BAHAWALPUR - The National Defence University (NDU) and the DHA Bahawalpur have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish NDU's first campus in Bahawalpur, said Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lie-Gen Sher Afgun.
"Education is near to my heart and higher education is my vision. Knowledge lays the foundation of a great nation. Establishment of National Defense University's campus in Bahawalpur will help quench the thirst of knowledge of the local students. Bahawalpur is not a backward area because backwardness is the name of mindset while Bahawalpur is a land of people with superior customs and mindset it is the first city where NDU is opening its first campus," said Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lie-Gen Sher Afgan.
He was addressing on the occasion of signing of an MOU between National Defense University and DHA at Cholistan Auditorium Bahawalpur Cantt as the chief guest.
He said that he felt bad whenever someone says that Bahawalpur is a backward area because backwardness is the name of mindset while Bahawalpur is a land of people with superior customs and mindset. "We should be proud of being a Pakistani; which is the real mindset. We have no threat from the foreign enemies as we know how to deal with them. In reality, we have to identify such enemies as are present among us," he added.
National Defense University Acting President Maj-Gen Samrez Saalik said that NDU was an important national institution which is grooming the national leadership where army and civil officers and students from 30 to 40 friendly countries are studying. The NDU has been offering its services in Islamabad for the last five decades, he added. "Today is a very important day for Pakistan because Bahawalpur is the first city where NDU is opening its first campus. It has only been made possible due to the efforts made by education-friendly Corps Commander Bahawalpur that NDU got place in DHA Bahawalpur. We are thankful to Bahawalpur Corps Commander Sher Afgun and Project Director DHA Bahawalpur Brig Arif Rasheed Kayyani for their personal efforts in this regard," he said.
He further said that Bahawalpur had superior educational traditions in the region of Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi. It was far ahead of any other city in Pakistan with regard to education, he added.
Kayyani said that the proposed NDU's campus will prove to be a milestone for the local people. He added the education enclave will play an important role in the development of Bahawalpur.