OKARA: The University of Okara (UO) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for joint research on autism and neurological disorder resulting from cousin marriage.

The purpose of this MoU is to conduct joint research projects and seminars, exchange of students and faculty members between the two universities, sharing of material and datafor research and creation of quality scientific publication.

The Department of Public Health and the Punjab University (PU) Institute of Social and Cultural Studies (ISCS) are part of the agreement.

Dr Hyung Goo Kim from the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Dr Muhammad Wajid, director Institute of Pure and Applied Zoology, and Prof Dr Rubeena Zakar, directorISCS and professor of public health, signed the MoU.

Dr Kim on the concluding day of the three-day visit to the UO delivered lecture and interacted with the faculty of life sciences and the university management.

Earlier, UO Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Zakria Zakar said cousin marriage was an issue of paramount importance in our society as it is resulting in various diseases and disorders.

This is happening across other cultures as well, he said and stressed that `we need to gather data on this and raise awareness among people about the hazards of such marriages.

MURDER: A woman killed her younger sister at Nurpur over a dispute.

Asifa and Sonia exchanged harsh words over a dispute and Sonia stabbed her sister in a rush of blood. Police shifted the body to the THQ hospital of Deepalpur for postmortem.