On 12 February 2026, Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram, Director, Institute for a Community with Shared Future (ICSF), Communication University of China (CUC), Beijing, China warmly congratulated Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar on his appointment as the new Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. During the meeting, Mr. Akram extended his best wishes for a successful tenure and expressed confidence that under Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar’s dynamic leadership, Pakistan’s higher education sector would witness renewed progress, innovation, and strengthened international engagement. The gesture reflects the enduring spirit of academic solidarity and the steadily expanding partnership between Pakistan and China in the domain of higher education, research collaboration, and intellectual exchange.
Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, a distinguished scholar and recipient of the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, brings more than 35 years of rich academic and administrative experience to this prestigious national responsibility. He has previously served as Vice Chancellor of leading institutions including Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad and the University of the Punjab in Lahore, where he earned recognition for promoting research excellence, institutional reforms, quality assurance mechanisms, and global academic linkages. His appointment as Chairman HEC is widely regarded as a significant step toward strengthening governance, enhancing research productivity, improving university rankings, and aligning Pakistan’s higher education framework with international standards.
Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar also appreciated Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram for his dedicated efforts in promoting regional connectivity, academic diplomacy, and the vision of a community with a shared future through education and dialogue. He acknowledged the valuable role being played by Institute for a Community with Shared Future (ICSF) in fostering intellectual cooperation between Pakistan and China and emphasized the importance of collaborative initiatives that contribute to sustainable development and mutual understanding.
