LARKANA: Some 225 graduates were conferred degrees in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes while 53 students were awarded Chancellor’s Roll of Honour at the 20th Annual Convocation of Szabist University Larkana campus held on Wednesday.

Dr Muhammad Altaf Mukati, vice president of the Szabist Academics, and Larkana Division Commissioner Tahir Hussain Sangi were the chief guests on the occasion.

Dr Muhammad Altaf Mukati administered the oath while Dr Zahida Abro, head of the Larkana campus, presented the degrees to the graduates.

The Larkana commissioner highlighted the importance of quality education, ethical leadership, innovation and service to society. He said that recognised nationally for its academic rigour, outcome-based education and industry-relevant curricula, the university had been consistently producing graduates equipped with critical thinking, leadership skills and professional competence.

He said the campus played a vital role in expanding the access to the higher education in the Upper Sindh while maintaining the academic standards of a leading national university. With a strong focus on research, community engagement, entrepreneurship, digital transformation and social responsibility, Szabist University Larkana campus continued to contribute meaningfully to human capital development and socio-economic progress in the region, he said. Describing the graduates as torch bearers, he asked the young generation to focus on education, health, social uplift and governance.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mukati informed that the Larkana campus so far had produced 1,543 graduates. Tracing its history, he said the university was founded by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 1995 and “today it stands as a fully chartered and HEC-recognised institution, contributing meaningfully to Pakistan’s human capital development.

One of the most significant initiatives at Szabist Larkana was the People’s Information Technology Programme (PITP) in collaboration with Sukkur IBA University and Government of Sindh, he said. Through Phase I of that programme, 1,000 students received training last year, and under Phase II, 2,000 more students would be trained this year, he added.

The initiative taken by the head of the Larkana campus, Dr Zahida Abro, went beyond education, he said, adding that it would equip young people with critical digital skills, enhance their employability and empower them to actively contribute to the local community and society at large.

During the ceremony, 15 students were awarded gold and silver medals for exceptional academic performance while 53 students earned placement on the Chancellor’s Roll of Roll, reflecting the university’s culture of merit, discipline and excellence.

Gold medalists in the undergraduate programmes were Kaleemullah (BBA), Ayesha (BS Computer Science) and Aadesh Kumar (BS Accounting & Finance). In the postgraduate programmes the recipients were Sakhshi Kumari (MBA), Sania (MS in Educational Leadership & Management) and Ahmed Ali (Master of Project Management).

Silver medalists in the undergraduate programmes were Bakhtawar Shaikh (BBA), Kashish Haryani (BS Computer Science), Umar Farooq (BS Computer Science), Abdul Sami (BS Accounting & Finance) and Khadija (BS Accounting & Finance). The recipients in the postgraduate programmes were Bushra Alias Sharka (MBA), Kajal (Master of Project Management), Shahar Bano (MS in Educational Leadership & Management) and Kalsoom from the same discipline.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026