Daily Times

The Pakistan Engineering Council held the 3rd Engineering Capstone Expo-2023 at Pak-China Friendship Center, Islamabad.

The Capstone Expo is a project of the Pakistan Development Committee (PDC) of the PEC.

PEC Chairman Engr Muhammad Najeeb Haroon inaugurated the ceremony. Engr Dr Nasir Khan, PEC Registrar, Engr Dr Shakir, convener jury committee, Engr Mir Masood Rashid, PDC Convener, Engr Sardar Ali Khan, Engr Dr Mansoor Baloch, convener organising committee, Engr Mohsin Ali Khan, Engr Mian Sultan Mahmood and different industry delegates and guests from academia attended the inaugural ceremony.

In his welcome speech, Engr Mir Masood Rashid gave a briefing on the Capstone Expo’s theme and highlighted the initiatives of the PEC for the period 2021-24, among which one is the Engineering Capstone Expo.

This is the third Engineering Capstone Expo organized by the PDC. He highlighted different initiatives of the PEC and PDC committee including FYDP, OJT (paid internship by PEC), PEC E-Gateway, day trip industrial visits, SDG’s 2022-25, PEC mobile application, online payment mechanism with banks, and job placement portal.

Speaking as the guest of honor, Engr Daroo Khan Achakzai, Former FPCCI president, appreciated the initiatives and efforts that are being made by PEC.

He highlighted the importance of showcasing projects and more such milestone expectations from PEC and the engineering community that is the backbone of the economy and hope for the survival of the country. He announced that his company will sponsor a visit of 15 students to Silicon Valley once all five regions’ Capstone Expo were completed. Three projects from each region will get this opportunity.

He highlighted the engineering community’s critical role, especially in such a situation in which Pakistan is currently trapped. Its continuous and consistent struggle can make a difference and bring the country back on track to complete the development journey of the country.

Vote of Thanks and Capstone statistics briefing delivered by Engr D Mansoor Baloch in which efforts of the organizing team and contributors were acknowledged In this federal Expo, a total of 37 universities participated with 235 project stalls and 1050 project participants. Over 2000 people attended the inaugural ceremony of the event whereas over 4500 persons visited the expo. In parallel to EXPO, a symposium was also held on the importance of linkages between academia and the engineering industry.

At the closing ceremony, Engr Mir Masood Rashid appreciated the efforts of all participants and especially the presentation of innovative Engineering project ideas. In acknowledgment of participants’ efforts, PEC announced free membership to all, free placement of projects at the PEC e-library, and six months on-Job training (paid internship) from PEC to all project participants. Guest of honor Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, addressed the session with the importance of engineers’ role in society, especially in the current challenges Pakistan has been facing. He emphasized industry localization to increase exports and decrease imports.

GB member Engr Amir Zameer (Member Planning commission Pakistan) made two announcements from the Planning Commission of Pakistan for engineers. First establishing five engineering labs at different universities in Pakistan and second 24,000 internships with Rs 40,000 per month over the period of one year.