Prime Minister and the Aga Khan Laud Shamsh Kassim-Lakha’s Glorious Tenure at AKU  

Presiding over the 18th Convocation of Aga Khan University, the Chancellor of the University, His Highness the Aga Khan announced the retirement of AKU’s first president, Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha. At this occasion, the Chancellor also introduced Mr Kassim-Lakha’s successor, Mr Firoz Rasul who will assume the presidency on May 1, 2006.

His Excellency Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the Chief Guest of the Convocation, congratulated Mr Kassim-Lakha on his excellent contribution to AKU and said, “The commitment, dedication, tenacity and resilience demonstrated by Mr Kassim-Lakha, is a source of inspiration for everyone.”

President Shamsh Kassim-Lakha with President Designate Mr Firoz Rasul.

Mr Kassim-Lakha steps down from the leadership of AKU after decades of successful service. He chaired the committee that designed and constructed the campus from 1979-1985; led the commissioning and became the first head of Aga Khan University Hospital in 1985; and the first president of AKU in 2000. Pakistan and France have awarded him distinctions for his contributions to education. These include the awards of Hilal-e-Imtiaz and Sitara-e-Imtiaz from Pakistan, and the title of Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (Officer of the National Order of Merit) from France.

Mr Kassim-Lakha reflected: “To have been asked to lead the team that translated into reality His Highness’ vision of AKU as a centre of excellence, has been a unique privilege for me. It is deeply gratifying that Pakistan’s first private university is now known internationally and is establishing campuses and programmes in countries that also seek excellence in nursing, medicine and teaching. The guidance of the Chancellor, wisdom of an international Board, and the energy of an outstanding and dedicated faculty and staff have been unfailing inspirations.”

Introducing the President Designate, the Chancellor remarked, “To ensure that the University moves forward to its next level of achievement in these vital areas, I could not let Shamsh Kassim-Lakha retire until I was satisfied that a successor fully worthy of this office had been identified. I am delighted that Firoz Rasul and his wife Saida, with their many academic and leadership qualifications, will be coming to AKU.”

Mr Firoz Rasul responded, “I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to take on the leadership of AKU which has established such a strong foundation, based on twenty five years of solid achievements. The vision of the Chancellor to build an international university that is focussed on improving the quality of life of communities in the developing world is an inspiration and a great challenge.”

Mr Rasul is a member of the Board of Governors of University of British Columbia and has overseen the establishment of the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa. He is also a leading Canadian entrepreneur, having built up a number of enterprises, most recently Ballard Power Systems, an innovator in hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The Chancellor noted that Mr Kassim-Lakha and Mr Rasul would be working closely together in the coming months, and after retirement from the presidency of AKU, Mr Kassim-Lakha would continue to be a part of the University, locally and internationally. “I will share a secret with you,” he said, “You can expect to see Shamsh often in the future, here and in other parts of the world where graduates of AKU hopefully will carry high the name and reputation of AKU.”