KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The government of Pakistan has announced 4,500 fully funded scholarships for Afghan students to study in different fields in Pakistani universities. The announcement comes amid the ongoing crackdown on Afghan refugees.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, announced the launch of the third phase of the Allama Iqbal Scholarships Program in a statement posted on X. The initiative provides Afghan students with the opportunity to study various fields, including medicine, engineering, agriculture, social science, and computer science, at the graduate, postgraduate, and PhD levels.
“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,” said the Pakistani envoy, noting that 33% of the scholarships are specifically reserved for female students.
However, it remains uncertain whether the Taliban, in line with their longstanding bans on education for women and girls and travel without a male guardian, would allow female students to take advantage of this opportunity, travel to Pakistan, and pursue higher education. In 2023, the regime prevented a group of female students from boarding a plane to the United Arab Emirates to take up fully funded scholarships for university studies.
To date, Pakistan has awarded around 6,000 scholarships to Afghan students under the Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarship Scheme during the first two phases. The second phase, launched in 2020, granted scholarships to 3,000 students in various fields.
Pakistan’s scholarship offer comes amid an ongoing crackdown on Afghan refugees in the country. In recent days, the crackdown has intensified, particularly in Islamabad, with raids, arrests, humiliation, and the deportation of thousands, including women, children, and individuals holding valid documentation.
In November 2023, Pakistan initiated a crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals, primarily targeting Afghans, describing the action as a counter-terrorism measure. Since then, nearly 800,000 Afghans have been deported back to Taliban-controlled, impoverished Afghanistan.
