The 27th convocation ceremony of the Lahore University of Management Sciences took place on Wednesday. The convocation attracted 869 students in this year's graduating class from the Suleman Dawood School of Business, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering and Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law.
The management honoured its outstanding students with awards and medals. The keynote speaker was former Supreme Court Bar Association President Asma Jahangir and partner at the AGHS Law Associates. She congratulated the class and thanked the university administration for inviting her to the event as it is rewarding to engage with the youth of Pakistan, especially the finest minds - the LUMS graduates.
She told the students that they are graduating from one of the most prestigious institutions of the region and said they could change the world if they worked together in groups to build institutions that would promote sustainable change in society. "Don't do things in isolation. Collect people for a greater impact and learn from diverse ideas," she said. She also stressed the importance of human rights and tolerance. "We should live in a state free of fear and discrimination. There should be no restriction on freedom of thought, speech or religion.' University Vice Chancellor Doctor Syed Sohail Naqvi, welcomed parents, students, the university management committee members, trustees and the keynote speaker.
In his speech, he too congratulated the class and praised the "arduous journey that has brought them here and the grit, determination and passion that allowed them to triumph over all adversity.' He then told the graduates to salute their parents as their graduation "would certainly not have been possible without their unwavering support, guidance, nurturing, and, of course, corrections.'
He asked the students to give a standing ovation to the university faculty "as they have also been instrumental in their successful academic careers". The celebrations started an evening earlier, on Tuesday with the graduate night dinner, a university tradition to celebrate the academic success of the graduating class in a fun, festive gathering. Dr Naqvi, spoke at the event and congratulated high achievers of the 2015 batch, who received recognition in form of the National Management Foundation medals, corporate medals, and Deans' honour list plaques.