Turkish Delegation holds meeting with the Vice Chancellor
Prof. Dr. Halil Toker, Director of Yunus Emre Institute Turkish Cultural Center in Islamabad, and Elam Ali Teepu, Turkish Lecturer at the University of Karachi, met with Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai, Vice Chancellor of Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU), at his office on Monday, December 9, 2024. During the meeting, it was decided to establish a Turkish Cultural Center at SMIU with the support of the Turkish government. The center aims to promote the language, culture, literature, and research of both Pakistan and Türkiye.
As part of this initiative, Turkish language courses will be introduced at SMIU, with an initial enrollment of 30 students, which will later be expanded.
Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai highlighted the strong historical and cultural ties between Pakistan and Türkiye as brotherly Muslim nations. He emphasized that such practical steps would bring the people of both countries even closer. He further noted that SMIU shares a more than 140-year-old connection with Türkiye, as Khan Bahadur Hassanally Effendi, the founder of SMI, had served as the Consul General of Türkiye in Karachi during the Ottoman Empire. He also announced that SMIU is planning to establish a Rumi Chair at the university.
Prof. Dr. Halil Toker shared that the Turkish government, through its Embassy in Pakistan, plans to organize international conferences on Khan Bahadur Hassanally Effendi in both Islamabad and Türkiye. Additionally, he revealed that the biography of Hassanally Effendi, written by renowned Sindhi writer Mirza Qaleech Baig, will be translated into Turkish.
To facilitate coordination for the establishment of the Turkish Cultural Center and a research center at SMIU, Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai nominated Dr. Subhash Babu, Chairperson of the Department of Social and Development Studies, as the focal person for communication with Turkish officials in Pakistan. On this occasion, the Vice Chancellor and the Turkish delegation exchanged souvenirs as a gesture of mutual cooperation.
The meeting was attended by SMIU Deans Dr. Zahid Ali Channar and Dr. Jamshed Adil Halepoto, Chairperson Dr. Subhash Babu, and Anwar Ali Abro, Director of the PR Department. Following the discussions, the Turkish delegation visited the Jinnah Museum and other departments of SMIU.