Pakistani universities contribute Rs500m for quake relief

Islamabad: Under the auspices of Private Sector Universities Pakistan (APSUP), a 34 members high-level Pakistani delegation from 18 universities participated in the Eurasian Higher Education Summit in Istanbul and pledged more than 500 million PKR for the earthquake-affected areas of Türkiye.

The amount will be spent on relief, rehabilitation, and scholarships for students from the affected areas. During the summit, the Pakistani Pavilion was set up and the Chairman of APSUP, Prof. Dr. Abdul Rehman, along with Rector Superior University, Prof. Dr. Sumaira Rehman, handed over a cheque of 400,000 Turkish Lira to Elif Aydin, Vice Chairman of the Board Anatolian Education and Cultural Foundation Türkiye. The President of the Eurasian Universities Union, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydin, expressed his gratitude to APSUP and the Pakistani nation for their continued support to the Turkish people, especially during hard times.

Several universities in Pakistan extended their support to the earthquake-affected people of Turkey. The University of Lahore donated $1 million in the form of 150 tons of edibles, fireproof and weatherproof tents, blankets, and medicines.

The University of Faisalabad donated $110,000 for community services, and a 20-member team from the University of Faisalabad participated in rehabilitation activities in the affected areas. The University of Sialkot and the International Institute of Science, Arts, and Technology Gujranwala jointly announced scholarships worth Rs10 million for Turkish students affected by the earthquake. Under the University of Management and Technology Lahore Scholarship Programme for Turkey, scholarships worth $1 million will be awarded, with special preference given to students from the affected areas.

Additionally, the Coordinator General of COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary who was also part of the Pakistani delegation, offered fully funded scholarships and research fellowships to Turkish nationals severely affected by the earthquake in collaboration with APSUP and member universities of COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence. The APSUP member universities remain committed to extending all possible assistance to the earthquake-affected people of Türkiye.