Islamabad: The President of Pakistan has conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz upon Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haq, recognising his outstanding contributions to public health and higher education. At just 40 years old, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haq holds the distinction of being Pakistan’s youngest-ever vice chancellor, currently heading both Khyber Medical University (KMU) and Islamia College, Peshawar.
A distinguished academic with an MBBS and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Glasgow, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haq has played a pivotal role in shaping higher education policies as the Convenor of the Higher Education Taskforce in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His tenure at KMU has been marked by unprecedented growth in governance, financial stability, academic excellence, and research expansion. Born into the Syed family of Dir Upper, he is the son of Syed Matiullah, a retired forest officer. Over the past four years, his visionary leadership has transformed KMU into a hub of research and academic excellence, securing Rs5 billion in international research funding and publishing 105 research papers.