ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and will continue to extend all out support in its rebuilding process, President Dr Arif Alvi said at a Pak-Afghan cultural event on Monday.

Dr Alvi was speaking at Payam-i-Subh, a cultural event organised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for Afghan students pursuing higher education in Pakistani universities.

The event was attended by a delegation from Afghanistan as well as around 1,000 Afghan students. It featured performances by renowned artists including Tina Sani, Bakhtiyar Khattak, Gul Panra and Laila Khan.

“You are the elite and privileged ones. You have been given the opportunity to study in Pakistan. Go back to your country with better education and skills, as it is your responsibility to rebuild your country,” the president said.

HEC holds cultural event for Afghan students at Pakistani universities

According to the HEC’s press release, Dr Alvi said that Afghanistan has gone through many miseries, but the Afghan nation has proved that nobody could subjugate them.

He said Afghanistan and Pakistan enjoy strong brotherly ties and both countries have always stood by each other, adding: “Nobody can defeat the friendly bonds between the two countries.”

He also regretted that both countries have suffered at the hands of poverty, rivalries, extremism and terrorism.

“Let’s act together against these common enemies. Afghanistan deserves peace and a huge rebuilding process awaits you. Pakistan will always be there to support you,” he said.

Dr Alvi also praised the HEC, saying cultural events provide opportunities for cultural exchange, which improves communication among nations. He also revealed the logo of the Allama Iqbal Scholarship for Afghan Students, a government initiative.

In his welcome address, HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri said the Allama Iqbal Scholarship for Afghan Students not only provides opportunities for Afghan youth to study at top Pakistani universities, but is also a means of promoting diversity in campuses.

Education is incomplete without the exposure of students to diverse cultures, he said, adding that the programme also helps build people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He noted that Pakistan and Afghanistan share religious as well as cultural roots and the Pak-Afghan cultural event reflected commonalities between the two societies.

Embassy of Afghanistan Charge’ d’ Affaires Rahimullah Qatra said: “We are grateful to the government of Pakistan and HEC for awarding scholarships to Afghan students, as the programme encourages Afghan students study in Pakistan and become ambassadors of Pakistan in Afghanistan.”

He said Afghanistan, being proud of its cordial relations with Pakistan, is committed to expanding these bonds. He said Afghanistan acknowledges and thanks Pakistan for accommodating its refugees.

Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Zahid Nasrullah Khan said that Pakistan accords high priority to deepening people-to-people contact between the two nations.

He said the government has approved 100 scholarships for Afghan students on the recommendation of the Pakistani embassy in Afghanistan and 17pc of them are specified for female students, keeping in view the low literacy rate among Afghan women.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019