ISLAMABAD: Türkiye’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Irfan Neziroglu, called for expanding academic, research and cultural cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye during a visit to the National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research (NIHCR) at Quaid-i-Azam University.
The visit focused on strengthening educational ties, research collaboration and institutional partnerships between universities and academic institutions in both countries.
Dr Neziroglu, accompanied by a delegation from the Turkish Embassy, was received by QAU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Tasawar Hayat, NIHCR Director Dr Sajid Mehmood Awan, faculty members and students.
Speaking at the event, the ambassador said Pakistan and Türkiye share deep historical and cultural ties and stressed the need for practical steps to expand cooperation in higher education and research.
He encouraged Pakistani students and scholars to engage with the Turkish Embassy regarding academic cooperation and scholarship opportunities. The ambassador also expressed interest in publications produced by the NIHCR and announced plans to send scholarly books from Türkiye to the institute.
QAU highlights academic collaboration
Professor Dr Tasawar Hayat said Pakistan and Türkiye have long maintained close bilateral relations and noted that stronger academic collaboration could create new opportunities in research, innovation and knowledge exchange.
Dr Sajid Mehmood Awan briefed the delegation on the institute’s history, research activities and academic contributions through a documentary presentation.
He said the NIHCR has spent more than five decades promoting research and intellectual discourse on historical and cultural subjects through conferences, seminars, journals and scholarly publications.
According to Dr Awan, the institute has published more than 300 books in Urdu and English related to history and culture. He also highlighted the regular publication of the HEC-recognised English journal Pakistan Journal of History and Culture and the Urdu journal Tareekh-o-Saqafat.
He added that the launch of MPhil and PhD programmes in History and Culture in 2022 further strengthened the institute’s academic profile.
Focus on shared history and cultural diplomacy
Dr Awan said the institute has published several works on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, modern Türkiye and Pakistan-Türkiye relations, along with research articles examining the shared history and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
He also recalled that the institute organised a two-day international conference on the Turkish War of Independence in 2005, attended by scholars, intellectuals and students.
During the visit, Huzoor Bakhsh Channa briefed the delegation on the institute’s library, which houses more than 40,000 books, rare manuscripts and archival materials used by researchers from Pakistan and abroad.
The Turkish delegation appreciated the NIHCR’s scholarly contributions and expressed interest in expanding cooperation in research, archives, publications, education and cultural studies.
The delegation included Professor Dr Ramazan Erdağ, Berk Ece and Ismail Numan. At the conclusion of the visit, Dr Sajid Mehmood Awan presented the institute’s publications to the delegation.
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