ISLAMABAD: Murtaza Solangi, Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, addressed the Senate on Monday that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has neither determined or suggested to universities that Pakistan Studies or any specific course of study be removed from their degree programmes.
Responding to Senator Mushtaq Ahmed’s motion to remove the subject of Pakistan Affairs from the HEC’s graduation syllabus, Solangi stated: “As per the concerned ministry and HEC, no decision or proposal has been issued to remove the subject of Pakistan Affairs or any other course from the graduation syllabus.”
He went on to say that all undergraduate policies approved by the HEC met the minimal requirements for such programs, adding universities were operating autonomously within the framework of their respective laws.
Solangi went on to say that a course on Pakistan’s ideology and the Constitution had been introduced for all undergraduate degree programmes. The minister said this course was a blend of Pakistan Studies and the Constitution.
He said the HEC was also holding consultations with the concerned stakeholders to prepare a two-credit-hour compulsory course for all undergraduate degree programmes.
Senators Walid Iqbal, Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Fawzia Arshad, Sania Nishtar, Syed Waqar Mehdi, and Ali Zafar collectively called for the immediate reinstatement of the Pakistan Studies subject.
They proposed incorporating the recently introduced subject on the ideology and constitution of Pakistan as an additional chapter within the curriculum.
