A grand dinner reception at the Islamabad Club brought together ambassadors, diplomatic representatives, university vice chancellors and heads of leading organisations to honour the newly elected Chairperson of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar. The gathering underscored Pakistan’s growing international engagement in higher education and set the tone for renewed cooperation between the HEC and global partners.
Attendees included senior leadership from the Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences, Riphah International University, Preston University, Ibadat International University, Northern University, Prime Institute of Health Sciences and the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, reflecting broad institutional support for the HEC’s agenda. Diplomats and academic leaders discussed pathways to expand collaboration and student mobility that align with international standards.
Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar emphasised that HEC collaboration with foreign partners will be central to uplifting Pakistan’s higher education system. He pledged transformative reforms and a stronger focus on innovation driven by artificial intelligence, promising to equip universities with facilities that meet global benchmarks and to promote degrees that are recognised internationally.
Quality assurance will remain a top priority, he said, with renewed commitments to faculty development, improved infrastructure and enhanced research capacity across universities. He underlined that graduates should be able to compete confidently with peers from the United States, Germany and other developed countries, and that strengthening ties with scholarship-offering nations is vital to expand academic opportunities for Pakistani students.
On the occasion, the HEC chair formally launched the 6th Students Convention, scheduled for the first week of May 2026 in Islamabad, and thanked organisers for their efforts to foster academic dialogue and student engagement nationwide. Participants closed the event with a shared commitment to support the HEC’s reform agenda and to advance HEC collaboration that will bolster Pakistan’s higher education landscape.
