BANGKOK: Pakistan has deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the new Charter of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. According to reports from Bangkok, Pakistan is the fifth country to do so, after Japan, Sweden, India and Sri Lanka.
 
The new AIT Charter was signed in Bangkok on August 25, 2010 and a total of 12 countries and one international organization signed on that occasion that include Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Timor-Leste, Thailand and UNIFEM. Later, Indonesia also signed the Charter on January 20, 2011.

Foreign Minister of Thailand Kasit Piromya had signed the Charter while Pakistan’s Ambassador to Thailand Sohail Mahmood signed for the government of Pakistan. Federal Cabinet of Pakistan subsequently ratified the Charter, and with the submission of the Instrument of Ratification now, all the legal procedures for Pakistan’s accession have been completed.

Under Article 15 of the Charter, the Government of Thailand has been designated as the “Depository” for the Charter.  Article 14 stipulates that the new Charter will go into effect six months after the deposit of the 5th Instrument of Acceptance and Approval.

Pakistan is a founding member of the AIT, which was established in 1959 as SEATO Graduate School of Engineering. The School was transformed into the Asian Institute of Technology in 1967.

About 800 Pakistani students have graduated from AIT. A large number of Pakistani students are currently pursuing Masters and Ph.D programmes, many on HEC-sponsored scholarships. Pakistan’s Ambassador in Bangkok Sohail Mahmood is a member of the AIT Board of Trustees.