Islamabad, March 28 (Online): The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, in a meeting held on Tuesday at Parliament House took serious notice of the matter of vacant Pakistan Chairs abroad under different nomenclatures such as the Quaid-i-Azam Chair and Allama Iqbal Chair; Chairs in Urdu and Pakistan Studies.
Chairman Committee, Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqi deeming the matter ‘criminal negligence’ stressed the need for an in-depth probe of the matter, so that those responsible for this apathetic attitude may be taken to task. He said that in sensitive times such as these, it is crucial that Pakistan’s soft image is built consistently and international Chairs would provide an important forum to promote this impression to the world.
The Committee was informed that a total of 14 Chairs have been vacant since a decade in China, Egypt, Germany, USA, UK, Turkey, Hong Kong, Iran, Jordan, Nepal and Kazakhhstan.
The Committee while taking stringent note of the issue, expressed its concerns regarding the issue and said that Pakistan has lost a golden opportunity to dissociate itself from terrorism and crime and enter the folds of international academia to introduce to the world feats accomplished in culture and literature. It stressed the need for stringent action against this negligence that has held back the softer side of the country.
Deliberating over the matter, Chairman Committee Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqui directed that the Ministry submit a comprehensive report regarding the issue in the next meeting. Chaired by Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, the meeting was attended by Senator Dr. Mehr Taj Roghani, Senator Fawzia Arshad, Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Senator Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, Senator Molvi Faiz Muhammad, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Senator Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Senior officers of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and HEC.
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