Nadia Mehrdin Nadia Mehrdin

The face-off between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, it seems, doesn't deter Pakistani students from coming to the Valley seeking higher education. Nadia Mehrdin, who is from Kasur area of Pakistan's Punjab province, has become the first Pakistani student to complete her PhD from the University of Kashmir.Mehrdin joined the university's Institute of Kashmir Studies around four years ago under the SAARC programme to pursue the course in medieval history of Kashmir."After completing my post graduation from Pakistan's Punjab University, I decided to pursue PhD in Kashmir. Everyone was surprised," she said.Mehrdin said even the Pakistan High Commission officials were surprised to realise that she was firm to travel to Kashmir for higher studies. "Surprise is mild word," she said, adding: "They were shocked. It was unbelievable for them that I am applying for a visa to study in Kashmir."Why not in Delhi? Why only Kashmir, why not other places in India, they asked me." "But I persisted and they yielded. My sister was teaching at Liberty College, Lahore. She helped me come to the Valley for studies, my parents were opposing it," Mehrdin told Mail Today. In these four years, Mehrdin went to Pakistan only twice."I'm going back with good memories. It was my dream to visit the Valley and study here," an elated Mehrdin said. She was all praise for J& K Governor N. N. Vohra, the chancellor of the Kashmir University. "Governor N. N. Vohra hails from Lahore and I'm from Kasur. In all these years, whenever he visited our institute, he would make it a point to talk to me in Punjabi and would refer me as a SAARC ambassador.""I'm excited to return to Pakistan. I want to share the best moments of my life I spent in Kashmir with my family and colleagues in Pakistan. I wish more Pakistani students be allowed to visit the Valley to pursue higher studies."