Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Major General (Retd) Umar Farooq Burki HI (M) presenting a scholarship to a student-Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka presenting a scholarship
Like previous years, Pakistan High Commission, Colombo organised the Jinnah Scholarship ceremony at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) to award scholarships to bright and deserving Advanced Level students of Sri Lanka.
The Jinnah scholarships have been awarded by the Government of Pakistan to Sri Lankan Advanced Level students since 2006. So far, more than 2,400 Sri Lankan students have benefitted from this programme, named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the revered Founding Father of Pakistan.
Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka who was Chief Guest on the occasion highly appreciated the gracious gesture from the people and Government of Pakistan.
The Minister added that such efforts will be very fruitful in strengthening bilateral relations between the friendly countries. He further added that the youth is our future and through such scholarship programmes, we strengthen our future generations.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Major General (Retd) Umar Farooq Burki HI (M) while thanking the Chief Guest for gracing the occasion emphasized upon the importance of the relationship that both countries enjoy and the fact that Pakistan aims at strengthening these strong ties.
He added that the Jinnah Scholarship is a testament to the strong bond between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and it reflects our commitment to enhancing the capabilities of youth with better educational opportunities.
The High Commissioner also said that the Government of Pakistan has been awarding the Jinnah Scholarship for bright Sri Lankan students since 2006. He said that the students who qualified for this prestigious scholarship came from all provinces of the island. The ratio of Sinhalese, Tamil (67) and Muslim (74) students was also almost equal. It was very encouraging to see that the number of female students (87) was almost double as compared to that of the male students (44).
Moreover, the Government of Pakistan takes pride in producing hundreds of doctors, engineers and other professionals in various faculties through separate fully funded scholarship programmes.
During the Jinnah Scholarship awards ceremony, certificates were presented by Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Major General (Retd) Umar Farooq Burki and the Deputy High Commissioner. Professors representing Universities, Ambassadors, political personalities and friends of Pakistan were also present on the occasion.
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