ISLAMABAD
\nFederal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal urged graduates of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) to take up the cause of Pakistan\u2019s economic transformation, saying universities must act as growth engines of the national economy through technology, innovation and research.
\nThe minister was the chief guest at the NUST Master Convocation 2026, held at the university\u2019s main campus in Islamabad, where he was received by Rector NUST Dr Muhammad Zahid Latif.
\nThe ceremony conferred degrees on 66 PhD scholars and awarded President\u2019s Gold Medals to 26 undergraduate students and Chancellor\u2019s Silver Medals to 28 undergraduate students.
\nWelcoming the graduates, their parents and the faculty, Rector NUST Dr Zahid said the day marked the start of the complex challenges awaiting the graduating class and acknowledged the sacrifices their families had made. He said NUST has evolved into a leading institution that prepares students not only for academic excellence but also for service to society.
\nNoting that the world is becoming faster and more complex, he said knowledge alone is not enough, and graduates must lead with honesty, integrity and dedication. Education at NUST, he said, is fundamentally about transformation, with ethics and morality at its core.
\nHe added that in an era of artificial intelligence and rapid change, the university is focused on emerging technologies and leadership skills.
\nAddressing the women graduates, the Rector expressed confidence that they would lead in their fields with courage and said NUST is committed to women\u2019s empowerment.
\nHe called on all graduates to make a positive difference in society.
\nCongratulating the graduates, PhD holders and medallists, Ahsan Iqbal said it was an honour to graduate from one of Pakistan\u2019s leading universities.
\nRecalling his tenure as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission in the 1990s, he said the NUST model was presented at that time and that he had assured its future as a leading university in Pakistan and the world.
\nHe paid tribute to parents for the sacrifices they made for their children\u2019s education. Practical life, he said, begins after graduation, and he urged graduates to build projects and a legacy through which people will remember them.
\n\u201cPeople are known in society by their contributions,\u201d he said, calling on the graduates to work for the well-being of Pakistan in their respective fields.
\nThe minister said Pakistan still lagsbehind the world in the technological revolution, per capita income and exports, and faces challenges related to export markets, technology adoption and economic structure.
\nHe said increasing exports is the priority of the Uraan Pakistan programme, and that universities must drive technological revolution, innovation and transformation.
\nDescribing the world as entering an age of disruption, with artificial intelligence upending existing systems and political and economic stability shifting, he stressed the need for reforms, which in turn require a peaceful and stable environment. Pakistan has enough resources to change its trajectory, he said, and its youth can play a key role. He added that universities have a role in providing the government with key solutions and advised graduates to learn from setbacks in life.
\nReferring to the country\u2019s young people, the minister said they are not to be seen as a cockroach but as Iqbal\u2019s Shaheen (eagle).
\nThe convocation marked the start of NUST Convocation Week 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal urged graduates of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) to take up the cause of Pakistan\u2019s economic transformation, saying universities must act as growth engines of the national economy through technology, innovation and research. The minister was the chief guest at the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":104572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104607,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104596\/revisions\/104607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}