Islamabad, 19 October 2026: Reaffirming the role of higher education in building a resilient Pakistan, Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar, Prof. Dr. Aneela Anwar, led a university delegation to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) headquarters. The headquarters are at the Prime Minister’s Office (Old Building), Constitution Avenue, G-5/1, Islamabad. The delegation held a detailed meeting with Ms. Zahra Hassan, Executive Director NDMA and Mr Muhammad Tanveer Paracha,   Executive Director NDMA.

The Vice Chancellor stressed that universities, and women’s universities in particular, have a vital role in disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and community awareness. She noted that women are often the most affected during disasters, and said that empowering them through education and awareness is central to national resilience.

The two sides discussed several areas of collaboration:
 

• joint research on climate change and disaster risk
• student internships and field exposure at NDMA
• training workshops and capacity-building programmes
• community awareness campaigns focused on women and vulnerable groups

“SBBWU is ready to stand alongside NDMA in building a disaster-resilient Pakistan. Our students and researchers can become strong ambassadors of preparedness in their communities,” said Prof. Dr. Aneela Anwar.

The Vice Chancellor paid tribute to NDMA’s work under the leadership of Chairman NDMA, Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, HI(M), especially in disaster response and risk reduction. Ms. Zahra Hassan appreciated the Vice Chancellor’s forward-looking vision and welcomed the proposal for academic collaboration.

The visit was coordinated by Miss Tashfeen Zia, Deputy Registrar (Affiliation) and Focal Person for Training Visits, and Dr. Mahreen Ul Hassan, Focal Person for Scientific Writing. Dr. Nargis also accompanied the delegation.