BAHAWALPUR    -    The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Athar Mahboob has said that the university is playing an important role in the overall social and economic develop­ment of the country through high-level research. 

For this purpose, cooperation and links with national and international institutions are also being promoted. 

The VC expressed these views while talking to the Australian delegation about irrigating the rainy and desert areas with artificial rains. 

This institution is affiliated with the University of Wollongong in Australia and is collaborating with the Govern­ment of Pakistan to increase rainfall in specific areas. 

The head of the delegation, Matt Handbury, Australian Rain Technology, gave a detailed briefing on the meth­ods and models of rainfall increase. On this occasion, the scientist of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur Dr Haider bin Khalid gave a briefing about the rains in Cholistan. Dr Muhammad Iqbal Bandisha, Director National Cot­ton Breeding Institute, Dr Abdullah Di­rector of Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, Shahzad Ahmed Khalid Direc­tor of Press Media and Publications, and other faculty members were pres­ent on the occasion. 

The members of the delegation also visited National Cotton Breed­ing Institute and National Center for Intercropping Technology, Solar Park, and Hakra Art Gallery and ap­preciated the ongoing research and teaching activities at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.