Do not follow us politicians: Omar to Jamia

His speech,he said,was one of four prepared for him — “one sent by the university,two by my office and another,a cut-and-paste job of the other three.”

On a more serious note,he accepted that,“politicians,more often than not,are a reviled lot,but there is no better institution to address the problems of the nation than public service”.

The university gave away 3,279 degrees,in addition to 112 PhDs. Around 2,500 students attended the event.

Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung said in his convocation report,“As Jamia takes its deserved place in the elite rank of Indian universities,there’s a concern that it runs the risk of losing its special character,its link with the history that nourished it and the great men who nurtured it… We proudly proclaim that if a nationalist label is the price of a good name,then Jamia has overpaid.”

The university conferred four Doctor of Letters (D Litt) degrees to Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh,former Chief Justice of India V N Khare,former JMI Vice Chancellor Mohammed Ahmad Zaki and historian Mohammed Amin.