F.P. Report
Islamabad: Harvard University students on an eight-day trip to Pakistan called on the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at Prime Minister’s Office today. The trek, organized by Mr. Adnan Afaq, MD Pakistan Credit Rating Agency, and Ms. Sobia Maqbool, an alumna of Harvard University, was designed to provide these students with an alternative view of Pakistan not typically conveyed to the international community.
Over 30 meetings and activities were arranged to showcase the diversity of Pakistani culture, politics, food, art, and geography.
The students’ engagement with these many facets of Pakistan will help advance the narrative around the country when they return to Boston. In little more than a week, these students – primarily from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, but also representing the College, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Design, and Law School – will travel the length of the country, from Gilgit to Islamabad to Lahore, concluding the trip in Karachi.
Trek participants were accepted from a very competitive applicant pool of Harvard community members eager to learn more about Pakistan. By visiting the private homes of host families, exploring rural village culture, meeting with policymakers, and learning about the wonderful work of organizations like the Edhi Foundation, these students and their Pakistani counterparts promote people-to-people conversation. The meeting with the Prime Minister is a highlight of this exceptional trip.
