ISLAMABAD: COMSTECH will provide 500 scholarships for Palestinian students and scholars in partnership with Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) and member institutions of COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence.
This was announced by the Coordinator General, COMSTECH Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary while addressing a press conference at COMSTECH office here Tuesday.
He stated that over 370 scholarships for Palestinian students have been committed by 24 member institutions of APSUP, while 130 scholarships have been promised by public sector universities of COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary said that Palestinian people who were under aggression and siege by occupant forces now had limited access to higher education and research facilities. He said that over seven decades of occupation had systematically destroyed educational and socio-economic infra-structures of Palestinian state.
In order to support them, COMSTECH launched a special program offering research fellowships, technicians training and workshop participation grants for Palestinian students, and today’s announcement is first milestone achieved under this program, he said.
Media Advisor to Coordinator General COMSTECH and Coordinator Inter-University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences, Murtaza Noor appreciated the gesture of Pakistani universities for offering scholarships to the students of the state of Palestine.
He said that in collaboration with concerned organizations and partner universities, proper mechanism would be chalked out for placement of Palestinian students.
Three hundred and seventy scholarships have been announced by twenty two APSUP member private sector universities; Superior University Lahore, University of Lahore, Iqra University Karachi, Abasyn University Peshawar, Alhamd Islamic University Quetta, Jinnah University for Women Karachi, CECOS University Peshawar, Greenwich University Karachi, Indus University Karachi, Institute of Southern Punjab (ISP) Multan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (FAST) Islamabad, Preston University Islamabad, Qurtuba University Peshawar, Sarhad University Peshawar, CUSIT, Peshawar, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology Karachi, University of South Asia Lahore, University of Sialkot, Sialkot, Textile Institute of Pakistan, Karachi, SBB Dewan University Karachi, Muslim Youth University Islamabad, Alkhair University, AJK, and University of Faisalabad.
Whereas one hundred and thirty scholarships have been offered by thirteen public sector higher education and research institutions, including International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Government College University, Lahore, Islamia University Bahawalpur, Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad, NETKENT University, Turkey, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), National Institute of Health, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI), COMSATS University Islamabad, Al Shifa Eye Trust, NED University of Engineering and Technology (NEDUET), Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT), University of Lahore, and University of the Punjab.
Prof. Choudhary extended thanks to the Chairman APSUP and vice chancellors of the universities for their timely support, and overwhelming response for this noble cause.