As we approach closer to the commencement date, this time around we compiled a list of some pretty interesting facts to get you excited. So behold! Without further ado, we present you with 11 Little known facts about GIKI. So, here we GO!
11-It’s The Only Major University With A Hiking Trail
While most universities take pride in their academics, societies, and events, GIKI takes it a step further with its one of a kind location. Built right inside a valley that converges into the mighty Tarbela Dam. The university offers stunning views of its surroundings and a trekking route with its steep climbs and abrupt cliffs that you’re bound to remember; especially the view of the Tarbela dam from the very top of the hills.
10-The Place Is 100% Residential
See, here’s the thing about being in one of the most remote universities of Pakistan. You’re not gonna find five-star hotels or rental houses around so you’re gonna have to make-do with what you have, and that implies for everyone. From peons to teaching assistants to professors and even the rector himself, GIKI offers the best available residence within a pretty big radius, meaning, you get to know everyone around you. It’s actually like a mini sub-cultural community of sorts within KPK.
9-GIKI Did Not Have A Back-Wall Until 2014
Despite the constant patrolling, hills, trees, and wild animals you wouldn’t want to cross paths with(…like ever!) being enough to keep any invaders out, things drastically changed during the Peshawar Attack of ’14 after which security measures were called upon leading the institute to close down for leveling up security which included building the great white wall for the first time in twenty-one years behind the campus we see today.
8-National Icon Abdul Qadeer Khan Was The Project Director of GIKI
Honestly, we’d do anything to meet the iconic Nuclear pioneer Dr. A. Q. Khan. If only we were born 20 years earlier because believe it or not A. Q. Khan was not only one of the founding members of GIKI but also its project director. After working under President GIK, he took the professorship of physics while also serving as the chairman of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science. Now that’s a professor I would have loved studying under.
7-Mechanical Engineering Wasn’t Always The Flagship Program
It’s kind of accepted that Mechanical Engineering is like the king discipline of engineering in Pakistan. However in GIKI, despite Mechanical Engineering being accredited with the highest merited students every year, it was not really GIKI’s flagship program. In fact, Dr. A. Q. Khan having a D.Eng. in Metallurgical Engineering from Leuven University(1972) brings to us no surprise that the Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Science was once the flagship of GIKI.
6-GIKI Has Its Own Supercomputer
Believe it or not, GIKI has an operational state-of-the-art High-Performance Computing cluster system; the first of its kind in KPK. Made to solve complex computational problems it’s a longstanding milestone in the history of Pakistan.
5-Drinkable Tap Water
I wouldn’t deny the fact that on a hot summer night I had gone to the sink and drank a glass of water. Against all my childhood values concerning the do’s and don’ts of life, I had defied that one rule in an instant: Do not drink tap water in Pakistan. But guess what? The tap water here is drinkable. It’s completely safe and is tested every now and then in the labs by the speculative students here.
P.s: Don’t drink water from the shower head while taking a bath. That’s just straight up disgusting.
4-Batch 1 Had Lesser Girls Than The Fingers on Our Hand
Despite batch 1 starting off with just four girls, the prospect of female students started off right afterwards and has been increasing ever since. Today, girls from all over the country turn up for GIKI’s engineering programs and have gone on to prove themselves as valuable assets for the field in Pakistan *Hint: look up Wardha Inam *. Way to go defying norms by pursuing engineering in a university located in the midst of nowhere girls!
(*EDIT: Thanks to one of our tipsters in the comments, we were able to verify the correct number from zero to four)
3-The President of Pakistan was Supposed to be Buried Here at One Point
Yup, it’s true. The University was practically Pakistan’s 8th president’s project and in honor of that, the institute constructed his tomb up in the hills of GIKI but things didn’t go that way. He is now buried in the graveyard located in University Town, Peshawar. The tomb in GIKI sits abandoned and forgotten today (More on that soon!)
2-One of the Monuments is Dedicated to a Pilot Who Died Saving the Institute
34° 4’8.88″N, 72°38’41.98″E; Enter these coordinates on Google Maps and you might find yourself staring at two airplanes. Don’t be surprised, these planes have a history. But for now, we’ll talk about the T-37(on the right, if you actually looked up the coordinates).
This airplane monument, where you would often find first-time visitors posing next to, is actually put up in memory of Pilot Officer Raja Jahanzeb Shaheed. Sources say the pilot deliberately abstained from ejecting and steered his malfunctioning T-37 away from crashing into the student-dense faculties of GIKI.
In your ultimate sacrifice, we thank you, Raja Jahanzeb Shaheed. You remind us of the fact that not all heroes wear capes.
1-GIKI Graduate was Responsible for Apple Pay
Yup, your eyes did not deceive you there. GIKI graduate, Ahmer Ali Khan from batch 6 was part of a team that led the project for the Cupertino giant, Apple Inc. bringing you one of the most noteworthy offerings alongside the launch of the iPhone 6. You can read more about him and his project here.
A GIKI BlogPost Original
This blog is taken from the GIKI BlogPost and all the credit goes to them. All thanks to GIKI Alumni Association and to the one and only Rayyan Zahid (Batch 24) – Vice President Marketing – GIKI Alumni Association.
Rayyan Zahid is serving a role that aims to grow and maintain one of the greatest collection of human capital in Pakistan. His responsibilities revolve around building a nexus of opportunities from a network consisting of 6000+ professionals from 70+ countries that are part of the alumni association. He also served as Assistant Manager E-Commerce for Reckitt Benckiser in the past and is currently settled as Climate Reality Leader in United States.
