A ceremony was held with the participation of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Namal Rajapaksa and State Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha to award the Annual Jinnah Scholarships 2020, among 304 undergraduates selected from Sri Lankan universities. It was hosted by the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Major General (Rtd) Muhammad Saad Khattak, at the BMICH last Friday. Undergraduates received Rs 50,000 to cover their expenses during the first year of university life. State Minister Susil Premajayantha thanked the Pakistan government for the magnanimous gesture and assured that the two countries would march forward in strengthening their bilateral relations in all fields of mutual interests.
The Pakistani High Commissioner said the Jinnah Scholarship project was started in 2006 by the Pakistan High Commission and that so far 2000 Sri Lankan students have benefited. Similarly, Pakistan was formed with the dedication of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and he placed great emphasis on education.
“We introduced the Scholarship Program in Sri Lanka under the Jinnah name. We hope that this will further strengthen the fruitful Sri Lanka-Pakistan relations,” he said.