ISLAMABAD: China graduates of Pakistani origin on Wednesday launched the Pakistan China Alumni Association (PCAA) to foster collaboration through education linkages on the 74th anniversary of the bilateral relations.
Dr. Furqan Rao elected as president of Pakistan China Alumni Association (PCAA), Dr Arif Senior Vice President while Dr. Aftab will hold office of the General Secretary.
The other office bearers include Dr. Mazhar Gondal Chief Coordinator and Dr Mehmood elected as additional general secretary and Mr. Hanan Information Secretary of the newly elected PCAA.
PCAA aims for connecting, communicating, collaborating, and creating opportunities for graduates from China in Pakistan.
China graduates to become future leaders as Pakistan and China endeavour for modernization under the BRI and CPEC.
The purpose of the PCAA is to support student development and fostering collaborations with various institutions across China and Pakistan.
Pakistan China Alumni Association aims to serve as a bridge, making it easier for Pakistani students to collaborate with institutions in China, through a network of students who graduated from various universities of China.
Pakistan now ranks third globally in terms of the number of international students in China, said newly elected President Dr. Furqan Rao, emphasizing the significance of Pakistani students in bridging Pakistan China ties.
China is considered the top education destination for Pakistani students, with many studying on scholarships. According to data of 2019, there were around 28,000 Pakistani students in Chinese universities. Pakistan ranks third in the number of international students studying in China, said Dr Furqan.
Elaborating the mission of association, Dr. Furqan emphasized to enhance the educational engagement by offering substantial support to Pakistani students through various training and scholarship programs. “We focus on human resource development, aiming to improve the skills and qualifications of students, as well as young executives and professionals,” he said.
The first meeting of the graduates was attended by dozens of graduates from China, both in-person and virtually. During the meeting, office bearers of PCAA emphasized the importance of professional career development programs for the China graduates.
“Since China is rising and CPEC is achieving socio-economic milestones, thus, making a path for China graduates to unite, engage and contribute in the development of Pakistan is vital. “There’s no time to wait. Let’s begin immediately by connecting, communicating, collaborating, and creating opportunities for China graduates,” Dr Arif said speaking with participants of Pakistan China Alumni Association.
In his remarks, General Secretary , Dr. Aftab Ahmad, expressed the Association’s commitment to supporting the China graduates to become future leaders as Pakistan and China endeavor for modernization under the CPEC and BRI. “The goal is to build leadership skills in members of PCCA, so that when China graduates enter the workforce, they are already equipped with essential knowledge of China and Pakistan development partnership,” Dr Aftab said.
In his concluding remarks, Sabahuddin Qazi, former media manager Huawei-Pakistan, said highlighted PCAA’s collaboration programs with the leading Chinese intuitions, reflecting PCAA’s broader mission to positively impact on China Pakistan relations through education diplomacy. “We aim to collaborate with organizations that have strong networks and capabilities to promote a vision of shared future of China Pakistan based on education diplomacy,” Sabah Uddin concluded.
The meeting was attended by founding members Dr Tehreem Azeem, Nawal Fatima and Sadaf Zulfiqar.