AJK President reiterates AJK varsities' resolve to bring laurels to nation

MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan while lauding securing of fifth position by the State-run University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir among the varsities across the country, said that the public sector universities of the State were proudly delivering best quality education to their students.

“Our universities are not inferior to any big and old university of Pakistan and not lower than even world repute educational institutions in terms of quality of education,” he asserted.

AJK President Masood Khan, who is also Chancellor of the public-sector universities in Azad Jammu Kashmir expressed these views while addressing an inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed Students-Teachers Service Center and laying the foundation stone of the academic block of the University of Kotli in Mirpur division of Azad Jammu Kashmir on Thursday, AJK President office said.

The Students-Teachers Service Center has been constructed at a cost of 34.5 million rupees while the construction of a new academic block will cost 1,040 million rupees being provided by the Higher Education Commission. The function was also addressed by Vice-Chancellor Syed Dilnawaz Gardezi and other speakers.

The state president said that the people of Kotli had offered unprecedented sacrifices in the struggle for the liberation of Jammu and Kashmir, now the University of Kotli located in the foothills of the valley is fast setting its own standards of education by introducing the world's best education to its students.

Sardar Masood Khan recalled that during his visit to the University of Kotli a few years ago, he had witnessed small UAVs produced by the science students and he was highly impressed by their performance.

"These students will brighten the name of Pakistan as well as Azad Kashmir particularly Kotli," he said adding that side by side with the modern research laboratories, the students can also take advantage of Google and the digital technology to advance their knowledge and research.

Paying tributes to teachers, the state president said that they are architect of the future and they will produce future leaders of the nation and the country. He urged the student to acquire full command over relevant subject, learn administrative skills and get the experience of personal management for success in future.

He lauded the vice chancellor for taking the university enrolment from 2,500 to 6,000 within a short span of time and also appreciated the best briefing by the Nespak consultant on the project.

The AJK president particularly referring to his recent visit to more or less ten universities during his trip to Turkey, said that he also witnessed the Islamic culture in these ultramodern educational institutions. He asked the Nespak engineer to highlight Islamic and Kashmir cultures in the construction of new blocks of the University. He also urged the teachers to promote love, fraternity and cooperation among themselves as well as the students.

In his address, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Dilnawaz Gardezi thanked the state president for encouraging the staff and the administration of the university, and said that a social sciences block, boys hostel, staff hostel and a sports complex would also be constructed in the university at a cost of 1.4 billion rupees, and for this purpose, 381 Kanal of land has already been acquired.

He proudly disclosed that the university had produced more than 50 PhD scholars.