Islamabad, October 21, 2026: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Wednesday facilitated the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding between Maldives National University and Pakistani universities to strengthen bilateral academic and research cooperation.
The MoUs were signed at a ceremony held at the HEC Secretariat during the three-day state visit of President of Maldives Dr Mohamed Muizzu to Pakistan.
Vice Chancellor Maldives National University Dr Aishath Shehenaz Adam signed the agreements with the heads and representatives of the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, University of Wah, Government College University Lahore, and Foundation University Islamabad.
Chairman HEC Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar and High Commissioner of Pakistan to the Maldives Faisal Rasool Lodhi attended the ceremony along with vice chancellors of several Pakistani universities and senior HEC officers.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar highlighted the potential for closer academic engagement between Pakistan and the Maldives. He noted that the Government of Pakistan had emphasised strengthening ties between institutions of the two countries.
He said the agreements would provide opportunities to expand cooperation in joint research, faculty exchange, conferences, seminars and academic programmes. He encouraged the participating universities to explore practical collaboration, including joint and dual degree programmes and research initiatives.
The HEC chairman also highlighted progress in Pakistan’s higher education sector, saying the number of Pakistani institutions appearing in international rankings had increased from two in 2015 to 56 in 2026. He reaffirmed HEC’s commitment to supporting academic cooperation with the Maldives and facilitating collaboration between institutions in both countries.
Dr Aishath Shehenaz Adam appreciated HEC’s initiative to bring together university leaders for expanding academic partnerships. She said the agreements would build on existing cooperation between Maldives and Pakistani universities and lead to practical initiatives benefiting students, faculty and researchers.
She said Maldives National University was already benefiting from ongoing collaborations with different Pakistani universities in medical education, university management systems, agriculture and food sciences, and law programmes.
Dr Adam stressed the importance of mutually beneficial partnerships and identified joint research, staff and student exchanges, postgraduate research and academic development as areas for further cooperation. She also highlighted opportunities to benefit from the Maldives’ experience in tourism and hospitality and explore cooperation in marine sciences, environmental sustainability, climate change and challenges faced by small island nations.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Advisor Global Engagement HEC Dr Muhammad Ali Nasir said academic partnerships could help translate the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and the Maldives into sustained cooperation among students, researchers and faculty members.
He said HEC facilitated international linkages by connecting Pakistani higher education institutions with partners abroad and promoting purposeful, reciprocal and sustainable collaboration.
The ceremony underscored the shared commitment to converting institutional agreements into meaningful academic initiatives, expanding educational opportunities and strengthening people-to-people ties between Pakistan and the Maldives.
