GILGIT, Pakistan: President Mamnoon Hussain has said that it is imperative that collective and national approach is adopted to overcome complex challenges being faced by Pakistan, paving the way for national progress and development.
While addressing the 8th Convocation of Karakorum International University (KIU) in Gilgit on Friday, the president pointed out that many complex challenges have affected the whole World including Pakistan and the South Asian region. He advised the students to also keep an eye on the changes occurring around the world.
The president said that the beautiful region of Gilgit-Baltistan is located at the crossroads of ancient and great civilizations of the world therefore there is a great blend of different cultures in this region.
President Mamnoon urged that youth must convert this cultural heritage into educational opportunities which came from the Great Silk Route in the past and now offered by the landmark China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Mamnoon Hussain appreciated the establishment of CPEC Cell in the Karakorum International University to take full advantage from this mega project and other related projects. He said that this is a positive development to explore the different dimensions of this remarkable project and to reap the maximum benefits from the opportunities offered by related projects keeping in view the local conditions.
The president emphasized that CPEC will not only bring economic prosperity in this region but will also open up new academic avenues for the youth. He urged the university especially its CPEC Cell to build international contacts so that effective strategy could be made to take maximum advantage from these emerging opportunities.
Mamnoon Hussain hoped that KIU will perform valuable services in this sector adding that if this Cell introduces some new courses to make CPEC studies more effective and comprehensive then its utilization will not remain limited to this university only. He also directed the administration to keep him informed about the activities of this Cell so that he could provide his continuous feedback.
The president also lauded that the department of modern languages in the University has started functioning. He said that linguistic research is not an easy task and after the launch of CPEC the importance of this department has increased manifold.
Mamnoon further hoped that attention would be paid on the new linguistic experiments so that the people travelling on this corridor can be saved from the trouble of learning new languages and they could communicate with the people of this region without any difficulty. He also noted that Urdu also came into existence as a result of such experiments.
In addition, he highlighted that like other tourist destinations of the world this region also offers many cultural items and tourists buy them with great passion. He said that if the manufacturing of cultural and historical artifacts can be industrialized then it can revolutionize the economy of this region.
On the occasion, the president also inaugurated the new building of the Faculty of Education at the University. He also gave away degrees and gold medals among the graduates who secured prominent positions.
Moreover, he congratulated the students on the successful completion of their educational career and wished them success in their practical life.
