University of Colombo Hosts Delegation from the Islamia University of Bahawalpur under the Pak-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme

The University of Colombo continues to expand its global footprint through strategic international partnerships. 30^th March 2026, Vice Chancellor Professor Indika Mahesh Karunathilake received Dr Ayesha Bashir, Head of the Department of Physical Therapy at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The meeting was also attended by Professor Chathuranga Ranasinghe, Head, Department of Allied Health Sciences and Dr KRM Chandrathilaka, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy from the Faculty of Medicine.
Dr Bashir visited the Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, as part of the “Pak-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme”, a significant bilateral initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of higher education through institutional collaboration. The dialogue centred on sharing best practices in physiotherapy curriculum development and clinical training, identifying shared research interests in physiotherapy and exploring future exchange opportunities for students, staff and post-graduate researchers.
This visit underscores the University’s commitment to fostering international academic networks that benefit both the local and regional healthcare landscapes. Both institutions expressed a strong interest in formalising future projects that will elevate the standard of physiotherapy education in South Asia.