There are immense opportunities for forging new linkages b/w Pakistan & the United States: Sardar Masood Khan

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS, Feb 12 (SABAH): As Pakistan charters it’s way forward to establish foundations of a strong economy,

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Sardar Muhammad Masood Khan said that there are immense opportunities for forging new linkages between Pakistan and the United States in the areas of education, research and innovation as also technology and skill development.

The Ambassador made these remarks while delivering his talk at University of Massachusetts, Amherst commonly known as UMass, Amherst. Council General New York, Ms. Ayesha Ali also accompanied the Ambassador and interacted with the students and faculty. One of the key features of our bilateral relationship is that it is people centric. People-to-people ties have been at the heart of this relationship. Such linkages build friendship between people, help foster better mutual understanding and provide resilience and vibrancy to our overall partnership, the Ambassador added. Ambassador Sardar Masood Khan further highlighted that links between our scientists, researchers and academics have always been an important component of such people to people connections, and interactions in the higher education field between the institutions of Pakistan and the US are a very important dimension of the overall Pak-US partnership.

“It is against this historically rich backdrop that our two governments have accorded high priority to deepening of our cooperation in the field of education as we chart the course ahead for this defining stand-alone partnership, “the Ambassador emphasized. Mr. Kumble R. Subbaswamy, Chancellor University of Massachusetts, Amherst while thanking the Ambassador reflected on the legacy of their frequent exchange programs from Pakistan under the UMass Civic Initiative that is run in partnership with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Study of the U.S. Institutes.

Ambassador Masood Khan thanked the Chancellor for his support and valuable partnership, and assured him of the Government of Pakistan’s continued support in building linkages between Pakistan’s universities with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Currently hundreds of Pakistani students are studying at UMass in different disciplines.

Ambassador especially thanked the civic initiative team led by Dr. Michael Hannahan, Kenneth LeBlond and Rebecca Howland who over the years have been working to bring UMass and Pakistani universities closer. They have also played an important part in promoting education ties between Pakistan and the United States. The Ambassador’s presentation was very well attended by students, deans of various disciplines as well as community leaders followed by an interactive session during which students asked questions about the future of Pak-US relations and the prospects of peace between India and Pakistan as well as regional situation.

During the visit, Ambassador Masood Khan interacted with a group of university teachers who visited Pakistan in 2019 before covid on an exchange program.

Earlier in the day the Ambassador addressed fifty students of Economics and Global History at Amherst Regional Public School to discuss the diplomatic relationship between Pakistan and the United States — with a focus on how students and youth can play a significant role in shaping its future. The Ambassador was received by school’s Principal Talib Sadiq.