Islamabad: Foreign Office of Pakistan on Monday strongly deplored the issuance of a “public notice” by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India and the All India Council for Technical Education, advising students not to seek higher education in Pakistan and warning them of being denied employment in case they choose to do so.
FO Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said the tone of the “public notice” was not only threatening towards the students, but it also reeked of “tyrannical authoritarianism.”
“It is regrettable that driven by its incurable obsession with Pakistan, India is unabashedly coercing the students in order to deter them from pursuing quality education of their choice,” the foreign office said.
Highlighting the BJP-RSS combine’s deep-seated ideological animus and chronic hostility towards Pakistan, the FO said that it was deplorable that as part of its mission “Hindu Rashtra,” the Indian government had resorted to such moves in order to stoke hyper-nationalism in the country.
The FO statement also said that Pakistan had sought clarification from the Indian government regarding the notice.
“Pakistan reserves the right to take appropriate measures in response to this openly discriminatory and inexplicable action by India,” the spokesperson added.
The Notice
On April 22, the All India Council for Technical Education and University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a “public notice” advising students not to travel to Pakistan for pursuing Higher Education.
“Any Indian national/Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission in any degree college/educational institution of Pakistan shall not be eligible for seeking employment or higher studies in India on the basis of such educational qualifications (in any subject) acquired in Pakistan,” the statement said.
However, it added that migrants and their children who had received higher education in Pakistan would be eligible for seeking Indian employment, provided they were granted citizenship and obtained security clearance.
