University graduates 461 students at 38th convocation, with nearly 70% of graduating class women
Princess Zahra Aga Khan formally installed as Aga Khan University’s first vice chancellor Photo: aku.edu
Princess Zahra Aga Khan was formally installed as the Aga Khan University’s (AKU) first vice-chancellor on Saturday as the institution graduated 461 students from 18 programs at its 38th convocation in Pakistan.
As Vice-Chancellor, Princess Zahra will guide AKU in its continued efforts to improve the quality of life across the country.
“The university’s geographical expansion has meant that AKU’s presence extends across Pakistan, into more towns and villages than ever before,” Princess Zahra said. “From Karachi to Matiari, from Lahore to Gilgit, the university’s health professionals, educators and researchers are part of the fabric of people’s lives.”
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In his announcement, AKU’s chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, noted that the university and its graduates carry “both an extraordinary responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity: to create, disseminate and apply knowledge in ways that improve the quality of human life.”
This year saw the first cohort of the Department of Educational Development’s Bachelor of Education graduate, which offers a rigorous blend of academic and field-based learning that prepares graduates to teach effectively in diverse educational settings.
With almost 70% of the graduating class female, the university is actively working to address the gender gap in a country where millions of girls remain out of school.
Valedictorian Muhammad Taha Nasim thanked AKU’s faculty, noting how they challenged graduates to “reach our highest standards while teaching us that excellence without empathy is empty.”
AKU’s graduates fill important gaps in the workforce. In a country with a nurse-to-population ratio of only 5.2 per 10,000, AKU alumni now hold high-level leadership positions in approximately 80 schools of nursing and midwifery.
By 2025, the university secured more than $100 million in research funding. Across the university, 27 faculty members were ranked in the top two percent of scientists globally in a survey conducted by a Stanford University researcher.
“Pakistan’s young people are inclusive, comfortable across faiths and perspectives, and aware that a divided society cannot meet common challenges,” noted Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President of AKU. “Digitally fluent, they see technology not as disruption, but as an opportunity to expand knowledge, build skills and apply learning in practical ways.”
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To ensure that talented students with limited financial means can attend AKU, the university provides financial assistance to a large proportion of the students. In the last academic year, 72% of students across all grades and programs in Pakistan received financial assistance.
Noorish Khan, Syeda Tasmiya Moheyuddin, Dr. Hamzah Jehanzeb and Sara Karim Sadruddin received Best Graduate Awards in their respective undergraduate programs in Dental Hygiene, Education, Medicine and Nursing.
Also present at the ceremony was Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, founding president of AKU and chairman of the board of the University of Central Asia, a sister university of AKU within the Aga Khan Development Network.
The university also presented Awards of Distinction to several faculty and staff recognizing their sustained contributions to innovation, research and leadership. Professor Emeritus Mushtaq Ahmed received the President’s Medal, one of AKU’s highest honours, in recognition of his extraordinary service as a distinguished surgeon and academic leader.
