Islamabad: A meeting was held at the Ministry of Federal Education and
Professional Training to discuss the initiative to offer 300 fully funded scholarships in various
disciplines for students of Bangladesh, through a consortium of leading Pakistani universities,
under the umbrella of Pakistan-Bangladesh Friendship Scholarship Program.
The consortium include International Islamic University, Islamabad; National University of
Sciences & Technology, Islamabad; COMSATS University, Islamabad; National University of
Modern Languages, Islamabad; National University of Computer & Emerging Science
Islamabad; Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore; National College of Arts,
Lahore; Pakistan Institute of Fashion & Design, Lahore; University of Lahore, Lahore; Superior
University, Lahore; National Textile University, Faisalabad; Aga Khan University, Karachi; and
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology, Topi.
Chaired by Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and
Professional Training, the meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Executive
Director, Higher Education Commission (HEC), the representative of High Commissioner of
Pakistan to Bangladesh, and representatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consortium
of leading Pakistani universities.
The main objective of this program is to foster strong ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh
by providing educational opportunities to the Bangladeshi students in top-ranked Pakistani
universities, promoting cultural exchange and developing people to people connections.
The scholarships will be offered in the disciplines of Engineering, Basic and Natural Sciences,
Medicine and Allied Health, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, including subjects such as
Architecture, Fine Arts, Business Education, Computer Sciences, Information Technology,
Agriculture Sciences, Media and Communication Studies, Languages, etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Wani appreciated the proposal and advised the partner
universities to conduct educational expos, seminars and road shows, for maximum
propagation of this initiative in Bangladesh in coordination with the local universities. He
added that an online portal may be launched exclusively for these scholarships to be offered
by the consortium of Pakistani universities.
While highlighting the importance of educational diplomacy in harnessing the regional
harmony and a gesture of goodwill, the Executive Director HEC urged the Pakistani
universities to seek approvals of their statutory bodies/relevant forums at the earliest for
allocation of scholarship slots, endorsement of fee waiver and to explore possible sponsorship
