Latest news with #InstituteofSindhology
Express Tribune
14-04-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Only 8% of Mohenjo Daro excavated
Renowned historian and researcher Prof Dr Ghulam Mustafa Shar has revealed that only eight per cent of the ancient archaeological site Mohenjo Daro has been excavated, with the vast majority still unexplored. He made these remarks during a lecture at the University of Sindh's Institute of Sindhology in Jamshoro. The event was organised in collaboration with the M H Panhwar Institute of Studies. Dr Shar highlighted the immense potential for new discoveries through further excavation. He added that Mohenjo Daro is not merely a site of historical interest, but a treasure trove of ancient knowledge and cultural sophistication. "Mohenjo Daro isn't just an archaeological site; it is a living archive of knowledge that reflects the grandeur, intellect, and cultural brilliance of ancient Sindh," he added. Challenging conventional views, Dr Shar argued that the language of Mohenjo Daro was neither Dravidian nor related to any known script but was a unique local language that remains undeciphered. He called for a re-evaluation of the site's historical importance, highlighting its advanced system of knowledge, technical education, social structure, and trade networks. He urged the government to allocate increased funding for scientific research at the site and advocated for global recognition of Mohenjo Daro's significance as a centre of ancient learning and innovation. Speaking at the same event, University of Sindh Vice Chancellor Dr Khalilur Rehman Khoumbhati lamented the lack of academic research into Sindh's history, particularly its post-partition period. He pointed to a shortage of credible reference material and stressed the need for collaborative research efforts. Dr Khoumbhati called upon the Sindh Culture Department to take a more active role in promoting historical scholarship. He also announced that, in partnership with the Abdul Majid Bhurgri Institute, efforts are underway to preserve and promote the Sindhi language in the era of artificial intelligence. As part of these initiatives, the University of Sindh will begin issuing academic degrees in both English and Sindhi. Although the policy for bilingual degrees had previously been approved, it had not been implemented until now, he said. The lecture was attended by a number of prominent scholars and academics, including Director of the Institute of Sindhology Ghulam Murtaza Siyal, former Vice Chancellor of the Shaheed Allah Bakhsh Soomro University of Art, Design and Heritage Dr Bhai Khan Shar, Dr Fayaz Latif Chandio, Dr Riazat Buriro, Dr Wazir Ali Baloch, Prof Dr Lachhman Das Dhomeja, and Sajid Qayoom Memon, among synchronised campaign of digital disinformation using a Chinese social media platform to undermine China's $65 billion investment is a clear act of hybrid warfare. CPEC is a lifeline for Pakistan's economy and the flagship project of China's massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and any threat to this colossal project should be a joint responsibility. There is a need for collaborative efforts in different domains to counter the weaponization of TikTok by Baloch groups. On the diplomatic level, Pakistan should engage with China to raise concerns regarding the exploitation of TikTok's algorithm against CPEC. The two countries can set up a joint "tech task force" to oversee all CPEC-related digital security matters and coordinate a joint response. On operational level, joint intelligence-sharing mechanisms could be established to track and analyse the origin and spread of anti-CPEC content. For this purpose, cyber surveillance capabilities should be enhanced to monitor radical online activities in real time. The two countries should also collaborate on academic research to study hybrid warfare, digital propaganda, and their implications for national security. They can engage pro-CPEC influencers to blunt extremist narratives besides establishing partnerships with fact-checking organisations to debunk fake news and disinformation campaigns against CPEC. On the monitoring front, efforts should be made to identify and expose foreign digital interference aimed at magnifying anti-CPEC sentiments. Relentless attribution of hostile actors - whether state or non-state - should be made part of the national cyber defence strategy. On the part of TikTok, a local content moderation team should be set up in Pakistan to flag and take down harmful content swiftly. Accounts affiliated with banned groups such as BLA and BYC should be identified and blocked in coordination with Pakistani authorities. AI-driven tools could also be implemented to detect and neutralise emerging digital threats against CPEC. On China's part, effective steps need to be taken to address the algorithmic vulnerabilities of TikTok, ensuring that it doesn't amplify radical or anti-CPEC narratives.
Express Tribune
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Rally in memory of '67 student movement baton-charged
It seems that the authorities in Jamshoro district tried to rejuvenate the spirit of the March 4, 1967, students' movement which had lent its weight to the political movement against the Ayub Khan's One Unit System. As thousands of students of the Sindh University gathered at the campus for a rally to mark the day's 58th anniversary on Tuesday, with opposition to the six new canals on the Indus River being their rallying cry, the police resorted to a heavy-handed response. The student's rally met with teargas shelling, baton charge and arrests as it crossed the entrance gate of the SU and reached the Indus Highway's stretch. The police blocked both the gated entrances of the SU to prevent the students from coming to the highway but the students resisted and managed to get on that road. A clash, consequently, occurred on the road adjacent to the Institute of Sindhology with the police first employing baton charge and later teargas shelling, following by rounding up the rally's participants, while the students responding by pelting stones. Some students reportedly sustained injuries and at least 15 were detained, triggering a chorus of criticism by the nationalist parties' leadership and other parties. Police claimed many cops were injured due to stone pelting by the students. In reaction the students took recourse to a sit-in protest on the highway and kept the road blocked until the detained students were released in the evening. DSP Kotri Shahnawaz Jokhio and Jamshoro police station SHO Khair Muhammad Mallah led hundreds of baton wielding cops. Wajid Khaskheli, Zulfiqar Thebo and other students who led the protest said the rally was meant to mark the day and to peacefully register the students' disapproval of the six canals project which will turn Sindh into a barren land. They blamed the police for unnecessarily obstructing them and for employing brute force on unarmed students. "Police tried to turn the peaceful protest violent by provoking the students," said a female student, who participated in the sit-in. She questioned why would the students attack cops as it is being alleged. A similar event was scheduled in Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam in Hyderabad, but it also stood scuttled. The police raided residence of the chief guest, writer Taj Joyo, to detain him but the attempt was foiled due to resistance by the local people. The leaders of Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party Dr Qadir Magsi, Qaumi Awami Tehreek Ayaz Latif Palijo, Jeay Sindh Mahaz's Riaz Chandio, JSQM's Dr Niaz Kalani and others condemned the police crackdown. "The PPP's Sindh government and the police prove every other day that they aren't friends but foes of Sindh," said Palijo in a statement.
