ISLAMABAD (TDI): Pakistan has received over 22,000 applications for 4,500 scholarships under the Allama Iqbal Scholarship programme for Afghan students, announced last year, according to Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan.
Launched in July 2023 amidst heightened tensions between the two nations, the scholarship programme aims to foster educational opportunities for Afghan students while strengthening bilateral ties.
This initiative comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s deportation drive targeting unregistered Afghans in late 2023.
The Allama Iqbal Scholarship programme, originally introduced in 2009, provides fully funded scholarships covering tuition, accommodation, and a monthly stipend for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral studies at Pakistani universities.
In its third phase, the program focuses on fields like medicine, engineering, agriculture, and more over the next three years.
“This month, over 22,000 applicants will take an online test, followed by interviews for final selection. The entire process will be completed within 45 days,” Khan Said
“Notably, 33 percent of the scholarships are reserved for female students.”
The scholarships were announced on the same day Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved the extension of registration cards for 1.5 million Afghan refugees for another year.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained, with a significant rise in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western regions bordering Afghanistan.
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Tensions escalated after the breakdown of a truce between the Pakistani government and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in November 2022.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of providing safe havens to militant groups launching cross-border attacks, a claim denied by Afghan officials, who assert that Pakistan’s security challenges are domestic issues.
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Last month, both countries carried out cross-border strikes in each other’s territories, further heightening hostilities along their shared border.
Despite these tensions, Pakistan’s scholarship initiative highlights its commitment to fostering educational ties and regional collaboration.
