Overview
- The University of Agriculture Faisalabad hosted the first International Conference on Migration and Labour Affairs, drawing Pakistani and international scholars to examine how unplanned migration and city expansion strain jobs, housing, and farms.
- Punjab Higher Education Commission chair Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan warned that farmland is being turned into housing and that slums are rising, which he said is pushing the country toward food insecurity.
- PHEC has set up 10 research clusters involving more than 30 universities, and a Migration and Labour Affairs cluster ties together six institutions to produce evidence and policy ideas.
- Germany’s First Secretary Violetta Anand Kuzmova promoted safe, qualification-based migration and noted Germany recently updated its Skilled Immigration Act to create clearer routes for students and workers.
- The conference also launched Prof Dr Andreas Burkert’s book on Pakistan’s agro‑pastoral heritage, a decade-long effort to lift rural voices into debates on food systems and migration.