UEA delegation meets Pakistan Minister for Education and agrees landmark partnership with Lahore High Court Bar Association and Lahore Bar Association
By: Communications
The University of East Anglia (UEA) has signed Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) with two eminent legal bodies in Pakistan, which will create partnerships and promote opportunity for lawyers in the two associations to study at UEA.
During a visit to Pakistan, a UEA delegation also held a top level meeting with the Minister of State for Federal Education, Wajiha Qamar.
The agreement between UEA, Paragon Overseas Education, the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association means that the two associations will promote UEA’s Law courses to their members, the latter being the largest bar association in Asia with more than 50,000 members.
The agreement was part of the highly successful visit from a UEA delegation to Pakistan, which included Prof Steven McGuire (Pro-Vice-Chancellor International), Syed Nooh (Head of Global Insights and Market Development), Prof Amir Sharif (Head of Norwich Business School) and Prof Stephen Laycock (Associate Dean for Admissions for the Science Faculty).
The delegation met colleagues and partners including Atif Aslam, Usama Naseer (Joint CEOs of Paragon Overseas Education) and Anas Abdullah (Director of Global Engagement, Paragon), and the new President of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Malik Asif Niswana.
The UEA group visited the Punjab Bar Council (PBC) – the primary regulatory body of lawyers practicing in Punjab – where they met with PBC’s Vice Chairman Irfan Sadiq Tarrar, to discuss collaboration opportunities, with the aim of promoting UEA’s Law offer for Pakistani law students and graduates. They also visited the historic Lahore High Court, where Prof McGuire addressed hundreds of young law graduates at the Javed Iqbal Auditorium.
Image: Prof McGuire (fourth from left) at the Lahore High Court
On 29 April, the delegation met Wajiha Qamar (Minister of State, in the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training), along with Sarah Parvez (Head of Education for Pakistan at the British Council), and UEA alumni Muhammad Atif Sheikh (Executive Director of the Special Talent Exchange Programme, STEP).
Ms Qamar encouraged UEA to seek partnerships with local institutions in Pakistan, especially within the Health and Environmental Sciences sector where UEA has world-leading teaching and research.
The delegation also met Prof Mukhtar Ahmed (Chairman of the Higher Education Commission in Pakistan).
Prof Steven McGuire, Pro-Vice-Chancellor International, said: “We had an excellent set of meetings in Pakistan with a number of senior government officials.
“They were all supportive of UEA's expansion in the Pakistan market and our university partners are keen to work with us on a range of teaching and research initiatives. UEA's strengths in a range of areas speak to some of the priorities identified by Pakistani colleagues.
“UEA’s research is very valuable in developing Pakistan’s Higher Education sector and meeting urgent societal needs.”
During the visit, there were also agent counsellor engagement sessions in Lahore and Islamabad, with nearly 100 attendees, and alumni meet-up events in both cities.
The visit was supported by the UEA's country team based in Pakistan, that includes Muhammad Abir Anjum (Pakistan Country Manager) and Syed Najmul Shah (Pakistan Country Officer).
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