From head boy to International Students Society-Pakistan (ISS-Pak), Muhammad Asim Siddique was elected as president. UTM International in coordination with International Students Society-Pakistan (ISS-Pak) conducted elections for the selection of new Council members for the Session 2022/2023 under the supervision of Dr. Syed Hamid Hussain Madni and Dr. Asim. The election activity started with the annual report presentation by ISS Pak’s general secretary which was followed by the election procedure and protocols presentation by the election committee. After a vigorous election campaign and tough competition on election day Mr. Muhamad Asim Siddique was elected as President of the body, Miss Khadija Zia was elected Vice President and Mr. Asif Hussain shah was elected as General Secretary for session 2022/2023.
Talking to DailyTimes the newly elected President of (ISS-Pak) Muhammad Asim Siddique said his aim is to carry forward UTM International’s mission and value which is to expand UTM’s global reach and prominence, facilitate transformative global education and cross-cultural learning opportunities, and support the inclusion and wellbeing of its local and international communities. My vision is similar to UTM International’s vision which is to make ISS-Pak a leading and referred international center with a worldwide standing that drives UTM to be a global university with an excellent reputation.
Asim said he is a sports enthusiastic person and his sports plan is diverse and covers various sports, He explained his sports agenda for each sports activity. Badminton is a very famous sport in our community, our female team member has suggested I organize a tournament, especially for females in our community in March, we will have Three tournaments every year for both male and female community members. Prizes and Cash Awards will be given to all the participants. Swimming Pool and GYM access for every community member are necessary these are free facilities and paid as well, we will guide our members on how to avail of these and get special discounts for our respected community members. Cricket is the most favorite game of south Asian countries so we should have team matches and double wicket matches. In Ramzan we plan to have a double wicket Night Cricket Tournament in KDOJ, people from all communities will be welcome to participate (Bangladesh, India). Pak vs Bangladesh 3 match series after every two months, they play good cricket so we will have good competition. Prizes and Cash Awards will be given to all the participants.
He will be revamping the roles of the ISS-PAK Council, which will be comprised of Directors from every Faculty/Dept of UTM (BS, MS, Ph.D. students). They have the following responsibilities.
• They will be responsible for guiding and assisting any new student who is admitted to UTM for the first two months.
• They will be the main focal persons of newly admitted students and will help and guide them through all procedures from the airport to the issuance of matric cards.
• They will also guide newly arrived students in residential occupancy and manage a tour of the whole UTM so that they can continue day-to-day activities easily.
• Directors will be the main source of Face-to-Face communication with community members, they will make sure that details of all events are properly shared with their concerned faculty for their participate in the Events with full zeal.
• All decisions by the council will be finalized after the approval/vote by honorable directors.
The Vice President shall oversee the responsibilities of all members of the Council other than the President and has the following responsibilities.
• The Vice President shall report all progress of the Council members to the President.
• The Vice President shall represent the President in case of his absence.
• The Vice President shall take over the President’s responsibility in case of vacancy due to resignation or impossibility.
• The Vice President shall assist the President in decision-making.
• The President shall make reservations for venues and equipment for events and meetings.
• The General Secretary shall keep accurate and complete minutes of all the meetings.
• The Secretary shall be the custodian of all records of the organization including such documents (meeting agendas, registration forms, meeting minutes, organization letters, publicity materials, among others) as are entrusted to his/her care by the association.
• The Secretary shall be responsible for rollcall at the beginning of every meeting.
• The Secretary shall be required to present the previous meeting minutes to all Council members after the roll call.
• The Secretary shall be responsible for checking and responding to ISS-Pak’s communication channels. (WhatsApp-Facebook etc.)
• The Secretary shall be responsible for updating all Council members for any sudden changes in events, activities, etc.
• The Treasurer shall keep a record of all transactions for ISS-PAK online and share it with the ISS-Pak community in an excel file.
• The Treasurer shall monitor and account for all funds of ISS-PAK.
• The Treasurer is responsible for preparing the allocation budget for ISS-PAK in coordination
• with the President and Vice President.
• The Treasurer shall design fund-raising events for ISS-PAK.
• The Treasurer shall be informed about all transactions done under ISS-PAK.
In addition to the body council, there will be an Event Management Team (EMT) comprising an Event Coordinator and members(volunteers) with the following responsibilities.
• The Event Management Team shall be responsible for planning and organizing all events held by ISS-PAK. The Event Coordinators shall work in coordination with the Treasurer for budget considerations and approval.
• The Event Coordinator shall work in coordination with the Resource Coordinator to allocate the necessary resources for the success of the event.
• The Event Coordinator shall be responsible for monitoring each event as it is in progress.
• The Event Coordinator shall be responsible for assembling and managing volunteers.
• The Event Coordinator shall be responsible for updating campus and community groups for any sudden changes in events, activities, etc.
List of Activities:
• Welcome reception to new members on each intake (March-October).
• Farewell ceremony in honor of all the graduating students.
• ISS-Pak will conduct events for community gatherings other than UTM International events,
• Organize Cultural nights with BBQ/dinner (Sindhi Culture Day, Pashtun Day, Balochi Day, Punjabi Day, Kashmiri Day, GB Day, etc.)
• Celebrate Spring Festival like we celebrate Basant Festival in Pakistan (February)
• Celebrate Pakistan Day (March)
• Organize Darse-Quran and Iftar Dinner once in every Ashra (Iftar dinner on every Jummah Mubarak in the Holy month of Ramadan).
• Organize Eid Milan Party
• Organize Eid ul Adha Celebration
• Organization of Lectures by Islamic Scholars on Ashura (Muharram)
• Hospitality dinner/lunch to link up international students with local Pakistani Culture on Pak-Independence Day.
• Organization of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi Mehfil
• Organize two Sports Gala in a year (May-November)
• Manage tours for ISS-Pak members in coordination with UTM-International.
• Organization of online seminars on different topics (Software guide, improving computer programming languages, research papers writing, project writing, grooming, etc.) throughout the year on zoom.
• Arrange a collaboration of UTM with other universities for our graduates to gain more exposure.
• Invite Pakistan high commission and local ministers to attend our events.
At the end, he mentioned our next target is UTM International elections as we are the second biggest international community in UTM we should lead from the front “it’s about time that we highlight our cultural values and traditions to the world”.
