Monbukagakusho Alumni Association of Pakistan (MAAP)

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Vol. 7, No.1 April - June, 2003

Japanese artist's exhibition draws huge crowds in LahoreMr. Ikuo Hirayama, a renownedJapanese artist, visited Pakistan inMarch 2003 to exhibit his paintingsshowing the culture of the East, SilkRoad, and Buddhism etc. He alsodelivered a lecture entitled "CulturalExchange of East and West". Mr.Hirayama was born in Hiroshima in1930 and graduated from the TokyoUniversity School of Fine Arts. Hevisited the Silk Road more than 100times and captured its landscapes oncanvas. For Mr. Hirayama, the impetus

for painting camefrom a year of illhealth resultingfrom radiationsickness, which hesuffered as a resultof the atomicbomb dropped onHiroshima inAugust 1945. Hethinks artpromotes peaceand also hasreligioussignificance. Over16 internationaland Japaneseawards have beenconferred on Mr.Hirayama. Hispaintingsexhibition was organized at theAlhamara Art Gallery, Lahore fromMarch 6-24, 2003, by the Embassy ofJapan as part of the celebrationsmarking the 50th anniversary of

Mr. Ikuo Hirayama, Goodwill Ambassador o! UNESCO and

renowned painter o! Japan is presenting his painting entitled, "lahore, the ancient City"to President General Pervez Musha"a! at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad on 5 March 2003

diplomatic relations between Japan andPakistan. A large number of peoplefrom all walks of life enjoyed hispaintings, which exhibited variouscultural aspects of SilkRoad.

Calendars and Photographic Exhibition in IslamabadCommemorating 50th anniversary of the establishment ofdiplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan, PakistanNational Council of the Arts, MEXT Alumni Association ofPakistan and the Embassy of Japan arranged an Exhibition ofJapanese Calendars & Photographs at National Arts Gallery, No.77, Street48, F-7/4 Islamabad from 23rd - 25th January, 2003. Theinauguration ceremony was held at 4:00 p.m. on 23rd January2003. H.E. Mr. Minoru Shibuya, Ambassador of Japan was thechief guest.

Starting from 1987, the Japanese Calendars' Exhibition has nowbecome a popular spring cultural event in many major cities inPakistan. The aim of exhibiting Japanese calendars is todemonstrate the state-of-the-art of printing contd p/3 H. E. Mr. Minoru Shibuya,the Ambassador of Japan

at the Calendars and Photo Exhibition

http://www.maap.edu.pk

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MONBUKAGAKUSHO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTAN . .

MEXT ALuMNiAssociAyioN ANNUALGEY"'YOGEYItER

Mr. Hajime Kido, Director Press, Information & Culture, Embassy of Japan addressing the members of the MOO Alumni Association. Dr. Najam Siddiqi, President,

MOO Alumni Association presenting the yearly report of the activities of the Association

MEXT Alumni Association of Pakistan(MAAP) celebrated their annual get-together which was followed by dinnerat Holiday Inn, Islamabad, on 1stMarch 2003. Mr. Hajime Kido,Director Press, Information andCulture, Embassy of Japan was thechief guest on this occasion. Themeeting was attended by more thanfifty members from Islamabad,Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Dr. NajamSiddiqi, President MAAP, presentedreport of the Association's activities.During his speech he emphasized theneed for more active participation byall the MAAP members. The futureactivities were also discussed.Recently MEXT is in the process ofdeveloping a network among different

Japanese Alumni Associations in theAsian countries. Mr. Hajime Kido, inhis speech, said that alumni associationis doing a great job in bringingJapanese qualified Pakistani peopletogether, and helping the JapaneseEmbassy in arranging v<:triousculturalactivities throughout the year. And inthis way it is performing the function ofabridge between the people of Pakistanand Japan. He further said that thequarterly newsletter of the Associationis worth mentioning as it reflects theimage of the Association not only inPakistan but abroad. also. AlumniAssociation decided to hold seminarsin future in different universities ofPakistan on 'Studying in Japan' tofamiliarize the students with Japanese

Mr. Hajime Kido, (sitting row - 5th from right) with the members of the MOO Alumni Association

education system and life style. Thenewly elected scholars proceeding toJapan in April 2003 also attended themeeting. During the dinner, themembers revived their reminiscencesof Japan, and enjoyed meeting eachother after almost a year.

Honorary Consul Generalfor Japan in Lahore

0 Mr. Aamir H. ShiraziHonorary ConsulGeneral for Japan,I Mcleod Road,Lahore.

Tel:+92-42-7225015-7Fax:+92-42-7233518

anwar.kalim@ahllhr.atlasgrouppk.com

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Honorary Consul Generalof Japan in Quetta

Mr. S. Nadeem Shah53-A, Jinnah TownSamungli RoadQuetta CanttBalochistanTel: +92-81-829478

+92-81-829633Fax: +92-81-829515Mobile: 0320 428 2770

knadeem@ultra.net.pk

@http:/!www.maaD.edu.Dk

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C2!V~ q;~ PIJrxwdElection was held on 5th April 2003 for all the officebearers and following were elected as the new office-bearers. They will assume their duties from Ist May2003 till 30thApril 2005.

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PresidentMr. S. Sikandar KhanDirector, PAEC (Rtd.)# 395/corner, Sector 1,Airport Employee's Corporative Society,Rawalpindi 46000amaan3 95@Comsats.net.pk5955161,0333-5175398

V. PresidentDr. Muhammad AkbarGeneral Manager / EngineerHigh Voltage and Short Circuit LaboratoryRawat, Islamabadakbarm3@hotmail.com5586610 (0),9260248 (R)2280076 (R), 0300-8500366

Secretary GeneralDr. Najam SiddiqiAssociate Professor,Consultant Orthopedic SurgeonFauji Foundation Hospital andFoundation Medical College, Rawalpindinajami69@hotmail.com5951821/1831 (0), 0333-5117710

Joint SecretaryEngr. Dr. Javed IqbalDirector,Pakistan Environment Protection

Agency, Ministry of Environment44-E, Office Tower, Blue Areajaveddr@JlOtmaiLcom0333-5116146,9266430 (0)

Information SecretaryMrs. Zobaida ChaudhryScientific Officer, Plant Genetic EngineerNARC, IslamabadAbC narc@yahoo.com9255217 (0), 2240042 (R)

Finance SecretaryDr. Ashraf HussainCardiac surgeonHearts International Hospitalpk - hussain@JIahoo.com510888 (0), 051-2260532 (R)

The outgoing President, Dr. Najam Siddiqi

congratulated all the members elect, and hoped that thenew team would work together with zeal and

enthusiasm for the progress and development of theAssociation.

Guests enjoying the calendar exhibition in Islamabad

continued from p/l

technology and techniques used in Japan. The imprints ofunforgettable impressions, which it leaves on the viewers'mind has made it a much-awaited event. Whether artistic orscenic, the essence of all of the fabulous images, exhibits aconstant message of love and peace from the Land of theRising Sun, as a blessing to the beholder. These impressionsare categorized into various sections that include Ikebana,Japanese and international scenery, Japanese traditional andcontemporary art, photography, sports, communications,seasons, fashion and many more. Seventy-nine calendarswere displayed at the exhibition by the courtesy of Japanesecompanies in Japan and Pakistan.

In the photographs exhibition, 65 photo panels weredisplayed, showing historical photos of Pakistan-Japancooperation over the past four decades, as well as some ofthe major projects that have been undertaken throughJapan's Official Development Assistance. Japan is one ofPakistan's major aid donors and trading partners for the pastmany decades, and these photographs give some idea ofJapan's cooperationw!th Pakistan.

,JapaneseGovernmentScholarships

Contact The Embassy of Japan, Islamabadfor details regarding the

Japanese Government Scholarships

Latest list ofMEXT Alumni Association Members isavailable on the Embassy of Japan's website at:

http://www.pk.emb-j apan.go.jp/E-mail: j apanemb@comsats.net.pk

@http://www.maap.edu. pk

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. .. . -.. ~wOrientation Course for the Scholars Proceeding to Japan in 2003Orientation Course was organized bythe Embassy of Japan in collaborationwith MEXT Alumni Association ofPakistan on 1st March 2003 at HolidayInn, Islamabad. The president ofMEXTAlumni Association, Dr. Najam Siddiqigave a presentation entitled "Studyingand living in Japan" In his presentation,first he described the system ofeducation in Japan, mentioned the waysand means to get admission, and finallydifferent aspects of Japanese life. Hesaid that the secret of success in Japandepends on hard work, good Japaneselanguage speaking ability, honesty andpunctuality. After his presentation, thesession was open for discussion. Mr.Sikander Khan, the Vice President, andmany other senior alumni members

were also present atthis occasion. In theend the newlyselected scholarsthanked theGovernment ofJapan for providingthem this uniqueopportunity to studyin Japan. They alsothanked the JapaneseEmbassy and theAlumni Association,for arranging thisorientation program Mr. HajimeKido (4th fromright-sittingrow) Director Press, Information&Culture,for their valuable Embassyof the Japan with newlyselected scholars

guidance, and saidthat they were going to Japan with high serve their homeland after completinghopes and would return to Pakistan to their courses and training.

Mr. Hajime Kido (Director Press, Information & Culture, Embassy of Japan), Dr. Najam Siddiqi (President, MAAP) and

Mr. Sikandar Khan (y. President MAAP) addressing the newly selected scholars

LIST OF MEXT SCHOLARSHIP GRANTEES 2003Congratulations: You were selected by the Japanese Government to receive the scholarship for the year 2003. I wish you goodluck and a very nice trip to Japan. I hope that you will work hard and bring good name to.Pakistan. After completing the course,bring back the technology. The MEXT Alumni Association will welcome you as a member on your return to Pakistan. "Minnasan, Gambari Mashiyou" The President, MAAP

Mr. Iftikhar AhmedLRRI, NARCIslamabadEmail: iftikharnarc@hotmail.comUniversity of Tokyo(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Tahir Muhammad

Faculty of Animal HusbandryNWFP Agricultural University, PeshawarEmail: tahirO65@yahoo.co.ukKagoshima University(April 2003 - March 2005)

Preliminary candidates selected for MOO Sc~olarships forResearch Students 2004 appearing in Japanese language written test

at the Embassy ofJapan on 2 May 2003

@http://www.maap.edu.pk

~MONBUKAGAKUSHO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTAN

Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khan

University of MalakandChakdara, District Dir, NWFPEmail: bangash_n@yahoo.comUniversity of Tsukuba(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Hamayoon KhanDepartment of AgronomyNWFP Agricultural UniversityEmail: hamayoon57@yahoo.comEhime University(October 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Tariq MahmoodNWFP Agricultural UniversityPeshawarEmail: dilshadmasih@yahoo.comUniversity of Tsukuba(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Sameer Muhammad KhanIslamabadEmail: sardarsameer@hotmail.comUniversity of Tsukuba(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Abdur RehmanQuaid-i-Azam University, IslamabadEmail: abdurrehman_ch@hotmail.comHiroshima University(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Khurram BashirNational Centre of Excellence inMolecular Biology, LahoreEmail: bashirkhurram@hotmail.comUniversity of Tokyo(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Irfan SaeedInstitute of ChemistryUniversity of Punjab, LahoreEmail: benzoicacid43@hotmail.comKyoto University(April 2003 - March 2005)

Mr. Ahmad MujahidNational Feeds

SheikhupuraEmail: ahmad_mujahid@hotmail.comTohoku University(April 2003 - March 2005)

College of Technology StudentMr. Muhammad WaqasUniversity of Engineeringand Technology,LahoreEmail: vicky-uetian@yahoo.com

Japanese Language School Tokyo(April 2003 - March 2004)Miyakonojo National College of Technology(April 2004 - March 2007)

~~Pakistan National Council of the Arts, MEXTAlumni Association of Pakistan, Pakistan Haiku Society and Embassy of Japanjointly organized Haiku Mushaira on Saturday, 1st February 2003 at 4:00 PM at Holiday Inn, Islamabad. Fifteen poets tookpart in this Mushaira. It was presided over by Mr. Iftekhar Arif. Haiku is a 17-syllable verse-form comprising three metricalunits of 5,7 and 5 syllables respectively.Haiku was established in the era from1867-1902 by the efforts of ShikiMasaoka. Haiku Mushaira is organizedconsistently every year in Islamabad,Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. For moreinformation on Haiku, please contact:

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Pakistan Haiku Society, 288-A, Lane 4, '.' .Aslam Shaheed Road, Lalazar, i =--Rawalpindi. Tel. 5563653,email: kej@hblpkcom

@httD://www.maaD.edu.Dk

MONBUKAGAKUSHO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTAN ~Japanese Traditional Taiko Drummers (AUN)Japanese traditional Taiko Drummers AUN perfonned asplendid show on 15th of Feb, 2003 at Alhamra Hall, Lahore.The hall was jam-packed. The ceremony started with the speechfrom Mr. Hayat Ahmad Khan, who is the President of PakistanJapan Cultural Association, Lahore and President, of AllPakistan Music Conference. He described the melody ofdrummers as unique fonn of music and compared the Japanesedrums with the Pakistani dholls. Mr. Hajime Kido had earlierintroduced the AUN group to the audience. Ryouhei and Koheiaretwinperfonners who were bomin Osaka in 1969. For the last12 years, they have perfonned more than 1000 shows all over theworld. They are on the top of Japanese Drum scene in 2003 andare considered as one of the pioneers to the music in the world.

The drumming of the twin Japanese Drum artists fascinated thecrowd of Lahore. They also perfonned with Pakistani drummers& played few traditional Punjabi drum tunes.

in Lahore

Mr. Tariq Bajwa, Secretary Culture, Government of Pakistan (7th from right) with Ryouhei

and Kohei, Mr. Kido, Mr. Hayat Khan, Dr. Najam, and other organizers

Pakistani drummers are playing with the

AUN group

Mr. Ryonhei & Mr. Kohei with the

Pakistani students in Lahore

Yisicinl Japan AHer ;10Years: Sanju lIenburiThe 2nd Reunion of fonner students of Japanese universitiesfrom the Southwest Asian countries afforded me an opportunityto meet old triends and renew contacts with classmates. I metmy Bangladeshi triends twice and my Japanese classmates once.The pleasure of meeting old fuends after a lapse of over threedecades cannot be expressed in words. The bracingly coldDecember evenings, the convivial ambience, the sumptuousfood, the enjoyable company and the nostalgia-tingedconversation about our bygone student days was a blissfulexperience. I visited the Tokyo University, and also met my thensupervisor Professor Masayoshi Kanno. Roaming about inKomaba, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Hibiya Koen was a dream- likeexperience. I found that Tokyo had even more sky-scrapers, thestreets were even more crowed, the young people had growntaller than what I remembered of Tokyo of 35 years ago. Inoticed that many Japanese people, especially the young ladies,were attired in designer clothes. The legendary fast Japanesetrains had become even faster. There were no visible signs oftheso-called decade-long economic down-turn.

The kindness and generosity of my Japanese, Bangladeshi andThai friends made my stay in Tokyo, Dhaka and Bangkok amemorable experience. I would particularly like to thank Mr.Ikeda, Mr. Saito, Mr. Mori, Mr. Vithit and Mr. MomtazuddinBhuiyan for their triendship and overwhelming generosity. Butabove all, I must thank my Bangladeshi triends Anwar, Rahman,

S. Sikandar Khan

Zia and Eskander Chowdhuri for two memorable evenings inTokyo. Without them it would not have been the same.

Since I had the feeling that I would not return to Tokyo again, myfew days spent there had an existential sharpness. I experiencedand enjoyed every moment like it was the last time-which itwas. To Thai and Bangladshi triends I promised to return at leastone more time along with my family and they too promised tovisit us here in Islamabad.

Thank Y°l.!fuends.And thank you,Anwar, for the "Monburans".

Mr. Sikander Khan with Japanese Universities Alumni from Bangladesh in a Tokyo Restaurant

@http://www.maap.edu.pk

MONBUKAGAKUSHO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTAN

TraditionalJapanBsBWoodblockPrintsExhibitioninLahorBTo commemorate the 50thAnniversaryof the establishment of diplomaticrelations between Pakistan and Japan,an exhibition of Traditional JapaneseWoodblock prints was jointlyorganized by MEXT AlumniAssociation of Pakistan, The LahoreArts Council and the Embassy of Japanfrom 16th-28th Feb. 2003 at UstadAllah Bux Art Gallery, Allhamra, inLahore. Mr. Hajime Kido, Director

Press, Information & Culture, Embassyof Japan was the chief guest. ThePresident and Vice President MEXTAlumni Association were also present.

The art of woodblock printingoriginated in the South Asian sub-continent. Buddhist scriptures werecarved on blocks in one colour and wereused for religious propaganda. Thistechnique ofprinting arrived in Japan in

the early 8th century via China andKorea with Buddhism.

The curator of this exhibition was Ms.Sabah Husain, a renowned artist ofLahore. She studied art at Kyoto CityArt College from 1984-1988 and laterat a Institute of Technology in Kyoto.She is an Associate member of MEXTAlumniAssociation of Pakistan.

Mr. Hajime Kido, Director, Information& Culture, Embassyof Japan,Mr. Hayat Khan, President, Pak-Japan Culture Association, Lahore

and Dr. Najam Siddiqi, President MAAP cutting ribbon at theopening ceremony of the woodblock prints exhibition in Lahore.

Audience enjoying thewoodblock prints

Miss Sabah Hussain

explaining the woodblock prints to the audience

lfew !JvD7l.9lPmembers'Profi[e - "Minna San Gambarimasho"Dr. Rauf-i-AzamPh.D. (Optimization)Currently AssistantProfessor of Mathematicsat COMSATS Institute ofInformation Technology,Islamabad. Did MSc &

MPhil in mathematics from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad in 1990&1992 respectively. Won S&Tscholarship for PhD. in a countrywidecompetition. Joined Nara Institute ofScience & Technology,Nara, Japan in1994 and completed PhD from there in1998. Research work has beenpublished in professional journals ofinternational repute. Hisstudy/research interests include Linearprogramming, Non-linearprogramming, Mathematicalprogramming and Network flows.

Mr. Zulqarnain HussainAnjumAdmn/Finance OfficerUnited Nations HighCommissioner forRefugees, Sub OfficeShowak, Sudan

anjum@unhcr.ch, z- anjum@hotmail.com

Mr. Zulqarnain received his Mastersdegree in International Development(Focus on Finance & IT) fromInternational University of Japan,Niigata, in Sept 1998-June 2000. Hewas Bachelor of Civil Engineeringfrom University of Engineering &Technology (UET) Lahore, Pakistan.From 2000 to 2001, was an employeeofGovemment of Pakistan, Ministry ofCommunications & Railways,Islamabad, Pakistan. At present he isworking at United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR), Showak, Sudan asAdmnlFinance Officer(P-3).He had special training in 1998 inEconomic Development Institute(EDI) of The World Bank, WashingtonD.C., USA and later at The Robert H.Smith School of Business, Universityof Maryland at College Park. In 1996he also received special training byJapan International Co-operationAgency (JICA), in Tokyo, Japan,regarding Highway Construction,planning, financing and managementof highways, expressways andmotorways.To his credit he had various awards &honours. In 1989he was awarded meritcertificate from University ofEngineering & Technology, in 1984awarded Silver Medal from Universityof Engineering & Technology and in1983, awarded Gold Medal from

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MONBUKAGAKUSHO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTAN

Islamia College Civil Lines Lahore.

Dr. Mohammad Saeed

Vohra,MBBs,PhDvohra66@hotmail.comBorn in Hyderabad,Pakistan, received PhDdegree in Anatomy fromSchool of Medicine,

Chiba University in 1998. Did hisMBBS from Sindh Medical College,Karachi University, Karachi in 1991.He is a Petrian and at present serving asAssistant Professor in the Departmentof Anatomy, Isra University,Hyderabad. He presented papers atInternational conferences in SanFrancisco in 1996, Washington DC in1997, Chiba, Japan in 1997 and Lundcity, Swedenin 1998.

Dr. MuhammadMujahid KhanMBBS, PhDmuj ahidkhan kk@hotmail.com

Born in Hyderabad, aPetarian, did his MBBSfrom Liaquat Medical

College, Jamshoro in 1992. Proceededto Japan for post graduation andreceived the degree ofPhD inAnatomyfrom Chiba University, Japan in 2002.Presently he is working as AssistantProfessor at Isra University in theDepartment of Anatomy. He presentedhis research papers at San Francisco in1998, Washington DC in 1999 andPadova, Italy in 2000.

Mr. Taj MuhammadKhanProceeded to Japan inApril 1999 on Monbushoscholarship and gotadmission in Professionaltraining school course in

Civil Engineering from YomiuriInstitute of Engineering, Tokyo.

"""Dr. Javed IqbalB.Sc.(CivilEngineering),M.Sc. (Public healthEngineering),Ph.D.javeddr@hotmail.comGraduated as CivilEngineer from University

of Engineering and Technology (UET),Lahore, in 1985 and received M.Sc.(Public Health Engineering) degree in1991.He proceeded to Japan in 1995asa Monbusho Scholar to study atHokkaido University and was awardedPh.D. in 1998.He is presently workingas Director, Pakistan EnvironmentalProtection Agency (Pak-EPA),Ministry of Environment, Islamabad.Before joining Pak-EPA he wasteaching as Assistant Professor atInstitute of Environmental Science andEngineering (lESE) NationalUniversity of Sciences and Technology(NUST), Rawalpindi.

Dr. Imdad UllahMohammadzaiimdadmo@yahoo.com

A chemist by profession,with a deep love for arts,from the valley ofCharsadda (Historically

called Pushkalawati, the capital ofGandhara). He graduated from theUniversity of Peshawar, studiedchemistry at the UNSW, Sydney,Australia and did his Ph.D. fromHiroshima University Japan. He was aFulbright Fellow at Wake ForestUniversity, NC, USA and was a AIEJFellow at Hiroshima University.Currently he is on the Faculty of theDepartment of Chemistry, Universityof Peshawar.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editors:S. Sikandar Khan

Dr. Najam Siddiqi

Assistant Editor:Khaula Abbasi

595, St. 69, 1-8/3Islamabad, Pakistan,

Tel/Fax: 92-51-444399

e-mail: najami69@hotmail.comhttp://www.maap.edu.pk

ABOUT THENEWSLETTER

This is newsletter of the

Monbukagakusho AlumniAssociation of Pakistan, publishedfrom Islamabad. It is intended to

provide an update of the activitiesof the Association and to help itsreaders to understand the Japanesesociety and its traditions.

A LETTER FROMBANGLADESH

My dear Sikandar Sahib,

AssalamAlaikum.

Happy New Year.

Thanks for your warm New Yeargreetings. Really, it was a veryhappy occasion for both of us tomeet after long 35 years. It made meNatsukashii (pining for good olddays) about our KomabaRyugakusei Kaikan life during latesixties. Then you were ayoung manand I was in my early middle-age.Today you are retired from serviceand I am a good old man. How fastdoes the time pass!

I live in a village about 30 km fromChittagong city. I pass my timelooking after my school, tendingmy garden and reading books,magazines and newspapers. I amnow trying to establish a technicaltraining centre. All my best wishesfor you and your family.

1:7~oii"~D-!IO::p~":;D-o-':':::p~"0

0i-,n°;;;-f:;..~~

Yours

Eskander Chowdhury

1-0'"1-0'".......io'"1-01-0....'"

@http://www.maap.edu.pk