ISLAMABAD: The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka retired Major General Shakeel Hussain on Sunday reiterated Pakistan’s continued support to Sri Lanka in enhancing younger generation’s nation building capacities with better educational opportunities.

He was speaking at a ceremony held in Colombo for awarding educational scholarships worth 3.84 million Sri Lankan rupees to 160 bright Sri Lankan students of O/Level and A/Level under the Jinnah Educational Scholarship Programme of the government of Pakistan, said a press release received here.

Minister for City Planning and Water Supply Rauf Hakeem was the chief guest on the occasion, while guests of honours included Minister of State for National Integration and Reconciliation A.H.M. Fouzie, Secretary Higher Education, D.C. Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor Buddhist and Pali University Ven. Prof. Gallelle Sumanasiri Thero. Senior government officials, vice chancellors of the leading universities, senior officers of the High Commission as well as other dignitaries participated in the ceremony.

The high commissioner, in his brief remarks, congratulated the students qualified for scholarship for the current year.

He said the people in Pakistan greatly admired Sri Lanka’s remarkable progress in the fields of health and education.

He underlined that Pakistan seeks to expand its cooperation with Sri Lanka in the field of education and hoped that cooperation with Sri Lanka in the education sector would not only help improve standards of schools but also curricula.

The high commissioner stated that Pakistan had a number of world class universities, with world renowned research facilities in the fields of particle physics, industrial chemistry, bio-technology, genetic engineering, information technology, management sciences, etc.

“I am sure our universities can accommodate more Sri Lankan students in these diverse fields,” he added.

Rauf Hakeem praised the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He said Pakistan government’s support in the education of the needy Sri Lanka students showed its commitment towards bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2016