Daily Times

More than 700 alumni of the United States government-sponsored programmes gathered in Islamabad on Thursday to recognise the contributions of Pakistan-US Alumni Network (PUAN) members to their communities and mark the 10-year anniversary of PUAN.

Politicians, scholars, journalists, business leaders and students – all alumni of US government programmes – joined together to celebrate the group’s anniversary, share their experiences and renew their commitment to strengthening ties between the US and Pakistan.

Chargé d’Affaires John Hoover reflected on the significance of the event, noting that, “The most important thing in the Pakistani-American relationship is our people.”

John Hoover added that, “Alumni such as yourselves will be the leaders of Pakistan’s future helping to build a more secure and prosperous Pakistan.”

PUAN President Syed Ali Hameed encouraged participants to volunteer for the network’s philanthropic activities and to spread the knowledge they gained in the US throughout Pakistan.

Over the past year, the capital’s PUAN chapter organised dozens of community service activities, with its members taking active roles in the fields of education, leadership development, counter-narcotics and women’s empowerment.

The US government annually invests more than Rs 4.8 billion in exchange programmes for Pakistani citizens to study in the United States.

Over 1,000 Pakistanis participate each year in high school, undergraduate, graduate and professional US-sponsored exchanges.

PUAN now has over 25,000 members.

Since the alumni network began in 2008, the US has provided more than 18,000 college scholarships for Pakistani students.

Published in Daily Times, August 3^rd 2018.