USEFP inaugurates new building in capital

US Chargé d'Affaires Natalie A. Baker inaugurated the new US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) building. In her opening speech she said that it was her honor to be there with everyone to celebrate the historic event.

"Today, after almost four years of enormous effort, we are proud to open the new USEFP building," she declared before thanking the USEFP Head Peter Moran, the team and the board for their hard work. She also noted the contributions of Nayyar Ali Dada & Associates for their incredible vision of the building's structure, Astral Constructors, for bringing it to life, and artist Dr Raja Changez Sultan for generously donating pieces from his recent retrospective of his wonderful career for the building's opening.

She further thanked visitors who had come to attend the inauguration from the US. These included The US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Sherry Keneson-Hall and Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Shelly Seaver. "We are so deeply grateful for such fantastic support from our colleagues in Washington in building ties between Americans and Pakistanis in this important way," she said.

She also stated that it was a privilege to have a wonderful partner in the Government of Pakistan as USEFP carries out important educational initiatives. "I am pleased that the Minister of State at the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, my friend, Wajiha Qamar, is here, and I look forward to continuing to achieve great work together. We are grateful that the Government of Pakistan helped secure the land for this space at a greatly reduced rate, making this incredible structure possible," she said graciously.

Baker noted that it was especially fitting that the building opened this year because this was the 75th year of the Fulbright programme in Pakistan.