Pakistan on Friday announced the second tranche of the third phase of the Allama Iqbal Scholarships Programme, offering 4,500 fully funded scholarships to Afghan students over the next three years.
The scholarships, covering fields such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, and other disciplines, are available for undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD studies.
The program was unveiled during a meeting of the Afghanistan Central Asia/Azerbaijan Inter-governmental Coordination Cell (ACICC), chaired by Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq. He emphasized the significance of the initiative, calling it the largest and most popular foreign scholarship program for Afghan students.
“This month, over 22,000 applicants will take an online test, followed by interviews for final selection. The entire process will conclude within 45 days,” Sadiq said in a statement.
Notably, 33% of the scholarship slots have been reserved for female students, reflecting efforts to support women’s education in Afghanistan amid challenges posed by the Taliban’s restrictions on female participation in higher education.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, and senior officials from various ministries and departments.
