Kathmandu, Sep 8: In continuation of the tradition to honour Nepali citizens who have graduated from various educational institutions of Pakistan, the Embassy of Pakistan organized its Annual Alumni Get Together on Saturday in Kathmandu.

Issuing a press release Embassy of Pakistan in Kathmandu informed that graduates included recipients of scholarships under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme (PTAP) in MBBS, BDS, D. Pharmacy, BS Engineering and those who have graduated in other fields including Mass Communication and Agriculture. 

Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Bidya Bhattarai, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Leading academicians and social figures who have contributed to strengthening People to People relations between Pakistan and Nepal also attended. 

In the remarks, Minister Bhattarai recollected the depth and warmth of Nepal-Pakistan-friendly relations and appreciated Pakistan’s support for Nepal’s development, especially in the field of technical education. She also thanked the Pakistan government for equipping Nepali students with quality education at its renowned educational institutions.

She noted that the students qualified from Pakistan were contributing towards the progress of Nepal with their rich educational experience. The Minister expressed the hope for Pakistan’s continued support in future too. 

In his remarks, Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal Abrar H Hashmi said that the educational scholarships by Pakistan to Nepali students reflected the closeness of people-to-people relations between Pakistan and Nepal.

He said that Nepali students made life-long friendships while in Pakistan and carried with them positive memories all their lives. He also assured of Pakistan’s continued support for educational scholarships to Nepali students in future as well. He thanked the Alumni for upholding the spirit of serving humanity.

The Ambassador made special mention of the endeavour to further enhance the extent of scholarship awards both in number as well as spectrum. This year, 5 additional seats have been offered with the intention to make a phased increase each year subject to absorption as well as available field choice. 

The ambassador assured that the efforts for facilitating the students going to Pakistan for higher studies would continue in a sustained manner. The ambassador further referred to the recently liberalised visa without fee which would further facilitate a visit to Pakistan.