Pakistan in talks with Poland to establish Urdu chairs in universities
July 22, 2020
WARSAW: Pakistan's Ambassador to Poland Malik Mohammad Farooq on Wednesday said that discussions to establish an Urdu chair in several Polish universities were underway, with an aim to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
Talking to Geo.tv, Farooq said that the programme would be introduced at Jagiellonian University — one of the universities in the country — that is playing an important role in the field of research.
Shedding light on the importance of the university, he said that it was a symbol of "pride" for the Polish people.
”Discussions on the establishment of Urdu chair in this university are in the final stages,” he said.
”The Ministry of Education and the university administration have agreed on the Urdu chair and similar talks are underway for Warsaw University [as well],” he added.
The ambassador noted that initiating the chairs would boost Pakistan’s political and cultural ties with Poland.
"The First PhD in the Urdu language on Ghalib has been completed by Amelia Damick of Warsaw university,” he said.
The ambassador said that the countries were on good terms and that Poland pilots had played a key role in the foundation of the Pakistan Air Force.
He said that Poland had played a vital role for Pakistan to obtain the GSP-Plus trade concession scheme from the European Union which Islamabad highly valued.
In addition, Poland also helps Pakistan in its GSP + review every two years.
"Polish mountaineers climb the peaks of Pakistan's mountain ranges, and come back to their country to spread good news about Pakistan in the Polish media," Ambassador Farooq said.
He said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Poland.
"On this occasion, a book on our relations with Poland will also be published and we will launch it in Brussels and Warsaw," Ambassador Farooq added.
The ambassador said that if the initiative was successful, then plans would be made to bring in teachers from Pakistan who would run the Urdu chairs.
