President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday said that Pakistan would continue to provide all possible assistance to Afghanistan for the development of its education sector and capacity building of its educational institutions, reported 24NewsHD TV channel;.

He stated that Afghanistan direly needed educationists, professionals and technical experts to contribute towards its reconstruction and development. He made these remarks while talking to the Minister of Higher Education of Afghanistan, Maulana Abdul Baqi Haqqani, who along with members of his delegation, called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Talking to the delegation, the President said that Afghanistan was passing through a very difficult phase and the international community needed to provide economic and humanitarian aid to save it from a human catastrophe.

He recalled that during the recent ECO Summit in Turkmenistan, he urged the member countries and international community to address the humanitarian and economic needs of Afghanistan which had been a victim of war for over four decades.

Both sides agreed to increase collaboration between the higher education institutions of the two countries. The President remarked that the Allama Iqbal Open University and Virtual University of Pakistan would assist Afghan universities in their digital transformation and providing online education to their students. It was also agreed that National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) would arrange vocational training programmes for Afghans in various technical fields.

The Afghan Minister for Higher Education thanked the Government of Pakistan for its role in the reconstruction and education development of Afghanistan. He termed his meetings with Pakistani authorities, including the Education Minister of Pakistan, very fruitful, saying that it would help increase cooperation in the education sector.

Reporter: Awais Kiyani