Paramjit Sarna joins advisory board of Pakistan’s Baba Guru Nanak University

Chandigarh.  Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) president Paramjit Singh Sarna has been given a seat on the international advisory board of Baba Guru Nanak University at Sri Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, in Pakistan.

The board will help the university build global links in education, culture and research.

Sarna, a former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, joins academics, businesspeople, social workers, journalists and religious scholars from India, the UK, the US and Canada.

The other members are Navneet Kaur (US), Giani Tarbedi Singh (UK), Baljinder Singh (India), Joga Singh (UK), Gyan Singh Gill (Canada), Rana Tanveer Ali (Canada) and Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, an academic and former Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at the University of Oxford.

The university’s registrar, Mubashar Tariq, issued the notification after approval from the Academic Council and the Syndicate, headed by Vice-Chancellor Dr Shahid Imran.

“The membership of the board is honorary and on a pro bono basis. I am deeply honoured to be appointed to the International Advisory Board of Baba Guru Nanak University. Stronger international academic partnerships can expand educational opportunities, attract philanthropic support and connect students and faculty with institutions and scholars across borders,” Sarna said.

He said the university’s location at Guru Nanak Dev’s birthplace gives it a special place in the hearts of Sikhs across the world.

The board will work on student exchanges and internships, joint research with scholars abroad, ties with charitable foundations, scholarships and new infrastructure. It will also help the university seek recognition from international academic bodies and UNESCO.

The board will meet at least three times a year. The university will set up a separate office to handle its meetings and records.

Every year, Sikh pilgrims from Punjab cross the border to pay obeisance at Nankana Sahib. The university, named after the first Sikh Guru, is now drawing Sikhs from across the world into its work.