The event was graced by Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar (N.I.), Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, who attended as the Guest of Honour. Mr. Meena Khan Afridi, Minister for Higher Education, Archives and Libraries, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, participated as Chief Guest. The gathering was hosted by Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haq, Executive Director HEC and Vice Chancellor KMU.

The meeting of Vice Chancellors and Rectors from public and private sector universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held at Alexander Fleming Hall. The session was chaired by the Honourable Minister for Higher Education, Mr. Meena Khan Afridi, along with the Chairman and Executive Director of HEC.

The meeting brought together academic leadership from across the province to deliberate on strengthening quality education, promoting research excellence, and enhancing institutional performance. Distinguished researchers and scientists were recognized on the occasion, including those ranked among the world’s top 2% scientists and recipients of NRPU awards.

All Vice Chancellors participated in the meeting. On this occasion, the Minister for Higher Education presented a Recognition Certificate to Prof. Dr. Sardar Khan (TI), Vice Chancellor, University of Shangla, in recognition of his global research influence and valuable contributions toward the advancement of knowledge in the field of Environmental Science.

According to a ranking conducted by Stanford University (USA, November 2020), Prof. Dr. Sardar Khan (TI) was ranked among the world’s top 2% highly cited scientists at the global level. He was also nominated as a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 2021. Recently, he was elected as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the Islamic Academy of Sciences (IAS) for his contributions to the advancement of science in developing countries.

The Honourable Vice Chancellor, University of Shangla, thanked HEC and the Honourable Minister for Higher Education for arranging such a valuable and productive meeting for the Vice Chancellors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.