Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said Friday that government is working day and night to end load shedding from the country. He said that it will take some time to overcome the energy crisis. He was addressing the inauguration ceremony of the three days United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan's 11th Annual Fulbright and Humphrey Alumni Conference at the Fulbright Center at Forman Christian College.
Ahsan Iqbal said that government of Pakistan has initiated new programs in many disciplines including economics and education according to its vision 2025. He said that programs initiated in education system will be helpful in raising the standard of research in universities.
He also said that at the time of creation of Pakistan there were meager resources but since then Pakistan has passed through a long way adding that now Pakistan is on the path of prosperity. Speaking on the occasion USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar said that the conference brought together over 200 Fulbright and Humphrey alumni from across Pakistan for academic presentations and discussions on a number of key issues affecting the country's socio-economic development. With a strong policy focus reflecting the wide ranging experience and expertise of Fulbright and Humphrey alumni, the conference addresses topics in agriculture, cultural studies, education, energy, environment, governance and public policy, health, higher education, human rights, law and order, media, science and technology, and socio-economic development.
USEFP or the Fulbright Commission has been operating in Pakistan since 1950. It is one of oldest of 50 such bi-national commissions around the world. Bi-national means that it is guided by a board whose members are appointed in equal numbers by the governments of the United States and Pakistan. It was established to manage the United States government's prestigious flagship scholarship program-the Fulbright Program. The merit-based program operates in 150 countries to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since 2005, USEFP has been managing the largest Fulbright Program in the world. The program sends talented Pakistanis selected on merit to the best universities in the United States on fully-funded Masters and PhD programs.
She also said so far about 1,500 individuals have been sent to the US on these Fulbright degree programs, of whom nearly 900 have completed their degrees and returned. Ninety-nine per cent of Fulbright returns to Pakistan and the vast majority are working in Pakistan; more than a third of them in Pakistan's private sector, about another third are working in education, about 20 per cent the development sector, and another smaller percentage is self-employed. The prestigious Humphrey Program sends mid-career professionals to the US on a non-degree program; about 20 leaders in their professional fields, including many civil servants, are selected annually.
Welcoming participants to the conference, USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar explained that, "This conference shows that Pakistan's Fulbright and Humphrey alumni are leading the way toward positive change in Pakistan, and beyond. USEFP is therefore especially grateful for the support we receive for such alumni activities. We are proud to have a part in building and nurturing a network of alumni who have both the capacity and will to bring change to Pakistan. Most of all, we are pleased to have the bi-national support of the governments of both Pakistan and the United States."