Prof. Faisal Devji, Shaheen Group’s Dr. Abdul Qadeer to receive Sir Syed Excellence Awards by AMU
Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Sir Syed Excellence Awards, which will be presented during the Sir Syed Day Commemorative Ceremony on October 17. The day marks the birth anniversary of AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Prof. Shafey Kidwai, Director of the Sir Syed Academy and convener of the jury, informed that the International Sir Syed Excellence Award will be conferred upon Prof. Faisal Devji, Beit Professor of Global and Imperial History at Balliol College, University of Oxford.
Prof. Devji, a noted scholar in South Asian studies, Islam, globalization, and ethics, earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Intellectual History from the University of Chicago and a B.A. (Double Honors) in History and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.
Born in Tanzania, he has previously taught at Yale, Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. His well-known works include Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam, Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a Political Idea, and The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence. His essay Apologetic Modernity explores 19th-century Muslim engagement with modernity, particularly through the ideas of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh Movement.
The National Sir Syed Excellence Award will be presented to Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Chairman of the Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar, Karnataka in recognition of his significant efforts in advancing education among marginalized communities. Founded in 1989, the Shaheen Group today educates more than 20,000 students with a faculty strength of over 500 across 13 states. The group runs schools, PU and degree colleges, and provides coaching for NEET, JEE, and UPSC examinations, along with Hifz-ul-Quran Plus and Madrasa Plus programmes.
The awards carry cash prizes of ₹2,00,000 for the international category and ₹1,00,000 for the national category. They honour exceptional contributions in fields such as Sir Syed Studies, South Asian Studies, Urdu Literature, Medieval History, Social Reform, Communal Harmony, Journalism, and Interfaith Dialogue.
The winners were chosen by a distinguished jury chaired by Prof. Azarmi Dukht Safavi, with members Prof. Anisur Rehman, Prof. A.R. Kidwai, Prof. Imtiaz Hasnain, and Prof. Shafey Kidwai, and were finally approved by AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon.
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China confirms its support to Pakistan during four-day conflict with India
Beijing (PTI): China, for the first time, has confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the four-day conflict with India last year, official media reports here said.
China's state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design.
Zhang had provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting CCTV.
Pakistan's air force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, produced by an AVIC subsidiary.
"At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens. By late morning, in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically,” Zhang said.
What drove his team was the "desire to do an even better job with on site support” and to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”, Zhang told CCTV.
“That wasn’t just a recognition of the J10CE; it was also a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out,” he said.
