LAHORE: The Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Comstech) and the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening collaboration in medical education, research and capacity building across member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The MoU was signed by UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore and Comstech Coordinator General Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry at a ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Chaudhry said Comstech is committed to strengthening scientific and educational cooperation across 57 OIC member states, adding that its initiative of 5,000 scholarships for Palestinian students reflects this commitment.
Stressing the need for improving the quality of nursing in many OIC member countries, particularly in Africa, he said the UHS is being seen as a key partner in training human resource in this critical area.
He said through this collaboration, “we aim to facilitate faculty development, research linkages, and capacity building programmes, while enabling young scholars and professionals to benefit from shared expertise across borders.”
UHS VC Prof Rathore welcomed the partnership and said, “This MoU marks an important step towards expanding the UHS’s global engagement and contributing to health systems strengthening in brotherly OIC countries.
“We are ready to develop need-based training programmes, including certificate courses for nurses and midwives, to address the workforce gaps in the partner countries.”
He said the UHS would actively collaborate with Comstech in launching joint academic initiatives, hosting international researchers and implementing life-saving training programmes. The translation and international rollout of UHS manuals will extend our academic outreach, he said.
Under the agreement, both institutions will collaborate for joint academic programmes, research initiatives, and faculty development. Opportunities will be created for foreign PhD scholars to undertake research residencies in UHS laboratories, while faculty training programmes will be facilitated through more than 200 Comstech scholarships.
The two sides also agreed to develop projects for OIC member countries, including the rollout of six mandatory life-saving training courses. UHS training manuals will be translated into Arabic and French and launched in Nigeria.
The MoU envisages broader cooperation in student mobility, joint conferences, telemedicine training, and capacity building in emerging areas of health sciences, with a special focus on supporting African member states.
art show: From Islamic calligraphy to digital design and 3D sculptures, a wide variety of artworks by 30 young artists was put on display at the Annual Art Exhibition 2026 of the Government College University (GCU) on Thursday.
GCU Aslam Minhas Fine Arts Society organised the event at Abdus Salaam Hall to provide a platform for FA Fine Arts first and second years students to display their work.
GCU Registrar Dr Shaukat Ali formally inaugurated the exhibition, while Intermediate Director Siddique Awan, Fine Arts Department’s Ali Raza Peerzada, faculty members, students and art enthusiasts were present.
Demonstrating their technical skills and artistic vision, the students presented pieces across a wide array of mediums. Along with traditional painting, drawing, and pencil work, the exhibition also featured photography, textile and graphic design, ceramics and material art.
Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2026
