TOBA TEK SINGH: Universities must transform themselves into engines of inclusive growth by promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and global collaboration to address emerging societal and economic challenges.
This was stated by speakers at the Vice Chancellors’ Conference organised on Thursday by the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) under the “Exposure to Global Best Practices in Higher Education (EGBP-HE) Programme”.
The conference brought together VCs from across the province, to discuss global trends in higher education, research collaboration, innovation and institutional development.
Addressing the participants, PHEC Chairperson Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said higher education institutions should focus on research-driven solutions, community engagement and global partnerships to address challenges.
He stressed the need for strengthening university-industry linkages, interdisciplinary research and international collaboration to improve academic quality and ensure socio-economic uplift.
Addressing virtually, Prof Dr Paul Whitney, Vice President International Programmes at Washington State University (WSU), said that universities must increasingly focus on community impact and involvement while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers.
Institutions need to build teams of complementary expertise across multiple disciplines to address complex global issues effectively, while also balancing academic freedom with institutional accountability.
Prof Whitney pointed out that the rising cost of higher education and changing demographic trends were reshaping university systems globally.
Former WSU international programmes vice president Prof Dr Asif Chaudhry said that higher education institutions in Pakistan possessed potential and needed to adopt globally-recognised academic and governance models to enhance research productivity and institutional excellence.
Prof Dr Kulvinder S Gill of the WSU emphasised that higher education institutions must move beyond traditional metrics of success and align themselves with societal impact, entrepreneurship, and rural uplift.
He stressed the importance of embedding entrepreneurship education across disciplines. While elite institutions may focus on unicorns, he argued that other universities should prioritise microbusinesses and low-capital models.
UAF VC Dr Zulfiqar Ali said the initiative would provide an opportunity for Pakistani universities to learn from international experiences and improve academic standards, research culture and outreach.
Vice chancellors of various universities also spoke on the occasion.
KIDNAP: A young man allegedly kidnapped a 17-year-old girl with the help of his friends in Gojra.
Aasia Irfan of Mohalla New Plot of Gojra city in her complaint to the Gojra City Police on Thursday claimed that her daughter Kinza was alone at home when Mohammad Zohaib of Mohalla Ghulam Mohammadabad came with three others and kidnapped her.
The Gojra City Police have started a search for the abductee and the accused.
Meanwhile, Y of Chak 367 JB Gojra has claimed in his complaint to the Saddar Police that a man of the same village invited his 19-year-old daughter to his house on the pretext of giving her a meal but he forcibly overpowered and raped her with the help of one of his companions.
The accused managed to escape from the spot after the girl raised the alarm, he added.
Police were conducting raids to arrest the accused.
Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026