By Zafar Hussain

 

BEIJING, June 7 (China Economic Net) - On behalf of the President of Pakistan, Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque conferred Pakistan's civil award 'Sitara-i-Imtiaz' upon Prof. Tang Mengsheng and Prof. Kong Julan in a special investiture ceremony held today at the Embassy of Pakistan, Beijing.

 

 

Speaking at the occasion, Ambassador Moin ul Haque paid a rich tribute to Prof. Kong Julan and Prof. Tang Mengsheng for their endeavors in strengthening China-Pakistan friendly ties especially by conducting research on the history, politics and culture of South Asia with special stress on Pakistan.

 

He mentioned that during the recent interactions between the leadership of Pakistan and China, it is mutually agreed to inject new impetus into people-to-people contacts, tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

 

In their remarks, Prof. Kong Julan and Prof. Tang Mengsheng expressed their gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for the conferment of civil award. They both hoped to continue with their efforts and support to deepen people-to-people exchanges between China and Pakistan.

 

Prof. Tang Mengsheng is an ardent supporter of deepening Pakistan-China cultural and educational linkages. He was a recipient of Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam in 2006. In his capacity as the Director of Pakistan Study Centre, Peking University, China, he has played a key role in inspiring the younger Chinese generation to undertake research on several facets of Pakistan's society and culture.

 

Prof. Kong Julan is one of China's top tier academicians of Urdu literature. She teaches Urdu literature at the School of Foreign Languages, Peking University. Her research work includes a vast array of topics ranging from folk stories of Urdu, ethnic diversity in modern Pakistan and Sufism.