LAHORE, Feb 5: An Iranian delegation from a research institute visited various universities in the provincial capital on Friday and Saturday and tapped opportunities for student exchanges and admissions to Pakistani universities.

The three-member delegation led by Fahim Research Institute director Dr Hashang Dadashzadeh said that Pakistani and Iranian universities must cooperate to enhance academic and technological partnership and strengthen relations.

The delegation visited University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Government College University, Punjab University. The Iranian ambassador visited the Lahore College for Women University.

At UVAS, Dr Dadashzadeh told vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Nawaz that Iranian students were willing to take admission to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the veterinary university.

He said Iranian and Pakistani universities could collaborate in areas like veterinary sciences, animal production and technology and poultry sciences. He stressed the need to strengthen mutual cooperation and enhance academic and technological partnership. He said it was high time that both countries should collaborate and share expertise and research experiences in animal husbandry. “The UVAS poverty alleviation model is impressive,” he said.

Earlier, Prof Nawaz briefed the delegation about UVAS research projects and standard of education.

GCU: During a visit to the Government College University, Dr Dadashzadeh said Iran wanted its students to study in Pakistan and other Muslim countries. However, he said, ground realities were altogether different, as more than 30,000 Iranian students were studying in India and less than 1,000 in Pakistan.

In a meeting with VC Prof Dr Khalid Aftab, the delegation said Iran wanted to strengthen its ties with the Muslim countries and the best way of doing it was through the exchange of students.

Dr Dadashzadeh said there was a general trend among Iranian students for studying in India, Russia and European countries and this needed to be changed to preserve the culture of Iran. He said a large number of ministers in Iran including incumbent foreign minister studied in India.

Prof Aftab briefed the delegation about university’s academic programmes.

PU: During a visit to the Punjab University, VC Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran told the delegation that the varsity had already been providing all educational facilities to Iranian students.

In a pre-dinner meeting with the Iranian delegation at PU Executive Club, Prof Kamran said Pakistan and Iran shared strong cultural, geographical and political relations and the increase in number of Iranian students in Pakistani educational institutions would help understand each other better.

LCWU: Iranian Ambassador Mashallah Shakiri along with an Iranian delegation visited the Iranian Study Centre at LCWU. Speaking to faculty members, he said both Muslim countries could collaborate in academic areas like technology, literature, art and research.