By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kazakhstan have agreed on further strengthening of ties in the education sector during the 2nd meeting of the Pak-Kazakhstan Alumni Forum held on Monday.
The President of the Pak-Kazakhstan Alumni Forum Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH, warmly welcomed the participants of the 2nd Meeting of the Forum. The meeting was graced as a guest of honor by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan, H.E. Yerzhan Kistafin.
Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission, Mr. Rao Khalid Honorary Consul General Kazakhstan, Prof. Dr. Robina Farooq Vice Chancellor Government College Women University Faisalabad, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Suleman Tahir Vice Chancellor of Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology Rahim Yar Khan, Mr. Faisal Manzoor Chairman Board of Governors, University of Sialkot, Mr. Rehan Younis, President ISAT Gujranwala, Dr. Nadeem Bhatti, Vice Chancellor Leads University, Mr. Murtaza Noor, Advisor Linkages, COMSTECH and other senior academics participated in the meeting, along with over 70 Alumni from various universities of Kazakhstan.
The President of the Forum, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, D. Sc. (Alfarabi Kazakh National University) stated that the Pak-Kazakh alumni forum is based on the shared mission to remain connected to the alma mater in Kazakhstan as well as to help to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of higher education and cultural exchanges and technological transfer.
He praised the gift of excellent education that was given to the alumni by the Government and people of Kazakhstan, which is at par to any European or North American education system. He said currently four universities of Kazakhstan are in the top 500 of QS university ranking. He mentioned that the alumni body of several hundred can serve as a bridge between the two countries and became a permanent ambassador of the beautiful country ‘the Kazakhstan’ in Pakistan.
Prof. Choudhary proposed to the alumni forum to organize skill development events like workshops, conferences, and training courses both at technical and professional levels at Kazakhstan House. He also proposed that the Embassy of Kazakhstan with COMSTECH help in the mobility of the alumni to Kazakhstan for skill development courses, and organize a joint education expo in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Yerzhan Kistafin welcomed the participants of the 2nd meeting of the Pak-Kazakhstan Alumni. He emphasized that the people of both countries, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, should be focused on special area, and of course, education is an area that can help to develop and strengthen the ties between the two nations. He praised the enabling role of Prof. Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH to strengthen the connection between two brother countries.
He informed that in 2021 Kazakhstan had received around 400 applications from Pakistan. Last year, 1500 applications were received from Pakistan.
He said that more interest is being developed in the students of Pakistan to get higher education from Kazakhstan universities.
Mr. Kistafin informed that direct flights from Pakistan to Kazakhstan will be launched in June 2023, which will boost cooperation between the countries. He thanked Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary immensely for his incredible efforts for organizing this event. He also thanked Prof. Dr. Atia-tul-Wahab for her support for this event.
The Chairperson of the Punjab Higher Education Commission, Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir said that we are currently standing on the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution. He said, to solve new social, and political problems, technological, and economic models will have to be adopted. Prof. Munir said that the Pak-Kazakh alumni forum will play an important role in promoting educational and cultural relations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
