The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan hosted an award ceremony for the Afghan short documentary contest under the project ìAllama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships for Afghan Studentsî on Thursday The contest was aimed at highlighting the cultural and historical significance of Pak-Afghan relations and developing goodwill gestures between the people of the two countries by showcasing ëíHigher Education Experiences of Afghan students studying in Pakistaníí.
Muhammad Suhaib Salarzai, an Afghan student at NUST won the first position in the contest. Adnan Hamidi from COMSATS University Islamabad and Naqibullah Mashwani from The University of Lahore remained second and third, respectively. Runners-up of the contest were Rohullah Qari Zadah and Mohibullah Niazai from IMSciences, Peshawar (4th position) and Sadeeq Ur Rehman and Noor Zia from Islamia College University Peshawar (5th position).
The award ceremony was followed by a screening of the top three documentaries. The contest was launched in January 2023 and received a total of 70 entries from Afghan videographers residing in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Videos covered a range of topics, including the current state of the countryís education, and challenges faced by Afghan people as well as the experiences of Afghan students studying in Pakistan. The entries were evaluated by a panel of three jury members, who selected the top three documentaries based on their content, cinematography, and overall impact. Jury members included Dr. Muhammad Arif, Mr. Nasir Butt and Mr. Hasan Naqvi.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said, “We are pleased to have received such a positive response to this contest, and we are honoured to have had the opportunity to showcase the work of these talented Afghan students. Through their videos, they have helped to shed light on the rich cultural heritage and complex realities of Afghanistan, and we hope that their work will continue to inspire others to learn more about this important country.”
He reiterated that without education and capacity building, no nation could progress. He also apprised the audience that in the third phase of the Allama Iqbal Scholarships, the HEC would increase the number of scholarships to 4,500 and some other additions in the programme to invite bureaucrats, faculty members, and technicians so that they could develop a better system on repatriation.