5000 scholarships Balochistan FATA students: phase two launched
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday told the National Assembly that an additional 5,000 students, boys and girls from Balochistan and the former Fata, would receive scholarships to pursue higher education at leading universities across the country.
He recalled that the previous government had introduced scholarships for talented students to help them study at leading universities. The minister stated that the second phase of the scholarship programme had now been launched.
He said education was the most effective way to overcome backwardness and promote development in underdeveloped areas.
Rs200bn development push for Balochistan
The announcement came as part of a wider development push for the province. According to reports of the same National Assembly session by Abb Takk News and 24 News HD, Iqbal said the government had earmarked Rs200 billion in the development budget for projects in Balochistan, describing it as the largest provincial allocation.
He told the House the government was committed to accelerating development in the province and addressing its longstanding challenges.
Alongside the scholarships, the minister announced a solarisation initiative in the tribal districts and a programme to equip young people in these areas with digital skills.
The package signals that the second phase of the scholarship programme sits within a broader effort to lift education and infrastructure in Balochistan and the merged districts together.
The first phase of the programme had already placed talented students from these areas at leading universities. The second phase builds on that record at a moment when the government is also directing its largest provincial development allocation to Balochistan.
Why the scholarships matter
Students from Balochistan and the former Fata have long faced limited access to higher education, with few local institutions offering professional programmes at scale. The scholarships place recipients at leading universities nationwide, giving them routes into medicine, engineering and other fields that would otherwise remain out of reach for many families in these regions.
That matters beyond individual careers. Graduates returning to Quetta, Turbat, Peshawar and the merged districts carry skills into provinces where teachers, doctors and engineers are in short supply. The solarisation and digital skills initiatives announced alongside the scholarships point in the same direction: investment in people, not just projects.
Feature Pakistan has covered the education pipeline closely, from the Punjab laptop and scholarship schemes to Eiffel scholarships for Pakistani students and the Daanish School network, whose first female doctor shows what such investment can produce.
FAQs
Who qualifies for the 5,000 scholarships?
Boys and girls from Balochistan and the former Fata (merged tribal districts) will receive scholarships to pursue higher education at leading universities across Pakistan.
Is this a new programme?
It is the second phase of an existing scholarship programme for talented students from Balochistan and the former Fata, announced by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal in the National Assembly.
What else was announced for Balochistan?
Rs200 billion in development budget projects, the largest provincial allocation, plus a solarisation initiative in the tribal districts and a digital skills programme for youth.
Source: The Express Tribune
