- During the visit, which will also include the Türkiye-Pakistan Universities Forum, discussions will cover student and academic staff exchanges, joint degree programs, joint research and publications, as well as internships and summer programs

September 12, 2026

Council of Higher Education (CoHE) President Erol Özvar will visit Pakistan from September 13 to 16, 2026, accompanied by a delegation of university rectors, to strengthen higher education cooperation between Türkiye and Pakistan.

The delegation will include the rectors of 10 universities: Boğaziçi University, Dokuz Eylül University, Gazi University, Gebze Technical University, Hacettepe University, Istanbul Technical University, Izmir Institute of Technology, Middle East Technical University, Sabancı University, and Yıldız Technical University.

On the first day of his visit, Özvar will meet with Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC).

As part of the visit, the Türkiye-Pakistan Universities Forum will be held on September 14.

The forum will bring together university administrators from the two countries to discuss areas for further developing cooperation in higher education. Discussions will cover the organization of student and academic staff exchange programs, curriculum reviews and the development of joint courses, the establishment of student internship programs, and the organization of summer programs for students and academics.

The parties will also discuss opportunities for cooperation in areas including the establishment of joint degree programs, joint research and publications, and the organization of joint workshops and conferences.

During his visit, Özvar will also meet with Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training.

Özvar and his delegation will also visit several universities in Pakistan.