Mubashar Naqvi
Muzaffarabad
The Seventeenth Convocation of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) was held at Chella Campus here on Thursday. A total of 15,000 students were conferred degrees on their successful completion of various graduate, MPhil and PhD programs. This included 40 graduates who bagged top positions and were awarded gold medals, while 91 students received their M.Phil degree and 10 scholars of different academic disciplines were given doctorate degrees.
Degrees were also awarded to 748 students of BS Programs, 2799 to MA, MSc and 136 in the Health Sciences discipline. The convocation was attended by Vice Chancellors of AJK public sector universities, Additional Chief Secretary (General) Farhat Ali Mir, top government functionaries, Registrars, Deans, Directors, Heads of Departments and a large number of students along with their parents. Azad Jammu and Kashmir President and Chancellor of the university, Sardar Masood Khan was the chief guest of the ceremony.
The President Masood Khan expressing his pleasure on the brilliant success of the students congratulated them, their parents and teachers on the successful completion of degrees. He said that he is quite confident that they might have equipped themselves with requisite skills and expertise to compete and excel in every walk of life. Saying that although it was an important day for the passing out graduates especially for those who have grabbed gold medals, the President said it was not end of their struggle rather beginning of new journey to get more successes in practical life.
He urged the graduates to dedicate themselves to upholding high standard of professional excellence and ethical values. Sardar Masood Khan expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the university in line with HEC criteria and policies. ‘Research and academic activities are in full swing in a peaceful and calm atmosphere conducive for such activities’, he added. He added that he is extremely delighted to know that on account of its excellent performance, University has attained a respectable position among the comity of national universities.
The President told that university has significantly increased the number of seats for Gilgit Baltistan students to further strengthen the relationship between people of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Sardar Masood Khan also applauded UAJK for holding seminars, conferences and workshops to highlight issues of national significance including the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir in its real perspective. Referring to the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan urged youth to get prepared to foil conspiracies being hatched by enemy against their motherland.
President Khan reminded the students that their brothers and sisters in the India occupied Jammu and Kashmir were faced with barbarism at the hands of occupation troops and they were looking towards the youth in the liberated territory for the realization of their supreme struggle for freedom. ‘The Indian barbarity and its evil designs are not confined to IOK rather India is hell-bent on to attack and occupy Azad Kashmir, persecute Muslims in India and destroy Pakistan. You will have to get prepared for warding off this threat from enemy politically, diplomatically and militarily,’ President emphasized on the students.
