ISLAMABAD: Comsats University Islamabad (CUI) hosted the inaugural Alumni Excellence Awards 2026 at its Principal Seat in Islamabad, recognising distinguished graduates for their achievements in industry, public service, entrepreneurship and research.

Professor Raheel Qamar, Rector CUI, presided over the ceremony as the chief guest.

According to a press release, the Alumni Excellence Awards represent a “milestone in CUI’s efforts to strengthen lifelong engagement with its alumni community, which now comprises more than 117,000 graduates serving in leadership positions across Pakistan and around the world”.

The awards are intended to become an annual feature, celebrating alumni whose accomplishments embody the university’s enduring commitment to excellence, innovation, integrity and service to humanity, the statement read.

The recipients were selected through a merit-based evaluation process conducted across all seven campuses. Addressing the ceremony, Rector Professor Raheel Qamar congratulated the award recipients and finalists, saying the accomplishments of CUI alumni reflected the university’s continued pursuit of academic excellence and its commitment to developing graduates capable of making meaningful contributions to society.

He emphasised that a university’s relationship with its students does not end at graduation but evolves into a lifelong partnership.

The Alumni Excellence Award in Professional Achievement was presented to Dr Syed Muzahir Abbas (Islamabad Campus), an internationally recognised antenna and wireless communications expert, Lead Antenna Design Engineer at GME Australia, holder of more than 20 international patents and an accomplished researcher with extensive leadership roles in IEEE.

The runners-up in this category were Mr Atif Awan (Abbottabad Campus) and Dr Anum Ali (Islamabad Campus).

The Alumni Excellence Award in Innovation & Entrepreneurship was conferred on Furqan Aziz (Lahore Campus), Founder and CEO of InvoZone, whose technology company serves clients in more than 120 countries and employs over 500 software engineers. The runners-up were Mohsin Sadbarg (Attock Campus) and Umer Shoaib (Sahiwal Campus).

The Alumni Excellence Award in Social Impact & Community Service was presented to Dr Muhammad Rehan Rasheed (Virtual Campus), CEO of MediaTiz Foundation, for his pioneering work in digital citizenship, media literacy and public engagement, which has reached millions of learners across Pakistan.

The Distinguished Young Alumni Award was presented to Ifrah Tehleel (Lahore Campus) in recognition of her exceptional achievements in Pakistan’s competitive civil service examinations and her emergence as an inspiring young public servant.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2026