Pakistan has achieved success in engineering education with international recognition of its standards. Pakistan has been elected as a permanent member of the Washington Accord, a global engineering forum, for another six years.
The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) has approved the extension of Pakistan’s membership.
The two-day meeting of the IEA was held in New Delhi, where the decision to extend Pakistan’s membership was made unanimously. However, India refused to grant visas to the delegation from the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and denied them a No Objection Certificate (NOC) on the final day, preventing their attendance.
The refusal aimed to hinder Pakistan’s lobbying efforts. Despite these obstacles, Pakistan’s case in the IEA was presented by Turkey, China, and Hong Kong. PEC officials participated online, with Turkey, China, and Hong Kong reviewing the PEC’s accreditation and other standards.
According to the statement issued by Pakistan Engineering Council, “the periodic review of PEC, conducted by the Washington Accord Review consisting of representatives from Turkey, China, and Hong Kong, included evaluations, observing PEC’s accreditation procedures and compliance with quality standards/ criteria at NUST Islamabad, NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi, and the Capital University of Science & Technology (CUST) Islamabad as private entity. This review took place in October 2023, with a follow-up visit in January 2024 to observe the decision meeting of the PEC Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB).”
The PEC states that “the unanimous decision to extend PEC’s signatory status for six years is based on the overall satisfactory report of compliance with WA guidelines. This iconic achievement is a testament to the exemplary leadership of Chairman PEC, Engr. Muhammad Najeeb Haroon, and Convener EAB, Engr. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, the entire Management and the Governing Body. Special recognition goes to the PEC WA Review Committee, led by Engr.Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid, and the EAB members for their guiding principles”.
PEC Chairman Najeeb Haroon emphasized that Pakistan’s engineering education has been recognized globally. He attributed the extension of the Washington Accord membership to the efforts of the Engineering Accreditation Board, highlighting the contributions of Dr. Niaz Akhtar, Dr. Fazal Ahmed, and Registrar Dr. Nasir.
Pakistan became a permanent member of the Washington Accord in 2017 and has since assisted other countries in obtaining membership. This year, the Philippines and Bangladesh were successfully elected as members of the Washington Accord, bringing the total number of participating countries to 25.
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