By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday said Pakistan highly valued its ties with Saudi Arabia and wanted to further strengthen bilateral relations in diverse fields.
Talking to Pakistan’s ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia Lt Gen (retd) Bilal Akbar here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said the two countries shared bonds of history, culture and faith, and held commonality of views on regional and international issues.
Emphasizing the need to facilitate Pakistanis residing in Saudi Arabia, the president asked the ambassador-designate to help address the issues being faced by the Pakistani community. The president congratulated Lt Gen (retd) Bilal Akbar on his appointment as Pakistan’s envoy to Saudi Arabia and expressed confidence that he would make concerted efforts for further strengthening bilateral economic and investment cooperation.
President Alvi asked the ambassador-designate to make all out efforts towards the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries. He also highlighted the need to raise the issue of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at all available fora in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, President Dr. Arif Alvi on Thursday stressed the need for putting in place suitable infrastructure for differently-abled students at university buildings so as to help them pursue higher studies. The president also called for ensuring a drug-free environment at educational institutions to save the youth from the menace. The president expressed these views while addressing a virtual meeting of the Vice Chancellors of all the public and private sector universities.
Federal Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood, Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control Capt (retd) Akbar Hussain Durrani, Secretary Ministry of Human Rights Inamullah Khan Brig. Syed Mubasher Hassan Kazmi, Anti Narcotic Force officials and around 165 Vice Chancellors attended the meeting.
The president said both public and the private sector universities must make steady progress in this direction. He urged the universities to evaluate the needs of differently-abled persons and to make the buildings friendly for such students. This was the second meeting held to discuss the steps to curb the use of narcotics in the universities and facilitate the differently-abled students to pursue higher studies. The President expressed his concern that Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) did not allow differently-abled students into the engineering programmes.
He urged that the guidelines of Professional Councils especially those of PEC regarding differently-abled students needed to be reviewed to address the matter. The President underlined the need for creating awareness and ensuring prevention against use of narcotics inside the universities. He advised the HEC to constitute a committee of Vice Chancellors to develop content for a campaign to create awareness against the use of drugs. He underlined the importance of close coordination with the parents to prevent use of drugs by students.
Executive Director HEC Dr. Shaista Sohail briefed the President on the implementation status of the decisions made in the first meeting. She said the HEC formulated two new policies, which were shared with the universities.
