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.”