LAHORE: The Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS) achieved a major academic milestone with the inauguration of the Almas Bashir Research & Editorial Office in Lahore on Saturday, May 24, 2025. It marks New Era in Public Sector Neurosciences Research. Established through the philanthropic support of Dr. Almas Bashir, the office aims to serve as a central hub for academic writing, editorial work, clinical audits, and collaborative research across neuroscience disciplines nationally and internationally. This will facilitate doctors, residents, and faculty in advancing scientific publications and scholarly contributions.
Almas Bashir, Prof. Asif Bashir Chief Executive PINS and Prof. Farooq Afzal Principal Ameer-us-Din Medical College speaking at the formal inauguration of the Almas Bashir Research & Editorial Office at PINS campus on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
It was formally inaugurated by Dr. Almas Bashir, whose philanthropic support made the facility possible. Executive Director PINS, Prof. Dr. Asif Bashir, and Principal Ameer-ud-Din Medical College, Prof. Dr. Farooq Afzal, addressed the audience, reaffirming their commitment to fostering a strong academic and research culture within public sector healthcare. Both Prof. Afzal and Prof. Bashir appreciated the vision and leadership of Chief Minister Punjab, Ms. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, for prioritizing education and healthcare, and reiterated their commitment to her mission of equitable, high-quality treatment for all.
Prof. Dr. Asif Bashir, acknowledged the pivotal role played by Dr. Haseeb Mehmood Qadri and Momin Bashir – the former being Resident Trainee Neurosurgery, who has led research activities at PINS as Academic and Research Registrar since 2023.
Prof. Farooq Afzal, Prof. Asif Bashir along with other faculty members presenting a flower Bouquet to Almas Bashir after the inauguration of Almas Bashir Research & Editorial Office at PINS.
The event was attended by MS PINS Dr. Umar Ishaq, Prof. Mohsin Zaheer, Prof. Syed Shahzad Hussain, Prof. Abdul Majid, Prof. Qasim Bashir, Prof. Mudassir Aslam, Prof. Naghmana Mazhar and Prof. Saira Bilal, and a large number of doctors, nurses, and staff.
It may be mentioned here that in 2024, PINS made a significant academic contribution by producing a special neuroscience-focused supplement, the PINS-PJMS Supplement 2024 in collaboration with the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. This was the first ever impact factor, PubMed-indexed medical journal supplement for neurosurgery from a public sector hospital since 1947. Building on that momentum, the institute is currently working on the upcoming PINS National Neuro-Oncology Supplement (PINS-NNOS 2025) in collaboration with the Pakistan Society of Neuro-Oncology (PASNO), scheduled for release in 2025. PINS is also a key contributor to two major research projects: the prospective Pakistan Brain Tumor Epidemiology Study led by Aga Khan University, and the ongoing RESCUE-CD clinical trial, which investigates decompressive craniotomy versus craniectomy in the management traumatic brain injury led by the University of Cambridge.
Internationally, PINS has maintained an active academic presence. The institute’s clinicians delivered six oral presentations at the 18th World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Congress held in Cape Town in 2023, followed by eleven talks at the Asian-Australasian Congress of Neurological Surgeons (AACNS) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in November 2024. It was also the institution with the highest number of abstract submissions at the 37th Pakistan Society of Neurosurgery conference held at Aga Khan University, Karachi in November 2024. This trend continues in 2025, with nearly 70 abstracts submitted by PINS to the upcoming 19th WFNS Congress to be held in Dubai in December 2025.
