HEC hosts award ceremony for Afghan students.

ISLAMABAD -- The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan hosted an award ceremony for the Afghan short documentary contest under the project 'Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships for Afghan Students' on Thursday

The contest was aimed at highlighting the cultural and historical significance of Pak-Afghan relations and developing goodwill gestures between the people of the two countries by showcasing ''Higher Education Experiences of Afghan students studying in Pakistan''.

Muhammad Suhaib Salarzai, an Afghan student at NUST won the first position in the contest. Adnan Hamidi from COMSATS University Islamabad and Naqibullah Mashwani from The University of Lahore remained second and third, respectively.

Runners-up of the contest were Rohullah Qari Zadah and Mohibullah Niazai from IMSciences, Peshawar (4th position) and Sadeeq Ur Rehman and Noor Zia from Islamia College University Peshawar (5th position).

The award ceremony was followed by a screening of the top three documentaries.

The contest was launched in January 2023 and received a total of 70 entries from Afghan videographers residing in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Videos covered a range of topics, including the current state of the country's education, and challenges faced by Afghan people as well as the experiences of Afghan students studying in Pakistan.

The entries were evaluated by a panel of three jury members, who selected the top three documentaries based on their content, cinematography, and overall impact. Jury members included Dr. Muhammad Arif, Mr. Nasir Butt and Mr. Hasan Naqvi.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said, "We...