High Commissioner Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri felicitates Israr Kakar on becoming President of prestigious Oxford Union

Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week felicitated Israr Kakar, an Oxford University student from Balochistan, on becoming the President of the prestigious Oxford Union.

“Congratulations @IkIsrar on becoming the President of Oxford Union. Kakar is the third Pakistani and first student hailing from Balochistan to achieve this honour,” the envoy posted on X.

Israr Kakar, an Oxford University student from Balochistan, earlier made history by becoming the President of the prestigious Oxford Union. He is only the third Pakistani and the first person from Balochistan to achieve this honor.

Prior to Israr Kakar, the first Pakistani to become the President of the Oxford Union was Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, in 1977. The second Pakistani to hold this position was Ahmad Nawaz, a survivor of the deadly attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

Israr Kakar hails from a small village in the Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan, which is located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

He is the youngest of 13 siblings and completed his primary education in his village before going on to study in Abbottabad, Lahore, and the United States for his matriculation and intermediate studies.

After completing his LLB honors with distinction from the University of Aberdeen, Israr went on to pursue a Bar at Law degree from Lincoln’s Inn on a fully-funded scholarship. He is currently enrolled in the DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy) program at the Law Department of the University of Oxford.

Israr Kakar is the second among his siblings to attend college, as his elder brother was also a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.

The Oxford Union, founded in 1823, is one of Britain’s oldest university unions and one of the world’s most prestigious societies. It has hosted an array of distinguished speakers, including the Queen, President Reagan, and Mother Teresa. Israr Kakar’s election as the Oxford Union President marks a significant milestone, highlighting the Union’s continued commitment to diversity and excellence.