Rs1m donated to GCU

LAHORE

Dr Zahir Ahmed Siddiqi, the 83-year-old eminent poet, writer and distinguished professor of Persian language, has donated Rs1 million to the Government College University’s Endowment Fund Trust (GCU-EFT) to initiate a perpetual golden scholarship in the name of his late father, “Molvi Shafique Ahmad Siddiqi”. 

The scholarship would be given to a financially-challenged student of BA (Hons) Islamic Studies every year on merit.

Prof Siddiqi, the author of more than 52 books which include Pakistan’s first Persian-to-Urdu Dictionary, on Tuesday, handed over the Rs1,000,000/- cheque of his savings to Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah and GCU-EFT Secretary Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt at a graceful ceremony at the university's VC office.

Last year, Prof Siddiqi had donated Rs5 million to GCU-EFT for the scholarships of financially-challenged students. The professor had also announced donating his 28 Kila land to GCU. He said the money would be transferred to the GCU-EFT after the sale of land which values more than Rs140 million. Prof Siddiqi is father of three children. His son, Naveed Siddique, holds a senior position at Microsoft, while his daughter is the Professor of English Literature at the FCC University, Lahore.

Speaking on the occasion, the GCU vice-chancellor said Dr Zahir Ahmed Siddiqi having more than 52-year meritorious services in research, administration, and teaching for GCU, had been donating all his salary to the GCU Endowment Trust since long for the fee of deserving students who could not afford their academic expenses.