The government of Pakistan has made the decision to provide 300 scholarships to Bangladeshi students in a range of fields at prestigious universities.

The plan to provide fully funded scholarships to Bangladeshi students through a group of prestigious Pakistani universities under the auspices of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Friendship Scholarship Program was discussed at a meeting held at the education ministry on Thursday.

Students from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka can already apply for scholarships from Pakistan.

Secretary Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani chaired the meeting, which included participants such as Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Prof. Dr. Ziaul Qayyum, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pakistani High Commission to Bangladesh, and members of the university consortium.

The education ministry claims that strengthening ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan is the primary goal of the scholarship program.

In addition to business education, computer sciences, information technology, agricultural sciences, media and communication studies, languages, architecture, fine arts, and business education, the scholarships will be available in the fields of engineering, basic and natural sciences, medicine and allied health, social sciences, and arts and humanities.

In order to maximize the initiative's spread throughout Bangladesh, the secretary of education praised the plan and suggested that the partner universities organize educational expos, seminars, and road shows in collaboration with the regional universities. He went on to say that a website might be created specifically for these scholarships.

The HEC executive director emphasized the value of educational diplomacy in fostering regional harmony and a show of goodwill, and he urged Pakistani universities to get the approval of their relevant forums and statutory bodies as soon as possible for the distribution of scholarship slots, the endorsement of fee waivers, and the investigation of potential sponsorship opportunities.

Lahore University of Management Sciences, National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design, Lahore, Lahore, Superior University, Lahore, National Textile University, Faisalabad, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, International Islamic University Islamabad, National University of Sciences and Technology, Comsats University, National University of Modern Languages, National University of Computer and Emerging Science Islamabad, and Lahore University of Management Sciences were all part of the consortium.