By Rimsha Ali Shah
The stage was set for the 5th annual Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chapter Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) reunion. Over a hundred attendees filled the room from all over AJK, including Mirpur, Bhimber, Neelum and beyond, all gathered in the chilly November weather in Muzaffarabad.
Lubna, a Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (KL-YES) alumna and Tayyaba, an International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna kicked off the event-packed reunion by official welcoming their fellow PUAN members and acknowledging their achievements and continued commitment to community service in the region.
“It’s my third year organizing the reunion. Before going to the U.S. I was part of the English Access Micro-Scholarship Program and then in 2013 I was selected for the KL-YES program. So in a way, I am one of the oldest members of this chapter as well!” (Lubna, KL-YES)
Lubna was among the group of exchange alumni who had volunteered their time for organizing a range of chapter activities including: traffic awareness, hygiene education, the icloud AJK university peace project, art competitions, first aid awareness, S.O.S. Eid gift drive, “Green and Clean Neelum,” career counseling, “Sur Sangeet” cultural night, and debate competitions across the AJK region. These chapter activities are part of the yearly chapter plan funded by the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).
“These activities are a testament to the commitment and passion of our chapter alumni. We want our communities to benefit from the skills and learning we acquired while on our cultural exchange programs for the rehabilitation and development of AJK,” said General Secretary PUAN – AJK chapter, Tariq Shafi.
Community outreach project ideas and focus areas were discussed at length during the course of the reunion. Speaking on rehabilitation projects, Ejaz Abbasi, a Global Undergraduate Semester Exchange Program (UGRAD) alumnus, stressed the importance of following earthquake-friendly building practices in the AJK region, as it falls in one of the most dangerous earthquake zones.
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) alumnus, Shahid Hussain Mir, offered to volunteer as a teacher at public sector universities to encourage a culture of interactive learning of English language. Mir had taught Urdu to 40 different students while at the University of Texas, Austin on his exchange program in 2014.
The event also recognized the contributions of active PUAN members with a special community service recognition shield awarded to Naureen Arif, Rashid Turab. Javed Iqbal, Azmat Qureshi, Ejaz Abbasi, Nasreen, Tanveer Latif, Sarwar Sagar, Kh. Nazir and Nighat Iqbal. Performances by local musicians of Muzaffarbad added a nice cultural touch to the reunion.
At the close of the event, the chief guest Ms. Naureen Arif, Ex-Minister for Education, thanked the leadership of Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network AJK Chapter and applauded the commitment of their commitment towards the rehabilitation and development of the AJK region.
