Minister for Education, Mr Naeem Akhtar has felicitated Prof Kashi Nath Pandita, eminent Persian scholar and educationist, on being conferred with Padma Shri for his valuable contribution in the field of education and literature.In his felicitation message, Mr Akhtar conveyed his greetings to Prof Pandita and wished him success in all his future endeavors.Born in Baramulla in 1927, Prof Pandita obtained his Masters in Persian from the Punjab University. He earned his PhD from Tehran University where he did research on Iranian and Central Asian studies.Prof Pandita served for a long time as Professor in the Persian Department and the Centre of Central Asian Studies at the Jammu and Kashmir University.A distinguished scholar and Central Asian expert, Prof Pandita has a number of publications including those on Iran and Central Asia to his credit. Iranian Embassy in New Delhi honored him with Sheikh Saadi Award in 2011 and the President of India awarded him in 1995 for his outstanding contribution to classics and strengthening of Indo-Iranian cultural relations.Prof Panditta is also known for translating Baharistan-i-Shahi, a Persian chronicle of Mediaeval Kashmir into English.