Bilateral academic engagements between Pakistan and Kazakhstan led to the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding during a high-level visit of a Kazakh delegation to Pakistan. The delegation, headed by H.E. Mr. Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, met with Pakistani education authorities to advance cooperation in higher education, research, and innovation.
The engagements were hosted at Allama Iqbal Open University, where academic leaders from both countries explored avenues for collaboration in scientific research, faculty exchange, and student mobility. The discussions reflected a shared commitment to strengthening institutional partnerships and promoting cross-border academic linkages.
On this occasion, the International Islamic University Islamabad signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Akhmet Yassawi University, Kazakhstan. The agreement provides for the establishment of the Yassawi Research Center for Islamic Thought, Culture, and Civilization in Central Asia at the Islamic Research Institute of IIUI. The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed, Acting President / Vice President (R&E) IIUI, and Prof. Dr. Temirbekova Zhanar Amangeldiyevna, Rector of Akhmet Yassawi University.
The research center aims to promote scholarly work on Islamic intellectual traditions, cultural heritage, and civilizational linkages between South and Central Asia. It will also facilitate joint research initiatives, academic dialogue, and exchange of expertise between scholars of the two institutions.
The Yassawi Research Center was subsequently formally inaugurated at the Islamic Research Institute in a separate ceremony, marking the operational launch of the initiative.
The development is in line with the academic vision of Prof. Dr. Ahmed Saad Alahmed, President International Islamic University Islamabad, who is currently abroad on an official visit and has consistently emphasized expanding IIUI’s global academic engagement and strengthening research that contributes to Islamic scholarship and addresses contemporary intellectual and societal issues.