MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan on Wednesday urged the management of public sector universities to take drastic measures to ensure quality education and establish collaborative linkages with other national and international educational institutions to make up for deficiencies in academic and research fields.

He assured that his office and the government would continue to extend required support and facilitation to the varsities.

He expressed these views while speaking as chief guest at the 16th convocation of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) - the first ever highest seat of learning established in AJK in 1980.

The convocation was attended by members of the AJK cabinet and AJK Legislative Assembly, vice chancellors of public sector varsities, UAJK faculty and administrative staff and a large number of students along with their parents.

A total of 13,696 students were conferred degrees for the successful completion of various postgraduate, MPhil and PhD programmes, including 49 gold medallist postgraduates.

MPhil degrees were given to 114 students while PhD degrees were earned by 20 scholars of different academic disciplines.

President Khan congratulated them and their parents and teachers.

“It is a rewarding day for the passing out graduates especially for the gold medal winners. I would like to appreciate and acknowledge the untiring efforts of the faculty which enabled you students not only to succeed but also attain distinctions in various academic disciplines,” he said.

The president assured the management of UAJK and other public sector universities that his office and the government would take every possible step to facilitate the highest seats of learning in their endeavours to provide the best possible learning environment to the students to acquire higher education of quality.

He called upon the students to play their part in highlighting the heroic struggle of Kashmiris on the other side of the divide and the human rights violations perpetrated by the Indian army.

“Today we are enjoying the blessings of freedom but we cannot live in peace until the major part of our motherland under the occupation of India is also liberated,” he said.

The president appreciated UAJK for holding seminars, conferences and workshops to highlight issues of national significance including the dispute on Kashmir in its real perspective.

UAJK VC Prof Dr Kaleem Abbasi expressed his gratitude to the president for his help to his institution to achieve its required standards and contribution to national progress.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2018