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KARACHI-Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the Aga Khan University had been a trusted partner of the Sindh government for decades, but in recent years the partnership has proved its worth like never before.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, when Pakistan recorded its first cases of the virus, there were so many unknowns, there were so many questions that needed answers at that difficult time, therefore the expertise of AKU was invaluable,” he said while speaking on the occasion of Agha Khan University Founder’s Day – 40th Anniversary and Convocation of the Class of 2022 at AKU. The program was attended by Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Chairman Zakir Mahmood, Sulaiman Shahabuddin, members of the Class of 2022 and family members of graduates. The Chief Minister said that AKU had been a reliable and great partner of his government. During the Covid-19 pandemic, AKU was so willing to share their knowledge even in the middle of the night, and there was always someone from the university available to help us,” he added.
He said that when the number of Covid-19 cases increased and it became clear that we needed to provide additional training to our doctors and nurses in caring for seriously ill patients, we naturally turned to AKU. He added that with great enthusiasm, the AKU faculty trained thousands of public sector health workers and set up a hotline so that ICU doctors in public hospitals could get advice on caring for Covid patients around the clock.
The CM recalled that throughout the pandemic his government relied on LFS for data on the spread of the virus and the arrival of new strains. Speaking about last year’s monsoon floods, the worst in our history, he said the devastation was unlike anything Pakistan had ever seen. “AKU rose to the challenge once again, along with the government and many other institutions in the private sector and rushed to establish health camps in affected communities across Sindh and other provinces,” he said, adding that AKU was caring for hundreds of thousands of people.
The CM thanked the members of the AKU community who came to the aid of their fellow citizens in their hour of need, either as volunteers or as donors. He said the fact that so many AKU students participated in the university’s flood response speaks volumes about them and the education they have received. Shah said he could cite many more examples of AKU tackling important health and education issues in partnership with the public sector, from increasing access to vaccination in underserved areas in Karachi, to training teachers in rural Sindh. “AKU is not an institution that exists for a group or sector of society, but it works for the benefit of Sindh and Pakistan as a whole,” he said. He further said that he has personal experience of having an AKU degree in his own family. “My niece is a member of the Medical College’s Class of 2017, so I know the kind of education the graduates have received, I know their potential and I know their future is very bright indeed,” he said.
AKU is not only functioning in Pakistan but it also has thriving campuses and hospitals in Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and UK, the CM said, adding that he had no doubt that they were lucky that Aga Khan University had planted roots in its soil.
AKU’s success is a source of pride for the communities and countries it serves, reminding us that there is another way in which the university, as His Highness said, was linked to the welfare of the community in which it is based, he said. …
Shah further said that if AKU flourished, it was because it had been nurtured by the people of Pakistan and its host countries across the Indian Ocean. “Its success is our success and it shows what we are capable of,” he said.
The CM said he would work closely with AKU to provide outstanding healthcare and education to the people of Sindh and Pakistan. He hoped the new graduates would continue to demonstrate the power of an AKU education and the outstanding talent of our youth.
He offered hearty congratulations to the graduates we are honored with in the gathering. Addressing the new graduates, he said the degree they have earned at AKU would serve them well in their careers.
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