Aussie alumni and Pakistani businessmen: need stressed for greater interaction

Australian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Tim George, on Friday underscored greater interaction of alumni and members of the business community between Australia and Pakistan. Speaking at a reception ceremony, hosted for alumni of Australian educational institutions here, he said that there were some obvious connections between the alumni and Australia's business interests in Pakistan.
The reception was also addressed by Australia's senior trade commissioner to South Asia, Peter Linford. George stressed the need for greater interaction between the alumni and members of the Australian and Pakistan business community, through the Pakistan-Australia Business Forum.
The Australian High Commissioner said that he was pleased that more than 5000 Pakistani students had chosen Australia for their studies and also expressed hope that the number of students would continue to increase as more Pakistani students become aware of the high quality educational opportunities provided by Australian institutions. The Australian envoy said that he wanted the alumni of Australian educational institutions to act as 'ambassadors for Australia'.
He said that seven Australian universities rank among the world's top universities, according to Times Higher Education Supplement. To private students choosing Australia for their studies, he said, the Australian government also offers a variety of education, research and professional development opportunities through two Australia awards scholarships programmes adding that over 400 scholarships have been awarded by Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) since 1991.
He said that the Endeavour Awards was the Australian government's internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship programme providing opportunities to undertake study, research and development in Australia. Furthermore, he said, the Australian Development Scholarships Programme contributes to strengthening Pakistan's human resource capacities by providing masters-level scholarships in areas aligned with Pakistan's development priorities.