Islamabad, 31 March 2022 (TDI): COMSTECH held a virtual orientation session on the Palestine Programme on Wednesday. The program involves the provision of 500 fellowships and scholarships to Palestinian nationals by the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence’s Pakistani member universities.
Coordinator-General, COMSTECH:
The Coordinator-General of COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, welcomed the attendees and stated that he was glad to have this session. He expressed his delight in having significant officials from Palestine and the Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan, Ahmed Jawad A.A. Rabei.
Prof. Choudhary said that the program of scholarships and research fellowships is a product of a lot of thought and work and highlighted the vital role that the Palestinian Ambassador has played along with Mr. Murtaza Noor, the adviser on international relations who coordinated the efforts with the universities in Pakistan.
He stated that, incident after incident, atrocity after atrocity, history is filled with the disturbing and tragic events in Palestine that have made them all sensitive to the needs of their Palestinian brothers and sisters. He shared that a good understanding and appreciation of the Palestinian cause motivated the decision to work closely with the universities in Pakistan in assisting the Palestinians to continue their education in various fields, primarily science, technology, and engineering, so that they can return to their homeland and contribute to the advancement of the Palestinian cause. He believed that this was the best thing that could be done.
He stated that the program was designed with the support of the ministry of science and technology, the ministry of foreign affairs, and the president of Pakistan, who is also the chairman of COMSTECH. Recalling the 48th session of the CFM of the OIC, he said that the President of Pakistan had informed the Palestinian Foreign Minister about the program. He shared that there would be a ceremonial start of the program after Eid-ul-Fitr. Host universities are looking forward to welcoming Palestinian academics and providing them with an excellent study environment and opportunities in many disciplines of science, technology, and engineering.
Palestinian Deputy Minister of Higher Education:
Dr. Basri Saleh, Palestine’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education, extended his warmest greetings to all. On behalf of Palestinian Scientific Research, he appreciated the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, for taking the program to grant research fellowships and scholarships to Palestinian researchers and thanked the Pakistani government for their support of Palestine. He gave COMSTECH credit for establishing the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence, which provides fellowships and scholarships for scientific research and development. He said that the program has his full support and anticipated the recruitment of more researchers through the program. He expressed gratitude to the Pakistani ministries of foreign affairs, science and technology, and COMSTECH.
Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan:
The Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan, Ahmed Jawad A.A. Rabei, thanked the President of Pakistan, the Coordinator-General COMSTECH, and the Minister of Science and Technology for introducing the program of scholarships and fellowships for the people of Palestine. He expressed the gratitude of the people and government of Palestine to the people and government of Pakistan for unwavering support on all areas and fronts. The Ambassador also informed the participants of the session from Palestine about the efforts made to launch this program and encouraged the Palestinian researchers to participate in it actively.
Director-General (Arms Control & Disarmament), Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Mr. Kamran Akhtar, the Director-General (Arms Control & Disarmament), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Pakistan has always supported the cause of the state of Palestine with dedication. This program is one of the practical manifestations of the support to build the capacity and make Palestinian partners in higher education. He expressed gratitude to COMSTECH for making this possible and to the higher education institutes in Pakistan, which have agreed to join the program. He affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to coordinate with COMSTECH in assessing the program’s progress and finding further avenues of building up relations with the government and people of Palestine.
Advisor to Coordinator-General COMSTECH:
Mr. Murtaza Noor, Advisor to Coordinator-General COMSTECH, was hopeful that this program would serve as an excellent opportunity for the students of Palestine.
