At a time when Pakistan faces deep challenges in health, education and human development, the Aga Khan University on Saturday awarded degrees to 461 graduates from 18 academic programmes and formally installed Princess Zahra Aga Khan as its first pro-chancellor at the university’s 38th convocation in Pakistan.
University officials said that as pro-chancellor, Princess Zahra Aga Khan would help guide the AKU’s long-term mission of improving quality of life through education, health care and research.
In a message to the graduating class, AKU Chancellor the Aga Khan said the university and its alumni carried “both an extraordinary responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity” to create, share and apply knowledge in ways that meaningfully improve human lives.
The convocation also marked the graduation of the first cohort from the Institute for Educational Development’s Bachelor of Education programme, which combines academic rigour with field-based learning to prepare graduates to teach effectively in diverse school settings.
Addressing the ceremony, Princess Zahra Aga Khan said the AKU’s presence in Pakistan had expanded steadily over the years, extending beyond major urban centres into smaller cities and rural communities. From Karachi to Matiari and from Lahore to Gilgit, she said, the university’s health professionals, educators and researchers had become part of the fabric of people’s lives.
University officials highlighted that nearly 70 percent of this year’s graduates were women, reflecting the AKU’s contribution to narrowing the gender gap in a country where millions of girls remain out of school.
Valedictorian Muhammad Taha Nasim thanked the faculty for pushing students to meet high standards while instilling empathy, saying graduates had learned that professional excellence without compassion held little value.
The AKU said its alumni were helping fill critical workforce gaps, particularly in nursing and midwifery. In a country where the nurse-to-population ratio stands at just 5.2 per 10,000 people, AKU graduates now hold senior leadership positions in around 80 nursing and midwifery schools across Pakistan.
Highlighting its research standing, the university said it secured more than $100 million in research funding in 2025, while 27 faculty members were ranked among the world’s top two percent of scientists in a global study conducted by a Stanford University researcher.
AKU President Sulaiman Shahabuddin said Pakistan’s young people were increasingly inclusive, digitally fluent and conscious that social divisions weaken the ability to address shared challenges. He said students viewed technology not as disruption but as an opportunity to expand knowledge and apply learning in practical ways.
To ensure access for students from low-income backgrounds, the AKU said it provided financial assistance to 72 percent of its students in Pakistan during the last academic year.
Best Graduate Awards were presented to Noorish Khan, Syeda Tasmiya Mohiuddin, Dr Hamzah Jehanzeb and Sara Karim Sadruddin in Dental Hygiene, Education, Medicine and Nursing, respectively.
The ceremony was also attended by Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, founding president of the AKU and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Central Asia.
The university also conferred Awards of Distinction on several faculty and staff members, including Professor Emeritus Mushtaq Ahmed, who received the President’s Medal in recognition of his outstanding service as a surgeon and academic leader.
