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Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the inauguration of the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME)
Karachi, Pakistan
December 19, 2017

President,

I would like to take this occasion to express My deep gratitude to all those who have supported this institution and who are continuing to support it today.

When I decided to launch a university in Pakistan, I had done some homework to try to understand what profile of institution would best fit the needs of higher education in Pakistan. And what was clear was that civil society was under-served in education in Pakistan. And civil society meant all the pillars upon which men and women function in a civil way, how they support each other, how they develop their future, how they create pillars of strength so that institutions can move forwards.

And I have to say today that it is a source of immense joy that I have in front of Me, men and women who are so generous, so thoughtful and who are so encouraging for what we are all trying to do to provide high-quality medicine in Pakistan. It was always going to be a challenge by the nature of the country, by the size of the population, by the different areas where people were living, from the very hot to the very cold.

So, it was always going to be a challenge to build an institution that could meet the requirements of the country.

I feel sustained and helped and encouraged by your generosity of time and of thought. And I would say to all of those who have been so generous in sustaining this institution, please share with us all your thoughts about what we can do, or what we might be able to do better, or what we should try and correct. And that we should continue to position this institution in its correct place in service to Pakistan.

Thank you