansion has made business education much commercial.  Today business schools are somehow being criticized for not fulfilling their roles and responsibilities with much rigor and concern, particularly in imparting practical and pragmatic knowledge hence; the quality and value offered to the stake holders become questionable. The researcher therefore considered it important and researchable to explore that what business schools are all about? What education system they are following to impart practical knowledge? And are they being able to satisfy their stakeholders or not?
The study was exploratory and descriptive in nature. Interviews, Questionnaires and focus group study methods were used to collect data. 20 key informant interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the education quality and system. In addition, a total of 200 students and alumni’s were approached for the survey asking about the effectiveness of business schools in preparing them for the industry.
Research showed that it is imperative for business schools to look for new, enhanced, and more effectual ways of imparting business knowledge. By working with industry business schools can intensify their efforts to fulfill employer needs.  However, so far school-industry collaboration opportunities are not adequately and effectively explored; therefore the researcher has recommended organizational design namely pragmatic business edification (PBE) Model. The dissertation also talks about the possible responses of the stakeholders about proposed PBE model, as a focus group survey (pilot test study) was organized. The focus group study included twenty (20) professionals from education and other industries of Pakistan, exploring the potential benefits and possible hindrances in implementing proposed model.

Muhammad Younas Malik - 28th February 2012 

Section Assessment is an integral part of the education system everywhere in the world whereas education in Pakistan is provincial subject according to the constitution. There are certain organizations responsible for the assessment of the student’s achievement like Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) and National testing Service in Pakistan (NTS).
The comparative study of these organizations was carried out keeping in view the different objectives as:

• To analyze the evaluation system of Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education and National Testing Service with reference to content validity.
• To evaluate the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education and National Testing Service with reference to construct validity.
• To determine the relevance with reference to chronology and psychological    considerations.
• To analyze the subjective type of evaluation.
• To analyze the objective type of evaluation.
• To evaluate the efficiency in the area of control and conduct.
• To analyze the system of the practical examination.
• To explore the area feedback and research

Two questionnaires were prepared using the techniques of comparative assessment and both the systems were assessed through the respondents with same criterion applied at the same time. The sample of 500 students was randomly selected with 100 teachers from BISE Rawalpindi. All the students who appeared in NTS and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Examination at the F-Sc level constituted the population of the study with teachers of the respective area.
The findings gave a clear insight about the efficiency of the systems concerned.
NTS was responded as more reliable system as compare to Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education with considerable improvements in future.

Nazakat - 12th Mar 2012

There has been debate among educationist, researchers and intellectuals about the role of a language in education in Pakistan. Educational policy makers in Pakistan couldn’t determine proper role of any language in education. This resulted often in tossing of English and Urdu medium of instruction policies in Pakistan. Present study is the outcome of two inspirations. First inspiration came from one of the government policies in 2003 regarding medium of instruction, whereby it was decided that medium of instruction in government schools be changed to English from class six onwards in science subjects. The second inspiration was the theory of Jim Cummins, which purported that a Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in a particular language is possible if a learner is, immersed in that language for 5 to 7 years. The researcher became interested to measure the conceptual and cognitive understanding of those students in first Year College whose medium was changed from Urdu to English at sixth class by comparing them with their fellows in English medium whose medium never changed from English. Experimental methodology was adopted for teaching the selected content from science subjects followed by a test made in the guidelines of Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning. The obtained data revealed that on average there was no difference in the conceptual and cognitive understanding of the students of both groups. The data collected on the basis of teachers’ interviews corroborated the results of the tests. The results implied for a uniform medium of instruction in science subjects and the researcher recommends that English as a medium of instruction be introduced after six in all schools.

Zaheer Khan - 13th Mar 2012

The contributions of finance and human capital development in economic development have been firmly established by number of researchers in the world. The relationship between "Financial Development and Human Capital and their joint contribution to economic development has not been much examined. In this study, the impact of human capital and financial development on economic growth in Pakistan has been assessed for the period 1980-2009.
The Translog production function has been used as a theoretical base to determine the joint contribution of human capital and financial development in economic growth and input factors. The input factors include "labour, physical capital, Human Capital, and monetary indicators". Translog production function is used because it is more flexible in nature and allows interactions among different factor inputs. This study will offer batter insight about the importance of human capital and financial development in overall growth process of Pakistan.
To determine the impact of human capital and financial development and their interacting terms Auxiliary regression procedure has been adopted. Results indicate that human capital and financial development are complementary for each other and for economic growth of Pakistan,
Keywords: Human capital, financial development, Economic development, Pakistan.

Amina Ashraf - 15th Mar 2012

This particular research focuses on the concept and function of ‘space’ within the gothic novel of the Georgian era. The term ‘space’ refers to all constructed structures which specifically include castles, monasteries, and convents.  This study therefore traces the historical change in the concept and function of castles, convents, and monasteries from the medieval times to the Georgian era. The novels used for analysis belong to writers from the Georgian times that have used the medieval age as time-frames for their story-lines. In most cases it is evident that in gothic books, castles or abandoned houses enforce mystery and supernatural existence. The castles are the central place of all gothic activity. Moreover, a castle in the gothic novel, usually, has a long history. The castle also has secret rooms or dungeons, and is shown to have irrational or supernatural occurrences in it. The plot is interspersed with mystery and murder that are eventually resolved.  The novel ends when the heroin (who is most often helpless or orphaned and entrapped by villainous figures) is rescued by a hero and they live happily ever-after. The study analyzes various aspects of the novels where medieval space has been highlighted to decipher its role and function.

Farid Ullah Khan - 29th Feb 2012

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management philosophy and practices that aims to harness the human and material resources of an organization in the most effective way to achieve the objectives of the organization. This descriptive study investigated the preparedness of public sector universities in Pakistan for ISO 9001:2008 implementation and proposed a TQM framework. The study was carried out in the backdrop of National Educational Policy 1998-2010 recommendations for implementation of ISO 9000 and Higher Education Commission (HEC) push for enhancing the quality of education. The objectives of the study were to: (a) survey the presence of effective quality assurance processes in HEIs (b) explore the problems faced by HEIs to improve the quality of education (c) explore critical success factors for TQM implementation (d) explore correlation among different management practices in HEIs (e) find out the factors influencing Customer Focus and Satisfaction (f) propose a TQM implementation framework. It studied 25 HEIs through the perceptions of 25 VCs, 25 Registrars, 25 Deans, 200 Teachers and 500 Students regarding the quality management practices. The study focused on the core activities i.e. teaching, learning and research; and the aspects which had a direct impact on the quality of the educational product. ISO 9001 requirements were used as a survey instrument for Gauging Absence of Prerequisite (GAP) analysis for the implementation of ISO 9001. Descriptive Statistics, Correlation, Regression, ANOVA and Post hoc test were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that HEIs were strong in the area of Measurement, Analysis and Improvement but weak in Resource Management and their standing regarding QMS, as a whole, was above average which showed that more need to be done and improved. Customer focus and satisfaction was a dependent variable and a proxy to measure TQM level of implementation. The study revealed management commitment, internal communication, work environment, infrastructure, teaching processes and assessment processes as significant predictors of customer focus and satisfaction. Moreover, all selected TQM factors were positively related to one another. The study proposed a TQM implementation framework. It also revealed lack of financial resources, planning, quality assurance at feeding colleges and physical resources as top detriments to education quality. The study adds to academic knowledge, provides a solid foundation for future research in the area of quality assurance and provides short and long-term recommendations for quality assurance in HEIs.

Ghulam Dastageer 7th Mar 2012

The objectives of the present study are to assess the effectiveness of management development (MD) programs in Pakistani banking sector, identify factors affecting the success of MD and investigate relationships among those factors that affect MD effectiveness. The research employed a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Based on extensive literature review a model of MD effectiveness was developed and tested with structural equation modeling techniques. The achieved sample for the current study consisted of managers from 33 banking organizations operating in Rawalpindi / Islamabad using “self-reported rating” survey questionnaire and interviews which resulted in 168 completed responses and 25 in-depth interviews. Although participants of the study were very hopeful regarding bright future of MD in Pakistan yet the current level of MD effectiveness is not high. Both lack of trainees’ seriousness in self-development and less top management support for MD were found serious threats to effectiveness. Observed model of MD effectiveness had a good fit with the predicted model and all paths were significant. Individual initiatives for self-development, MD program design and opportunity for skill utilization were the three variables most closely associated with MD effectiveness. Top management should assign higher priority to MD. Pakistani organizations should create strong link between their MD efforts and their corporate strategies, focus more on creating positive training attitude of their employees, provide training program which are flexible enough, contents of MD programs must be relevant to company’s real problems and issues and provide maximum opportunities to utilize knowledge and skills gained through development program in the work place. Risk taking and new ideas should be encouraged. The reward system needs revising and a continuous learning environment ought to be established for effective MD in Pakistan.This study, for the first time, assessed the current state of MD effectiveness in Pakistan and contributes to the present stock of knowledge and understanding of the subject by contextualizing the concept of “MD effectiveness” in Pakistani banking sector.
Keywords – Management development, Effectiveness, Top management, Corporate strategy, Banking sector organizations, Pakistan

Muhammad Iqbal Butt 21st Mar 2012

The thesis hypothesizes that communicative competence is theme as well as age reliant faculty. The potential of a theme of communication for inducing communicative involvement is different for different age-groups. Communication is a reciprocal process and communicative gusto of a communicative setting depends on whether or not its theme is somewhere within the imaginative and psycho-social frontiers of the participants. Such a potential for ignition / inducement of a theme of communication setting is an important factor of communicative language teaching.

The reading texts of the Intermediate Level presently used as language teaching material in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan do not meet the requirement. The themes of many of these texts are too thick, erudite and off -the- wall for the teenagers to make their discourse. They tend more towards the discourse of the teachers i.e. the discourse of the aged and elderly than the discourse of the students (teenage level).

As an alternative approach, the researcher has put to test another theme – Recollections – encompassing and embodying the spirit of the discourse advocated by the research's hypothesis.  The analyses of the data obtained via three questionnaires confirm that English language classroom in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa is a site of two conflicting discourses: the discourse of teenagism and the discourse of English perceptual assumptions maintained through the selection of foreign reading texts. As the selection of the reading texts is made by teachers, it is, to an extent, the linguistic realization of their social interests. The pro-teacher nature of the reading texts creates problems of self-expression and comprehension for the students.

Muhammad Uzair - 5th Mar 2012

Pakistani English is the variety of the language used in Pakistan which has its origins in Britain. This variety of English is heavily influenced by both Pakistani languages and indigenous cultures of Pakistan as well as American English brought in through media. It has developed its own grammatical and lexical features that are fairly different from those of Standard British English and Standard American English. Many linguists studying Pakistani variety of English language have focused on Pakistani English newspaper as sources of data since they can provide a documented proof of the points of departure from the standard norms of the use of English language by the Pakistani users of this language It is relatively a new idea to identify the role of English newspapers, which can be determined only if the influence of the language of the newspapers is reflected in the writing of its readership. The English newspapers with large circulation were selected. These include Dawn, The News ,The Nation and Pakistan Times. The average circulation of these dailies was more than 2, 50,000, which was supposed to be the population of this research. This selection was made out of the different provinces of the country by visiting the main cities, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta, and Faisalabad.
The research consists of two phases: in the first phase a Survey and in the second phase a Written Test were conducted. A survey was conducted by the researcher through a simple questionnaire and those males and females who were used to studying any one of these newspapers and having no other reading habit were selected as sample of the research.
At the next stage a written test was given to the selected sample which has been discussed in the phase two. This study is a descriptive quantitative research as it examines the influence of the language of newspapers on the language of readership without changing or modifying the situation under investigation. It is an “ex post facto” research.

Naveed Ehsan - 12th Mar 2012 

The purpose of this research study was to explore some remedial measures required to make the Pakistani students at the Secondary School level use correct English language in their writings. The problem under concern is that students at even higher levels make simple grammatical mistakes which they seem to have carried with them from high schools. The study aims to find out if these errors can be eliminated at a lower level. For this investigation, the researcher has taken the students at the Secondary School level as the subject.

Common grammatical deviations have become a challenge to Standard English teaching in Pakistan. The study aimed to find out specifically some of the most common grammatical deviations and some of the likely causes behind them. The study has also suggested some measures to eliminate these deviations or irregular patterns and to improve the level of English, especially at school level in Pakistan.

The researcher analyzed essay scripts written by students of Matriculation to find out common deviations. The researcher then analyzed these deviations by applying Theory of Contrastive Analysis to find out some of the likely causes behind these deviations. The researcher collected two hundred essays (twenty essays each) from randomly selected ten Government High Schools for boys in Rawalpindi. For this purpose, the researcher gave a topic on the spot to let the students write spontaneously.

The researcher also used interview as the research tool. One teacher of English, each from the ten schools selected for collecting scripts was interviewed.

The analysis of data received showed that First Language interference played a dominant role in the problem under discussion. Secondly, there was a shortage of skilled teachers in the schools. Some main recommendations were: to involve the teachers at the lower levels in curriculum designing, give regular and effective teacher-training workshops and try to develop a spoken English culture in schools.

It is expected that this study will serve as a useful tool to study the standard of English at the lower levels and find out some more solutions to the problem of weak standard of English in Pakistan. The analysis of interviews has opened up many new areas to work on. The significance of the study is that we can expect to get students who write and speak correct English at the lower as well as the higher levels of study. Teachers teaching ESP and other special courses of English can face this challenge more easily and can also keep their focus on the actual objectives of the courses.

Safia Janis Khan - 12th Mar 2012

This study focuses on the role of "noticing" and its relationship with learning specifically in second language learning. This paper is a personal meditation on how different internal and external factors contribute to the process of second language learning in the classroom or teaching learning process. Second language learning is a one step further than normal learning as it involves the learner’s and teacher’s full participation, attention and the factors that drive learners inner self as well as external factors that play an  important role in the process.

Two groups of thirty students each, total of sixty students of sixth grade are tested to analyze the working of Conscious and Subconscious factors in language learning. This procedure involves syntactic (grammar) based pre and post tests. The relationship between noticing and learning is measured by administering post-tests. Also to assess the subject’s existing knowledge, a pretest has been administered at the beginning. To avoid learners’ deviation from the taught lexical items/forms and to control the outside factors like new context etc same tests (pre and post test) are used to know exactly the ratio of accuracy.

Schmidt noticing hypothesis and Krashen’s five learning hypothesis present a deep insight into the process of second language learning. They present the theoretical frame work for this study along with some other like Tesscot and Ellis.

This study emphasized the learners’ centered language classroom, the aim of the study is to help language teacher understand the needs of learners in language classroom and how to accelerate their learning process. It also highlights the favorable conditions provided by the administration and management for teachers and learners to produce quality learning atmosphere in the classroom.

Zafar Iqbal - 27th Feb 2012

n Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), different types of educational institutions are working under the umbrella of one Directorate. The study aimed to identify the Federal Directorate System of Education with respect to type of systems i.e. rational, natural and open, and to analyze it at structural, functional and pedagogical level to develop in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), different types of educational institutions are working under the umbrella of one Directorate. The study aimed to identify the Federal Directorate System of Education with respect to type of systems i.e. rational, natural and open, and to analyze it at structural, functional and pedagogical level to develop a model of a uniform education system. The major objectives of the study were to (i) identify the type of education system of Islamabad Capital Territory with respect to rational, natural and open. (ii) Analyze the flaws of the present education system of the Islamabad Capital Territory at structural, functional and pedagogical level. (iii) Suggest a Uniform Model of Educational System for the Islamabad Capital Territory. The research questions to be followed were: (i) How and why the present system of Federal Directorate of Education introduced diverse elements in its policy which are affecting quality education in its setup? (ii) How to align the proposed organizational model to the policy of the Government of Pakistan? The study was survey based. There were three types of populations: the administrators of the FDE, the Heads of Educational Institutions, and the Presidents of Parents Teachers Associations of every educational institution. Whole of the populations were taken as sample. Three research instruments were used for data collection: the questionnaires for the Heads of Institutions, PTA Presidents and FDE administrators.   The questionnaires for the Heads of Institutions and the PTAs were sent to educational institutions through the R & I section of the FDE and questionnaire for FDE administrators was administered by self approach.  Response rate of heads, PTA presidents and FDE administrators were 84.4%, 70% and 100% respectively. Data collected through questionnaires were analyzed; mean scores and standard deviation were calculated. To find out the difference of opinion, ANOVA and post hoc test LSD were also applied through SPSS version 15.  Major findings and conclusions were: the system was found inclined towards open system, better building structure, proper recruitment system of teachers and timely provision of textbooks, no tuition fee, community involvement, funding from Government and better audit system. Weaknesses of the system were; less physical facilities, high teacher student ratio, less teaching staff, centralized authorities, discrimination in teachers’ selection, provision of funds and different syllabus (textbooks) for different types of institutions. A uniform model of Federal Directorate system of education comprising four components i.e. FDE administration, jurisdiction based institutions, teachers training academy and monitoring and evaluation department, was recommended.p a model of a uniform education system. The major objectives of the study were to (i) identify the type of education system of Islamabad Capital Territory with respect to rational, natural and open. (ii) Analyze the flaws of the present education system of the Islamabad Capital Territory at structural, functional and pedagogical level. (iii) Suggest a Uniform Model of Educational System for the Islamabad Capital Territory. The research questions to be followed were: (i) How and why the present system of Federal Directorate of Education introduced diverse elements in its policy which are affecting quality education in its setup? (ii) How to align the proposed organizational model to the policy of the Government of Pakistan? The study was survey based. There were three types of populations: the administrators of the FDE, the Heads of Educational Institutions, and the Presidents of Parents Teachers Associations of every educational institution. Whole of the populations were taken as sample. Three research instruments were used for data collection: the questionnaires for the Heads of Institutions, PTA Presidents and FDE administrators.   The questionnaires for the Heads of Institutions and the PTAs were sent to educational institutions through the R & I section of the FDE and questionnaire for FDE administrators was administered by self approach.  Response rate of heads, PTA presidents and FDE administrators were 84.4%, 70% and 100% respectively. Data collected through questionnaires were analyzed; mean scores and standard deviation were calculated. To find out the difference of opinion, ANOVA and post hoc test LSD were also applied through SPSS version 15.  Major findings and conclusions were: the system was found inclined towards open system, better building structure, proper recruitment system of teachers and timely provision of textbooks, no tuition fee, community involvement, funding from Government and better audit system. Weaknesses of the system were; less physical facilities, high teacher student ratio, less teaching staff, centralized authorities, discrimination in teachers’ selection, provision of funds and different syllabus (textbooks) for different types of institutions. A uniform model of Federal Directorate system of education comprising four components i.e. FDE administration, jurisdiction based institutions, teachers training academy and monitoring and evaluation department, was recommended.

Farheen Ahmad Hashmi - 16th Mar 2012

The present research is about the projection of English through the electronic media of Pakistan and can be taken as an extension of the works carried out by Tariq Rahman, Rober J. Baumgardner, and Riaz Hassan. The research has been carried out in order to determine the variations emerging in the variety of English used in Pakistan. It has been observed that his variety abounds in phonological deviations which are so recurrent in their frequency that they have emerged as a distinct linguistic feature of this variety. The phonological variations have affected the regular sound values of English alphabet, allophones, morphological units, structure word, etc. the prime cause behind these changes in the interaction of English language with the local culture and local languages. In addition, the orthography of English as well as Urdu has been found to be two major causes. The research is conducted on 750 participants taken from 200 current affairs programmes from four domestic news channels, and the participants are observed for the phonological variations in their speech. The selection of electronic media namely television for data collection has been specially done as this medium is considered to be the fastest and strongest source for the spread of language change. .

Wajid Alid Bhatti - 9th Mar 2012

In Urdu literature the figure of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and his works are well known multifaceted reasons. His prose work has been published in big quantum. Though not becoming to his stature, but much of critical work on his prose art has appeared in the recent past. Sir Syed’s Urdu prose brought revolutionary change in the history of Urdu prose writing through his unique diction and power of expression.

A general introductory preview of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and his contemporary prose writer’s achievements are given in the Dr. Syed Abdullah’s book “Sir Syed Ahmed aur Unkay Namwar Rufaqa Ki Urdu Nasar Ka Fiqri-o-Fanni Jayza”. Though much of Sir Syed’s prose work has been published but he true worth of his works and his own literary stature has not been completely determined yet. To date, no research work becoming his literary achievements has been published. His prose writing is multifaceted. Religious prose, Historical prose, Journalistic prose are some of the dimensions carrying a blend of his epistolary art. During Sir Syed’s ear, epistolary writing had entered a new epoch. Prior to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Mirza Ghalib introduced a living genre of epistolary writing that was concomitant to his name. Sir Syed’s epistolary writing skill is not only the continuation of the same diction but a quest for new horizon / visas as well, Majlis Tarakki-e-Adab published 02 volumes of his epistolary work Now, the need is to evaluate, the works of is contemporary eminent writers and compare with that of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in perspective of epistolary. In this research the focus is to evaluate the wroth and justify the criticism on his work. Harmony of ideas, as well as expressions have been scrutinized in his letters and dissertations both. In the same way an analysis of his thought in his articles as well as writings, has been presented according to his philosophy and deeds.

Research oriented views of Sir Syed’s addressee also falls in the scope of my work under study. Moreover, a pursuit and hunt for Sir Syed’s work yet to be published is included in my work too.
On parameters of literature, research and their worth in the history of Urdu literature to be published. My research work fulfills the demand of the question that what was the real form of epistolary writing skill Sir Syed’s era.

Sumaira Anjum - 15th Mar 2012

English being an international language is a tool of communication between different countries, groups and organizations so proficiency in English language is the key to success. The significance of English language is due to the fact that it is the only language common to the whole world. Its importance has increased with the advancement of science and technology, as all subjects related to the field of science and technology are present in English language. English language is important for the students of technical institutes as well. They should be able to understand and communicate in English language. English is taught as a second language in Pakistan, it is the medium of instruction for science and technology.
The present study focuses on the importance of teaching communication skills to the students of technical institutes in Pakistan. The foundation of the research is based on the fact that the use of communicative teaching methodology for the students of Polytechnic institutes is of considerable importance. To gauge the effectiveness of teaching English through communicative teaching methodology to the students of Polytechnic institutes of Pakistan (delimited to Rawalpindi Polytechnic Institute) traditional teaching method was compared with communicative teaching methodology. By comparing these two methods the researcher has tried to access whether teaching English by making use of communicative activities helps in improving the language skills of students.
The study was delimited to the first year students only of (D.A.E) Diploma in Associate Engineering. The study is an Experimental research and includes a Control Group and an Experimental Group. Both groups were taught for one month by the researcher. The control group was taught through traditional methodology and Experimental group through communicative methodology. Pretest and posttest are used as research tools to measure the proficiency of Control Group and Experimental Groups. To measure the proficiency of the students before teaching a Pretest was conducted to both the groups. After a whole month of teaching, a posttest was conducted to gauge the effectiveness of communicative teaching methodology. The data collected from pretest and posttest of both the groups was analyzed and the hypothesis was tested. This helped in arriving at the conclusion. The experimental approach as applied in this research has proved effective and has played significant role in improving the communication skills of technical students.

Abida Iqbal 14th Mar 2012

Tableegh (propagation) means to convey the message of Allah for enlightenment and guidance of people to the right path. Importance and significance of tableegh has been explained in the Holy Quran in several verses particularly: 74: 1-3 (O Muddaththir (the one enveloped – one of the nicknames of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him)! (1) Stand up and warm, (2) Proclaim the greatness of your Rabb (3)).

Tableegh (propagation) is a sacred act that performed by all the prophets. They were assigned the task of conveying the message of the Almighty Allah to human beings. This duty is now performed by the pious people of the world.

The importance of virtue over vice is the basic teaching by all the prophets form Hadhrat Adam (A.S) to the last messenger of Allah the Holy Prophet (SAW) the teachings of all prophets have one objective that is; to emphasise the importance of virtue over vice and to perform noble acts for salvation in this world and hereafter.

In the percent age various methods like print and electronic media have been used to perform the act of tableegh. It will be realized that media plays an important role in propagation of Islam. The electronic media is the most influential and effective to convey the message in the quickest way. Media can be used for the deliverance of the Allah’s eternal message to His people and in this way and thus virtue can be spread even in remote places. It is essential that we should focus on positive use of media i.e. for guidance of people morally and ethically. May Allah help us to do so (Ameen).

Muhammad Afzal 19th Mar 2012

The character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) has been a role model for the whole humanity. The cure for all diseases of the human being is hidden in the study of the personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The Holy Quran is eternal miracle of Islam and the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is its practical shape.

The personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is unique and prominent from all the messengers of other religions of the world because every moment of his life has been compiled and written. After the Quran and Hadith, the honesty and virtuous life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) serves as a role model for the Faithful. The eminent Muslim poets, who portrayed the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) justice, mercifulness, patience, wittiness, endurance, affection with the poor and orphans and information about his forefathers in their writings, said the personality of Muhammad (PBUH) was an eternal fountain of guidance for this world and the Hereafter. The impact of the holy teachings of Muhammad (PBUH) could easily be seen in the lives of the Faithful.

True love with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the real assessment of faith, honesty, truthfulness and integrity of a human being. The stronger the relationship with the Holy Prophet, the higher will be the status of a human being with Almighty Allah. The true love with Muhammad (PBUH) gives strength of belief (Tauheed), steadfastness in the faith, faithfulness of Islamic Shariah and nearness to Almighty Allah. Tauheed is the real reflection of the faith and the prophethood is the reflection of Tauheed, hence both are interrelated.

In the available Urdu literature, no serious work has been done in the light of poetic Arabic literature on the lifestyle and biography (Seerat) of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Therefore, this topic has been selected to put light on this specific aspect. The literature on any language reflects the scenario of the particular age in which it exists. The epic literature carries the elements of tragedy, delicacy and gracefulness. The Arabic poetry is full of material on the distinctive characteristics of the personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Now, it is the need of the time to utilise this huge collection of Arabic literature for this work.

For the achievement of this objective, this topic “Manzoom Arabi Adab Main Seerat Nigari” has been selected. The topic has been updated only till the epic literature of the era of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), in which an attempt has been made to highlight new aspects of the Seerat.The research is narrative in nature in which an effort has been made to focus on the teachings of the Holy Quran, Hadith and books on Tafseer, Seerat, history and literature to meet the objectives of the research.

This thesis consists of a preface and six chapters.  The first chapter is about the meaning, start, evolution and importance of Seerat, while the second chapter describes sources of biography. The third chapter describes the initial assets of the epic literature’s biography, while the fourth chapter presents an analysis of poets on the epic literature. The fifth chapter is about elegy, while in the sixth chapter an attempt has been made to explain the biographical inscriptions.