After long delay, Pakistan chairs at foreign varsities to be filled soon

High-powered committee likely to appoint 14 academics for long-vacated positions

ISLAMABAD: After years of needless delay, a high-powered committee formed by the prime minister will finalise names of senior academics for the 14 Pakistan chairs in the universities of a number of countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and China.

The purpose of these chairs, apart from educating foreign students, is to create awareness about Pakistani society, its history, culture and national heroes. PhD scholars with strong academic backgrounds are usually considered for the chairs, but successive governments have so far failed to utilise this forum’s potential.

Since devolution of the Ministry of Education in 2010, the subject of Pakistan chairs in 14 universities is in jeopardy and most of the chairs are vacant for lack of focus and interest of successive governments. The duration for the chair is three years which is subject to evaluation on annual basis.

In January, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi formed a high-powered committee with representation from parliament, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Cabinet Division, Establishment Division and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Representatives from all the departments concerned held two meetings of the committee on March 6 and 7 and interviewed about 45 shortlisted candidates out of 110 applicants.

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Senator Muzaffar Husain Shah, a member of the committee, told The Express Tribune that since some senators could not show up, the names would be finalised next week.

“We will meet next week and deliberate on credentials of those interviewed. We will suggest two or three names against each chair to the PM,” he said.

Vacant chairs

There are eight chairs of Urdu and Pakistan Studies. Two of these chairs are available in Egypt while the rest in the universities of China, Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Nepal and Kazakhstan.

Also vacant are Allama Iqbal Fellowship in Germany and United Kingdom; Quaid-e-Azam distinguished professorship at University of Columbia, USA; and Quaid-e-Azam Fellowship in Oxford University (UK). Same is the fate of Quaid-e-Azam chair in Urdu and Pakistan studies in Baptist University Hong Kong and chair of Quaid-e-Azam in University of California, USA.



The chair in University of Columbia has been vacant for 12 years while Urdu and Pakistan Studies chairs at Ankara University and Tehran University have also been vacant for five years.

Talking about the importance of chairs, a member of the committee said there were flaws in the modalities for the performance and activities of those nominated on such chairs.

“The ambassador or high commissioner in the said country will write performance report of the person holding the chair but there is nobody at home to oversee the chair,” he said.



After the devolution, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination used to look into such appointments but it was later handed over to the Cabinet Division which has apparently mishandled the whole matter.

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the help of the HEC also tried to establish it on the Indian model but the proposal was turned down by the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations looks into such chairs and has a dedicated portal for this purpose with details of 118 chairs around the globe.

“Our job should not only be to make appointment for such chairs and then leave the matter,” said a member of the committee who talked on condition of anonymity. “Pakistan can play its role in important countries through such chairs and represent its soft image,” he added.