Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) equipped the master’s kitchens of Pakistan Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, which was built in 1967 and is the oldest culinary school in Pakistan.

Prospective chefs from 4 states of Pakistan come to this Karachi-based educational institution and enroll in the 1-year diploma program. However, the kitchen equipment of the institute has not been replaced for many years due to budget constraints. As a result, the institute could not compete with private culinary schools, and the number of trainees who enrolled in the diploma program was decreasing day by day. With TİKA’s support, the capacity of the institute increased, and the students had the chance to participate in practical training individually.

In his statement, Niyazi Ali Malkani, Director of the Institute, said that the institute has trained Pakistan’s most famous chefs since its foundation. He added that TİKA’s support improved the infrastructure facilities of the school and that this contribution would attract new prospective chefs to the school.

Chef Faizan Rahman Ahmed, who is one of Pakistan’s most famous chefs and works as head trainer, stated that students were eager to work in the new kitchen and had the chance to show their skills thanks to the tables enabling them to work individually.

TİKA Karachi Coordinator İbrahim Katırcı said that TİKA emphasizes vocational education in Pakistan, which has a young population, and that this project was a good example to these efforts. He added that in the second phase of the project, Turkish chefs would organize a training program for trainers in the institute equipped by TİKA to promote Turkish cuisine in Pakistan.