he University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, was initially established in 1906 as Punjab’s first Agricultural College and Research Institute. Founded on the recommendations of the Famine Commission to combat famine and food insecurity, the institution has played a pivotal role in not only ushering in the Green Revolution but also addressing many challenges facing the agricultural sector.

Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan is among the distinguished people who have provided visionary leadership to the university. Not only did he serve as the vice chancellor for the longest period in the institution’s history (14 years) but his tenure was also marked by remarkable advancements in both infrastructure and academic research. The progress achieved under his leadership has set a benchmark in the university’s development.

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, is also Dr Iqrar’s alma mater. He also began his academic career as a lecturer at the university. He later pursued a PhD at the University of California, Riverside. Upon completing his doctorate, he taught at the University of California before joining the University of Florida, where he served for five years. He also served with the US Department of State.

Dr Iqrar’s distinguished career includes leadership roles in several prestigious institutions, including serving as the director general of the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology and the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2012 and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz earlier this year. Additionally, in 2015, he received France’s highest civilian award, the Order des Palmes Academiques.

In an exclusive interview with TNS recently, he reflected on his three terms as vice chancellorof the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, highlighting key milestones.

“When I was first appointed VC, I had been serving at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, where I had spent 11 years,” he says, recalling that in 2008, the VC position at the UAF was for the first time filled through an open competition. The government had advertised the position in international academic publications. Following a rigorous screening and selection process, then-governor of the Punjab, Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool appointed him to the role.

“At Sultan Qaboos University, I was getting about $10,000 per month including various perks. The salary I was offered at the UAF was around Rs 80,000. Despite the significant financial difference, I chose to serve my alma mater,” he says.

Dr Iqrar says that from outset his goal was to extend the university’s focus beyond education and research to directly impact farmers and the agricultural sector. “I implemented policies that linked the university’s research and education to rural development and food security. Today, the UAF is linked with more than 50 agricultural institutions and universities worldwide. Our research is reaching farmers on the ground,” he says.

“There wasn’t even a single female-only restroom in the university. Boarding facilities for women were also extremely limited. To address these gaps, I made creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for female students a priority. We built a Women’s Complex, established daycare centres and set up facilitation centres for day-scholars, promoting a culture of gender balance across the university.”

One of his key achievements was steering the university towards financial self-sufficiency. “As an autonomous institution, the UAF now generates over 70 percent of its operating costs from its own resources. I facilitated the acquisition of more than 1,500 acres of fertile land for the university and oversaw the establishment of four new sub-campuses in Faisalabad (PARS Campus on Jhang Road), Toba Tek Singh, Burewala and Okara. I was also part of the founding committees that helped set up universities in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Azad Kashmir,” he recalls.

Dr Iqrar’s vision extends beyond traditional academic metrics. He firmly believes that education and research should lead to tangible improvement in people’s lives. “When I became the VC, the UAF offered only around 50 degree programmes and had fewer than 8,000 students, despite having a sub-campus in Dera Ghazi Khan. Today, we offer more than 170 degree programmes with more than 35,000 students enrolled. More than 50 per cent of the students are female,” he tells TNS.

To meet the emerging market demand, the UAF launched degree programmes in fields like nutrition science, seed science, climate and environmental science, information technology, computer science, data science and bio-informatics. “Our goal was to provide students with a broader range of options,” he says.

In addition to introducing new programmes, the UAF invested heavily in technology. “We established state-of-the-art, IT-based lecture rooms. Today, nearly 70 lecture halls are equipped with smart boards.”

Given its agricultural focus, the UAF also upgraded its lab facilities and expanded its agricultural land by 1,500 acres to create more field labs, ensuring that research and training are not confined to classrooms but are applied in the field.

To promote diversity and ensure representation from across Pakistan, Dr Iqrar introduced a quota system for admissions. “We set a quota for students from every district and ensured that at least 70 percent of the students came from rural areas. To ensure this, we checked their matriculation certificates to determine their place of origin,” he says.

These efforts, he notes, led to a threefold increase in enrolment and a significant rise in the percentage of female students, which grew from 20 per cent in 2008 to over 50 per cent today.

“If I compare just the infrastructure development, from 1906 to 2008, there were only two major developments, the construction of the Old Campus in 1906 and the New Campus in the 1970s. During my 14-year tenure, 3.6 million square feet of construction took place. This is more than all the previous development,” he says.

Dr Iqrar says that his greatest achievement was the recruitment of highly qualified human resource on merit and providing extensive training and international exposure to the faculty so that they could prepare students to meet future challenges.

“Our faculty members collaborate with universities across the world, including in Europe, the US, Australia, Japan and Korea. Our most extensive partnership is with China,” he adds.

Dr Iqrar recalls that some of the basic facilities for female students were missing when he assumed charge.

“There wasn’t a single female-only restroom in the university. Boarding facilities for women were also limited. I made creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for female students a priority. We built a Women’s Complex, established daycare centres and set up facilitation centres for day-scholars, promoting a culture of gender balance across the university” he says.

Dr Iqrar also sought to make agriculture more beneficial to farmers by improving water availability, introducing better verities of seeds, agricultural machinery development and adding value to farm products.

“We activated the Water Management Centre at the UAF to focus on conserving water and bringing more land under cultivation. Special attention was given to wheat and rice, as these two crops cover 70 percent of the agricultural land and consume 75 percent of the water,” he says.

To meet emerging market demand, the UAF launched degree programmes in fields like nutrition science, seed science, climate and environmental science, information technology, computer science, data science and bio-informatics. 

He says the development of the bed-planter machine and the introduction of a Seed Science and Technology degree were significant achievements.

“Over the last two years, we have developed more than 50 new varieties, including wheat, soybeans, sugarcane, mustard, mangoes and vegetables, as well as new crops like quinoa,” he says.

Before these developments, the UAF hadn’t introduced new seed varieties since the separation of the UAF and the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute in the 1960s.

Prof Khan says he worried about fertiliser mismanagement in agriculture. “For the past ten years, we’ve worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the improper use of urea, which causes more harm than good,” he says.

UAF scientists have made significant strides in this area, securing patents and developing applications that increasing effectiveness of urea applicaion.

To take UAF’s research to market and reduce post-harvest losses, Khan established a National Incubation Centre for processing and commercialising agricultural products.

The UAF has been designated a Special Technology Zone, fostering greater collaboration with businesses and industries through partnerships and increased cooperation.

Dr Iqrar says that when he took over as VC in 2008, the UAF had never made it into the top five rankings by the Higher Education Commission.

“The UAF now consistently ranks among the top three universities in Pakistan, according to the HEC. In the QS World University Rankings, recognised by the government, we are ranked first in Pakistan, 10th in the Asia-Pacific region, and 56th globally in the subject ranking for agriculture. No other Pakistani university has made it into the top 100 in any subject rankings worldwide,” he says.

Dr Iqrar says in 2012, the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security was founded in collaboration with the USAID, the University of California and Washington State University. The centre has now been designated as the D-8 Centre for Food Security.

Other international partnerships include the establishment of the Confucius Centre with China, the International Center for Development and Decent Work with Germany, the Pak-Korea Nutrition Centre with South Korea and the International Seed Testing Laboratory with the Swiss Seed Association.

“Our students have greatly benefited from these collaborations. They learn and get inspired. Many go on to win scholarships to pursue further education at universities around the world,“ he says.

Two years ago, during a visit to China, Khan discovered that more than 28,000 Pakistani students were studying there. In every university he visited, the largest group of Pakistani students was from the UAF.

Dr Iqrar says that one of the five academic chairs under the Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security is dedicated to climate change. Others focus on biotechnology, precision agriculture, agricultural policy and outreach.

“Given the challenges climate change poses to agriculture, we started working on solutions in 2012. We focus on both adaptation and mitigation,” he says.

The university is working on improving water efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a particular focus on rice cultivation, which is both water-intensive and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

“Climate change is raising temperatures. Our crops are highly sensitive to temperature changes. To tackle this challenge, we are working on crop genetics through traditional breeding, selection of new varieties and biotechnology, including GM crops. Our goal is to develop seeds that can withstand temperatures at least two degrees Celsius higher than the current average,” he says.

One of their most significant projects, according to Dr Iqrar, is the collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation on agro-ecological zoning. This project integrates data on land, water and climate on a live platform accessible to everyone, providing farmers with real-time advice.

Dr Iqrar says large-scale farmers cannot be disregarded as they are significant contributors to food security, however, he realises that “whenever a system is designed to facilitate the agricultural sector, it disproportionately benefits the large landowners.“ He says over the past 10-15 years, the university’s policy advice has focused on reducing ‘elite capture.’

He says recent government initiatives, such as the introduction of the Kisan Card and solar-powered tube wells are now being directed primarily towards small and medium-scale farmers.

Dr Iqrar mentions that many small farmers are dependent on middlemen. To reduce this reliance, he says, he had helped establishing the Punjab Agriculture Marketing Regulatory Authority and Cattle Market companies.

Dr Iqrar also established the Food and Agriculture Museum at the Old Campus of the University. He regrets that the project took longer than he had expected.

During his tenure, Dr Iqrar faced several legal challenges from senior colleagues. After he was appointed VC for the third time, he fought for nearly 38 months, to assume charge. In addition, he was accused of nepotism, corruption and irregularities in recruitment.

He says, “If we want to improve our universities, the most important step is to ensure that vice-chancellors are selected through a fair process. If someone is appointed to this role in disregard of merit, it doesn’t just harm the university for four years. The negative impact might last for many years beyond their tenure,” he warns.

He adds, “In our culture, it’s common for people who don’t succeed to claim they’ve been wronged. We often fail to acknowledge our own shortcomings as the reason for falling behind.“

He says that the university has a selection system rather than a promotion-based one. Every vacant position is advertised and all eligible candidate can apply. The appointments are made through a transparent and rigorous procedure.

Asked about the challenges faced by the university, Dr Iqrar says there is a need to enhance the integration of technology in classrooms. He also says there is a need for better financial management at the university. He says that while expenses are rising, the government funding is declining.

“I am hopeful that the current and future administrations will address these issues. I pray for their success,” he says.

Dr Iqrar credits the success of his tenure to teamwork by the university’s faculty and administration. “I am deeply grateful to all my colleagues who supported me in improving the university and making it better,” he says.

Looking ahead, Dr Iqrar says he plans to spend more time with his family. He also plans to dedicate more of his time to research and writing.

The writer has been associated with journalism for the past decade. He tweets @naeemahmad876