Staff Reporter
Pak Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF) hosted another Youth Jirga, this time focusing on the needs and issues of Afghan students studying in Pakistan. The event provided an open forum for the students to discuss concerns with relevant authority figures. The event was attended by Ms. Wajiha Akram, the Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Pro-Training, as well as by Mr. Jahanzaib Khan, the Director of HEC’s Afghan Directorate.
The event was preceded by an online survey of Afghan students’ issues. The event was also webcast live, allowing Afghan students from across Pakistan to raise questions through video-conferencing. Thus, a wide range of experiences were represented. The aim was to make the Jirga as inclusive as possible.
As our neighbor has been transforming itself after decades of war, many of the young professionals at the helm of the new, democratic Afghanistan are graduates of Pakistani universities. Many Afghans travel to Pakistan for education, while others have been living here as refugees. Although some are private students, since 2009, the Pakistani government has provided scholarships that have allowed over 4500 Afghans to graduate. Amongst these, are doctors who have gone on to be part of Afghanistan’s frontline during the pandemic.
This year, Pakistan offered thousands of scholarships to Afghan citizens under the Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships, as the scholarships were not released last year due to some issues. Over 800 students (from the approx. 16000 that applied), have already arrived in Pakistan. The applications for the second phase (with 3000 seats) just closed.
