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Pakistan’s Abdul Wali Khan University offers 50 scholarships to Afghan women
Abdul Wali Khan University in Pakistan’s Mardan city has announced that it would grant fully funded scholarships to 50 deserving Afghan women, it was reported on Monday.
“For the next educational year, we will provide more scholarships to Afghan female students. Female students can also enroll themselves online through the university’s website,” Shaista Irshad, the university’s finance director, told The Media Line, an American news agency.
Khyber Medical University in Peshawar and Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, both in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, have decided to offer medical programs to Afghan students, The Media Line reported.
The decision was made at a special meeting last week called at the request of the Afghan Consulate General in Peshawar. Presided over by Zia Ul Haq, vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University, the meeting was attended by Afghan Deputy Consulate General Mufti Noor Ullah Hotak and other Afghan officials.
Zia Ul Haq assured the Afghan officials that the university would welcome the admission of Afghan students in all its programs, including physiotherapy and pharmaceutical sciences, and would facilitate their admission.
“The purpose of this decision is to assist in the availability of trained medical personnel to deal with the health problems of a war-torn Afghanistan,” university spokesman Alamgir Khan said.
“We have decided to charge Afghan students the same fee as Pakistani students in all programs, including medical and dental. For the first time, admission has been made available to Afghan students, particularly female students, who may take advantage of this chance. We have not allocated any quota for admission. All incoming Afghan students will be admitted. Our offer is for all Afghan students, whether they are in Pakistan or living in Afghanistan.”
Khan confirmed that “the institution acted at the request of Afghan authorities, whose delegation had visited us. It was a matter of pleasure that Afghan officials expressed their endorsement, particularly for female higher education. The Afghan delegation had a really optimistic and adaptable attitude toward female education. At the request of Afghan officials, a Khyber Medical University campus will be established in Kabul [the Afghan capital] and they have pledged their full support in this regard.”
Afghanistan’s Minister of Finance, Mohammad Nasir Akhund, has travelled to Iran at the head of a delegation following an official invitation from Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance said.
During the visit, Akhund is expected to meet with various Iranian officials to discuss bilateral economic, trade, customs and other related issues.
The visit will also include discussions on key topics for an upcoming meeting of the joint economic commission between Afghanistan and Iran.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Saturday inaugurated the rehabilitated 110-kilovolt (kV) power transmission line connecting Maimana and Andkhoy in Faryab province.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for Economic Affairs, the completion of the project will provide around 60,000 consumers with a more stable and reliable electricity supply.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Baradar said the project would help meet local electricity needs, expand industrial activities and contribute to the region’s economic and social development.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had implemented several electricity generation and transmission projects in a relatively short period, reducing reliance on imported electricity and power outages while creating new opportunities for industrial growth.
Baradar also said several major electricity infrastructure projects would be implemented over the next year to ensure a sustainable power supply, adding that the country’s existing electricity capacity would increase several times.
Addressing Afghanistan’s security situation, Baradar said the country was currently experiencing a level of security that he claimed was unmatched in most countries. He added that foreign tourists and visitors had continued to travel to Afghanistan since the IEA returned to power, including to remote areas of the country.
He rejected security-related concerns raised by some countries over travel to Afghanistan, describing them as unfounded and politically motivated. He called on the international community to strengthen meaningful engagement with Afghanistan based on realities on the ground.
Baradar also invited domestic and foreign investors to invest in Afghanistan, saying a secure and suitable environment had been created for large- and medium-scale investments.
The UN refugee agency’s representative in Afghanistan has called on the international community to maintain their support for Afghanistan, warning that the return of more than 6.5 million Afghans over the past three years has placed significant pressure on the country.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, made the remarks during the eighth International Conference on Action with Women and Peace in Seoul, South Korea, where he highlighted the challenges facing returnees amid poverty, drought and climate-related disasters.
He said the returning population accounts for around 15 percent of Afghanistan’s total population, describing the influx as one of the world’s largest movements of people. He added that Afghanistan was struggling to absorb the large-scale returns due to its existing economic and humanitarian challenges.
Jamal also highlighted difficulties facing Afghan women, saying that the absence of war does not necessarily mean all citizens enjoy safety.
In a separate interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Jamal said supporting refugees and vulnerable countries was not simply an act of charity but an investment in a safer and more stable international environment.
He stressed that Afghanistan’s strategic location, bordering seven countries including China, Pakistan and Iran, makes its stability a matter of wider international concern. Although the country is relatively calm at present, he cautioned that this situation should not be taken for granted without continued international support.
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