Canadian Minister Praises AKU's Achievements

The Honourable Allan Rock, Minister of Industry, Government of Canada, led an 11-member delegation to AKU in October 2003. He was accompanied by Her Excellency Margaret Huber, High Commissioner for Canada to Pakistan; Mr. Raymond Simard, Member of Parliament for St. Boniface and other senior Canadian government delegates.

The Honourable Allan Rock (extreme left), Minister of Industry, Government of Canada, with Dr. Yasmin Amarsi, Dean, AKU School of Nursing, on a tour of the University.

Welcoming the guests, Ambassador Saidullah Khan Dehlavi, Chairman, AKU Board of Trustees, highlighted the strong ties that exist between Canada and Pakistan, forged through development cooperation projects in the energy sector,    transport, agriculture and environmental conservation for over fifty years. He also thanked the Minister for his country's invaluable support in AKU's development and progress, including the human resource contributions from Canadian professional volunteers, faculty and staff.

Thanking senior AKU leadership who were present on the occasion, Minister Allan Rock acknowledged the University as a centre of excellence, saying "We are proud to partner with you towards the achievement of His Highness the Aga Khan's vision - social justice and equality of access to education, health care and advancement." The Minister also expressed his confidence that the relationship between AKU and Canada would continue to grow deeper and stronger over the years.

AKU has received ongoing financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency, for its School of Nursing, Medical College and the Institute for Educational Development. Academic support in curriculum development and faculty training has been provided by numerous Canadian universities, such as McMaster, McGill and the University of Toronto.

There have also been research and other collaborative endeavours with the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; University of Alberta and University of British Columbia.