ISLAMABAD: The person in charge of education, Mr. Madad Ali Sindhi, mentioned that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has started the 3rd phase of the Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships Program for students from Afghanistan.
In this new phase, 4,500 scholarships will be given to students from Afghanistan for them to study in the best universities in Pakistan over three years. He was the special guest at the graduation event for 281 Afghan students who finished their studies in Phase II of the Program at the HEC Secretariat.
The students have completed their studies in 25 different universities in Pakistan and have earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in subjects like Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Management, and Computer Science.
A total of 6,000 students from Afghanistan have received scholarships in the first two phases of the Scholarship Project.
The minister said that this is the beginning of a new part of their lives. He encouraged them to take on more responsibilities when they go back to Afghanistan.
He asked them to find the problems in Afghanistan and use their smart ideas to solve them. He said it's very important to make Afghan students and teachers even smarter. He also said that the HEC plays a very important role in helping Afghan students go to school in Pakistan with scholarships.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, the Chairman of HEC, said hi and told the students that they did a great job and worked very hard. He also congratulated them for their success.
He said a special 'great job' to the Afghan students who came in first place in their classes. He also said that all the students did a great job even when things were tough for them
He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are like neighbors and have a special connection. He talked about how Pakistan should help Afghanistan because they are like brothers. He told the students, who he thinks are smart and hardworking, that they can be like ambassadors for Pakistan and help make their home country better.
The chairman talked about how making friends and connections is important for having a good job in the future. He also said that the students should use their skills and remember that Pakistan is like a second home to them.
He mentioned that Afghanistan should become a better country, and the students at the event can help with that. He said thanks to the Vice Chancellors for helping smart students and getting them ready to help their own country.
At the same time, Special Representative on Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Asif Durrani talked about how in the past, many Afghan students who studied in Pakistan have made a big difference in Afghanistan.