KABUL, Afghanistan — Former President Hamid Karzai on Sunday called on India to resume its scholarship programs for Afghan students, emphasizing the need to support higher education opportunities amid Afghanistan’s ongoing crises.
In a post on X, Karzai said he discussed the issue during a meeting with Anand Prakash, the special representative of India’s Ministry of External Affairs for Afghanistan.
Karzai expressed hope that obstacles facing Afghan students in India would be resolved and that pathways to continue their education would be reopened.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening economic and trade relations between Afghanistan and India, noting that enhanced cooperation could play a vital role in Afghanistan’s development and economic recovery.
The call comes at a time when the Taliban authorities have banned girls and women from pursuing secondary and higher education and have closed many private educational centers across the country.
India has historically provided thousands of scholarships annually to Afghan students in various fields of study. However, the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has created significant barriers for Afghan students seeking education abroad, particularly in India.
