The government’s delayed move to fill 14 university chairs in different countries has received a good response as so far around 120 candidates have applied for them.

The Pakistan chairs at 14 international universities, which are supposed to be instrumental for the image building of the country, have been lying vacant for five to 10 years.

Recently, a parliamentary committee, comprising Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Muzafar Hussain Shah and others, during a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi informed him that all the 14 chairs were vacant.

The prime minster directed the Cabinet Division to advertise the vacancies.

“A HEC official informed me that so far around 120 candidates have applied and it’s a good development,” Senator Shah told Dawn on Wednesday.

These chairs are set up on a reciprocal basis and their holders deliver lectures aimed at promoting Urdu, teachings of Quaid-i-Azam, Allama Iqbal, culture and history of Pakistan besides improving the image of the country abroad.

The Urdu and Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal fellowship chairs exist in the United Kingdom, United States, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Kazakhstan, China etc.

It has been learnt that the Pakistan chair at the Columbia University, US, has been lying vacant for 10 years, Tehran University for seven years and Jamia Azhar, Egypt, for five years.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2018