ISLAMABAD: A graduation ceremony for 300 Afghan students under the Higher Education Commission’s “Allama Muhammad Iqbal 3,000 Scholarships to Afghan Students (Prime Minister’s Directive)-Phase II” was held at the Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences) on Wednesday.
Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq (retired), PM’s Special Representative for Afghanistan; Mohibullah Hafiz, Consul General, Afghan Consulate, Peshawar; Engr Muhammad Raza Chohan, Adviser (HRD) HEC; Zeeshan Khan, Project Director (HRD) HEC, and Prof Dr Usman Ghani, Director, IMSciences, Peshawar attended the event.
Ambassador (retired) Sadiq, while addressing the ceremony, expressed pride at the graduates’ achievements, calling it a new beginning in their lives. He praised Pakistan’s generosity in continuing the scholarship initiative despite economic challenges, strengthening goodwill and people-to-people ties.
Emphasising that peace in Afghanistan is vital for peace in Pakistan, he highlighted the continued importance of capacity building of Afghan universities’ faculty and officials, commending inclusive components of the project.
Engr Chohan presented an overview of Phase-II of the scholarship project, approved in 2018 with a capital cost of Rs7.3 billion, running through 2027. He highlighted its socio-economic impact on 3,000 Afghan students, their families and communities, thereby, creating a lasting impact through higher education.
Congratulating the 300 graduates, he emphasised the importance of inclusive participation, particularly the role of Afghan women in promoting literacy, human resource development, and economic progress. He also noted the project's provision for short-term training of Afghan faculty and officials, aligns it with SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Dr Jamil Ahmad, Member IT, HEC, congratulated the graduates and expressed hope that they would contribute meaningfully to Afghanistan’s development. He also appreciated the support of university leadership, especially in promoting female education and engaging students through co- and extra-curricular activities.
Zeeshan Khan, project director (Afghan Scholarships, HRD) acknowledged the efforts of Prof Dr Usman Ghani and his team at IMSciences.
He called for continued academic collaboration through training programmes for Afghan faculty and officials. Graduation certificates and awards were distributed, followed by a group photo and refreshments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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