Addressing the ceremony, Shoukat Dhanani has laid more stress on education in Pakistan. "Pakistanis are the most generous people across the globe but what can truly advance Pakistan is investing in the youth of this country. The DSSE is our first step in our relationship with HU and we hope it will evolve into a lifelong commitment", he said.
In his speech, Rafiq M Habib, Chancellor Habib University has lauded the support that has been extended to the university from around the globe. He said,"We have been extremely fortunate in this journey of trying to build a world class institution. Our vision and motivation was clear but the support we received has been far beyond our expectations."
Habib University, Pakistan's first Liberal Arts and Sciences undergraduate institution was formed by the single largest philanthropic donation in the history of the country. The University is named after the Habib family, who have made conscious efforts to improve the state of primary and secondary education in Pakistan and in 2014 extended this philanthropic legacy to higher education.
On 4th May, 2018, Shoukat Dhanani of the Dhanani Group in Texas, USA, gifted to the School of Science and Engineering at HU, a substantial monetary endowment. Thereafter, the school was renamed to the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering. Wasif Rizvi, President HU, who gave a short presentation, paying close attention to the good fortune of HU for having such a wide support network, starting in Pakistan and strewn around the world. He spoke of these fundamental access issues in the higher education sector in Pakistan and how "our aim is to address this."
"Habib University is by far the most generous university in the world," Rizvi further added. Acknowledging the generosity of two of Habib University's most prominent supporters, Nargis Soorty and Shahbaz Yasin Malik, Ms Soorty and Malik were presented with Habib medals by HU Chancellor, Rafiq M Habib, and Shoukat Dhanani. The medals showcased the "Relentless efforts towards the university's mission."