Tag: Pakistani students

  • More than 350 students return from Kyrgyzstan

    More than 350 students return from Kyrgyzstan

    Over 350 Pakistani students have landed in Lahore and Islamabad from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

    Two of the three special flights landed at the Islamabad and Lahore airports on Sunday night, with 180 students on board each plane.
    The third plane was also expected to land later in the night.

    At the Islamabad airport, the students who arrived were welcomed by federal minister Musadik Malik while in Lahore, the students were greeted by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

    The Civil Aviation Authority had set up an immigration desk and provided transport to the students on arrival.

    As per the instructions of the PM, the federal government will bear the expenses for these special flights.


    Ishaq Dar downplayed mob violence

    Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar — who put off his trip to Kyrgyzstan — downplayed the mob violence saying the situation in Bishkek was normal and there was no need to panic.

    According to Ishaq Dar, 16 foreign students, including “four or five” Pakistanis, were injured in the violence.

    FM Dar said that the government would cover the expenses of Pakistani students wishing to return home as 540 students would take three flights to return on Sunday. He said as many as 11,000 Pakistani students were studying in Bishkek, and those returning would be fully facilitated.

    He quoted the Kyrgyz foreign minister as saying that the incident in Bishkek was due to a “misunderstanding”.

    Students say all is not well

    Many students on social media said that the embassy was not providing any help and that the situation in Bishkek was still bad. They said that the foreign students were attacked by Kyrgyz students and locals, adding that they were not even safe on the roads.

    Balochistan students ‘ignored’

    In Balochistan, Sajid Hussain, an educationist, claimed that the government had taken no steps to bring back at least 300 students from Balochistan stranded in Bishkek.

    “Over 300 students from Balochistan are also studying in Kyrgyzstan but they have not been brought back,” Mr Hussain said.

    His son and daughter are studying at the Asian International Univer­sity in Kyrgyzstan along with five other students enrolled there.“I am in contact with my children,” he said, adding that no steps had been taken for the return of Baloch students.

    He claimed that the federal government was repatriating students from other provinces and that parents of students from Balochistan were being asked to pay Rs100,000 for each student.

    He appealed to Balochistan’s government officials to take notice of the situation and make special arrangements for the province’s students.
    CM Bugti has reportedly established a special desk in this regard, reported Dawn.

    “To reach the students, the foreign ministry is in contact with the embassy of Kyrgyzstan,” the CM said, assuring “every possible assistance” for the students.

  • No Pakistani confirmed dead in Kyrgyz capital mob violence

    No Pakistani confirmed dead in Kyrgyz capital mob violence

    Foreign students including Pakistanis are being targeted by locals in the aftermath of a fight with Egyptian nationals in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. As per news circulating on students WhatsApp groups, three students have died, many have been subjected to violence while 20-25 have been kidnapped but none of this has been confirmed by the Pakistani Embassy.

    Many posts on social media had claimed multiple fatalities of Pakistani students.

    However, the Pakistani embassy, citing the Kyrgyz government, has denied such rumours. However, it confirmed reports of “light injuries” to a number of students from Pakistan.

    Videos of students in Bishkek subjected to mob violence emerged on Friday night, sending alarm bells ringing all over social media and mainstream media.

    A Facebook user posted about his sister being stranded in the hostel but later rescued.

    Mohammad Abdullah, a Pakistani medical student in Bishkek, told Geo News that the dispute started due to the harassment of the Egyptian students by Kyrgyz students.

    According to Muhammad Abdullah, riots broke out after Egyptian students reacted against Kyrgyz students. Since then, locals are attacking foreign students all over Bishkek.

    Talking to ARY News student, Rizwan Gul, claimed that the mob that attacked the hostels of Pakistani students took 20-25 male students away while the female students were beaten up by them. He said that they have been sent the kidnapped students’ videos where they all were made to sit together on the floor. He also stressed that all students are hiding in a corner to protect themselves while they can see that local police are standing around the hostel but not rescuing them. Pakistani embassy has also just released an emergency number on X but no official can be seen on ground.

    Rizwan also informed Geo News that the hostel of International Medical University houses 1000-1500 medical students at the moment.

    Hasan Zaigham, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, took to X and urged all Pakistanis in the capital to “remain indoors until the situation return [sic] to normal”.

    He added that his office is liaising with local authorities to ensure students’ safety and posted numbers for an emergency helpline.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said the reports of mob violence against Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek were “extremely concerning”.

    However, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch shared a post from the Pakistani Embassy’s X account of emergency helpline numbers.
    “Amb Zaigham & his team are available on these emergency numbers (both numbers on WhatsApp). They have responded to hundreds of queries by students and their families,” she wrote.

    Suspects held by the local police

    As case is registered against the suspects as per local media.

    As many as 29 people were said to have been injured in the brawls with 15 people being taken to various hospitals — including a Pakistani national who suffered from a fractured jaw and was visited by Krgyz Minister of Health Alymkadyr Beishenaliev.

    The Kyrgyz media reported that the protesters earlier refused to disperse, instead more people gathered at the spot after which the authorities detained several of them for violating public order.

    As per 24.kg, the situation was “stable” and “under control”.

  • Class of 2022: Apply for this Chinese scholarship before it ends

    Class of 2022: Apply for this Chinese scholarship before it ends

    China Scholarship Council (CSC) is providing a great opportunity for Pakistani students to pursue a degree in the country with the support of the Chinese government.

    For the academic year 2024–2025, the Chinese government has entrusted the Higher Education Commission (HEC) with the responsibility of managing these scholarships on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.

    Interested individuals can submit their applications through the relevant HEC portal or the CSC’s portal before the December 28 deadline.
    The initiative is a proactive step towards promoting educational opportunities for international students and researchers pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degrees.

    Eligibility:

    To be eligible for consideration under the Chinese Government Scholarship Program for the academic year 2024-25, applicants must possess a valid Higher Education Aptitude Test (HAT) or Higher Education Undergraduate Studies Admission Test (USAT) score obtained after January 01, 2022.

    How to Apply:

    According to the official Higher Education Commission (HEC) website, the China Scholarship Council (CSC), under the auspices of China’s Ministry of Education, assumes responsibility for the enrollment and administration of the Chinese Government Scholarship Program.

    Applications for the concerned programme can be submitted to the related HEC portal or the CSC’s portal by December 28.

    Enrollment:

    According to the official HEC website, the CSC — entrusted by China’s Ministry of Education — is responsible for the enrollment and the administration of Chinese Government Scholarship Program.

  • Hungarian Scholarship 2024-25 announced for Pakistani Students

    Hungarian Scholarship 2024-25 announced for Pakistani Students

    Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HEC) has announced the ‘Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program’ for academic year 2024-25 that aims at supporting outstanding students in collaboration with Hungary.

    The program involves Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programs. Students who want to apply will have to sit for an exam that will be conducted in January and Feburary of the next year.

    The commission has confirmed that the program is supported by the Tempus Public Foundation Hungary to facilitate eligible individuals.

    How to Apply

    1. Applicants are MANDATORILY required to submit online applications at the Hungarian website and HEC website. Failure to submit online application forms on BOTH websites mentioned at Step (1) and Step (2) will not be considered for further processing.

    2. Hard copies of applications and other documents are not required at the initial stage. However, applicants are required to keep a record of all the submitted documents along with printed copies of BOTH application forms (submitted online at the HEC website & Hungarian website).

    3. At a later stage of the selection process, applicants will be required to submit hard copies (including online application forms submitted at the HEC website & Hungarian website) along with attested photocopies of all the original documents. Original medical certificate and police clearance certificate also need to be submitted at later stages of the application process.

    Step (1) Tempus Public Foundation (Hungarian side) Online Application:

    1. All applications shall be submitted through the online application system of Tempus Public Foundation Hungary. The application guideline can be found at https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/
      After registration, applicants are able to access the application surface and upload the required documents. Please note that no applications will be accepted without the online submission and after the deadline. After applying online, get its printed copies for record.
    2. Apply online please visit: https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/apply/
    3. Application Guide for the applicants can be found on our website: https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/uploads/2020/03/Application_Guide_for_the_Stipendium_Hungaricum_Programme_2024_25.pdf
      Step (2) HEC Online Application:
    4. Apply online at: https://scholarship.hec.gov.pk/. After registering and filling out your profile, please select “Hungarian Scholarship Program”. After submission of the application, get its printed copy to be signed by the applicant. The HEC online application portal shall close on January 15, 2024 (1600 Hours Pakistan Time).
    5. Before applying, kindly update your HEC profile with the latest email/cell number & updated information. You are advised to complete and submit your application as soon as possible, as the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline. After successful submission of the application at the HEC portal, retain a printed copy application form signed by yourself.
    6. Submission of online applications at https://stipendiumhungaricum.hu/apply/ & https://Scholarship.hec.gov.pk portal is mandatory. In case of non-submission of forms on any of the above two portals, candidature will not be considered.
    7. All applicants are required to provide HAT or USAT test scores. Test categories are attached for information on applicants. Applicant must have obtained a minimum score of 50 out of 100 in HAT or USAT test. Those applicants who have taken the HAT or USAT test on or after January 15, 2022, may upload the test result on the HEC portal for consideration.
    8. Interested applicants who are yet to take the HAT or USAT test, may register for the same by visiting https://etc.hec.gov.pk/. Without providing a minimum HAT or USAT test score (50 out of 100), applications will not be considered for further processing.
  • Here’s how Pakistani students can apply for Moroccan Government Scholarships

    Here’s how Pakistani students can apply for Moroccan Government Scholarships

    The Moroccan Agency of International Cooperation (AMCI) has offered scholarships to Pakistani students who want to enroll in public higher education, technical, and vocational institutions in Morocco for the academic year 2022–2023.

    The deadline for Higher Education Commission (HEC) to receive nominations is set for September 20, 2022.

    How to apply for the scholarship:

    Candidates should choose “Learning Opportunities Abroad” after registering and filling out their profiles.

    All applicants should note that all nominations from Pakistan will be routed via HEC. Applicants should send two sets of AMCI application (French form) along with required documents as mentioned on page-2 of the AMCI application form, in spiral binding and one copy of HEC application form with documents separately in spiral binding on or before, September 20, 2022.

    Read more: Cheapest new cars to buy in Pakistan

    On the basis of the greatest academic merit, HEC will narrow down the list of qualified candidates. Moroccan authorities or universities may test or interview selected Pakistani nominees.

    It is worth noting that French is the primary language of instruction, and only students who have demonstrated proficiency in the language will be allowed to study in Morocco.

  • Oxford announces scholarships for Pakistani students

    The prestigious University of Oxford has launched the Oxford Pakistan Programme (OPP) to address the underrepresentation of Pakistani and British-Pakistani students at Oxford and to promote an academic exchange between Pakistani students and Oxford.

    The OPP launched the programme at Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), which is in Oxford, where both former Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai studied.

    Dr Talha J Pirzada, a co-founder of the OPP, announced that the programme would be offering up to three scholarships in its initial round, allowing Pakistani students to take advantage of Oxford’s world-class facilities and teaching programme of Oxford.

    He also announced the launch of the OPP’s Visiting Fellow Programmes, including a programme developed in partnership with the Malala Fund, the Government of Sindh and non-profit Durbeen, to provide opportunities for Pakistani academics to take advantage of Oxford’s research facilities.

  • Fact Check: Bilawal Bhutto was not rejected as speaker by NYU, Columbia University

    Fact Check: Bilawal Bhutto was not rejected as speaker by NYU, Columbia University

    Claim: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto reached out to Pakistani students in Columbia University and NYU, both rejected to being his audience for a talk

    Fact: Bilawal Bhutto never contacted Pakistani students in NYU or Columbia University and so was never rejected by him

    On May 27, Shandana Gulzar Khan, a former PTI MNA made a tweet claiming that she has been told by “a person in a sensitive post”, that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reached out to Pakistani students at Columbia University and New York University, requesting them to arrange a talk with him but both organizations refused. The thread continues onwards and claims that after these two disappointments, Bhutto asked Pakistani students at Cornell to arrange a talk with him, which they first accepted and then at the insistence of the general student body, eventually rejected as well.

    This thread gathered 1,622 Likes, RTs and replies and has been shared to at least 562,647 followers on Twitter.

    Shandana Gulzar Khan’s tweet which refers to Bilawal Bhutto’s rejected request.

    The following day, on May 28, the Pakistani Students Association at NYU and the Organization of Pakistani Students at Columbia University both made announcements on Facebook clarifying that Bilawal Bhutto never contacted them so naturally they never rejected his proposal.

    To confirm with the final university, we reached out to the Pakistani students’ organization at Cornell on their Facebook page ‘Cornell University Pakistani Students Association’. They directed us to an Instagram post which clarified the same as the other two organizations.

  • Sindh revives student unions after three decades

    Sindh revives student unions after three decades

    The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the Sindh Students Union Bill 2019 to revive student unions. According to the bill, a student union will be formed in every private and government educational institute.

    Students will be able to vote for or participate in the student union, according to the bill. The bill defines the student union as “a body or association of students of any educational institution by whatever name called for promoting the general interests of its members as students for academic, disciplinary, extra-curricular or other matters related to the affairs of the students in the educational institutions”.

    As per the bill, students would be able to form a union with seven to 11 student members through elections every year. The union will have representation in the institute’s syndicate, senate, and anti-harassment committee.

    The bill states that no student will be allowed to use or keep firearms on campus. The bill states that educational institutes will decide the rules and regulations related to the union two months after the bill is passed.

    During General Ziaul Haq’s military government, student unions were banned throughout the country in 1984.

  • Asim Azhar, Hadiqa Kiani, Shaan urge Shafqat Mahmood to give relief to students

    Asim Azhar, Hadiqa Kiani, Shaan urge Shafqat Mahmood to give relief to students

    Asim Azhar, Hadiqa Kiani and Shaan have requested Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood to postpone the upcoming papers and give students and their parents some relief.

    “Please think of our children,” said Kiani. “We must find an alternative plan that doesn’t put them in danger.”

    She added that she “an advocate for education” and prays that he son goes on and achieves a PhD.

    “But this is just not the way,” said the singer.

    Similarly, Azhar said: “Sir, it would be unfair to hold exams in such circumstances! Please find a solution.”

    The singer further said: “Students have really been disturbed due to the ongoing pandemic causing the institutes to close and open again and again.”

    “I personally know some students that haven’t been able to complete their syllabuses as well,” he asserted.

    Addressing students, Asim said that he understands their pain because if he wasn’t a full-time musician, he would also be going through the same stress.

    “I understand your stress and pain guys. Agar abhi music nahi kar raha hota tou mai bhi ro raha hota exams ko leke iss waqt.. so I understand,” said Asim, adding: “I am sure Shafqat Mahmood will stand with the youth and find the best solution possible.”

    Shaan, on the other hand, brought up another issue, saying: “Honourable minister must give relief to parents who are suffering from not just the pandemic but the private school mafias as well.”

    “Change was your slogan and patience is all we have till now,” he added.

    The veteran actor further said: “Elm bohat bari dolat Hai… agar yaqeen na aye to private school kai malikaan sai pooch lain.”

    Demanding teacher-assessed grades, dozens of students of the Cambridge International Education (CIE) system staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on April 2 against the O’ and A’ Level examinations scheduled to be held in April and May. Multiple protests also took place across the country against the exams, including one in Lahore.

    After studying online for the whole year, the protesting students said that they would not appear for tests in classrooms. The students and their parents demanded the federal government to cancel the CIE examinations in light of the pandemic and asked for marking to be done on the basis of teacher-assessed grades.

    However, Mahmood on Tuesday announced that examinations across the country will be held from the third week of May, adding that Cambridge exams will be held as per schedule.

    “Decisions regarding exams are final,” said Mahmood. “Students should start preparing and working hard.”

    Meanwhile, A-level exams are scheduled at the end of April, while the O-level exams are slated to begin on May 10.

  • Foreign students no longer have to leave the US if their classes shift online

    Foreign students studying the United States will no longer be forced to leave the country if their classes shift online after the Trump administration reversed their decision on the matter. The government announced the decision following widespread condemnation of the move and pressure from colleges and major businesses.

    US officials announced last week that international students at schools that had moved to online-only classes due to the coronavirus pandemic would have to leave the country if they were unable to transfer to a college with at least some in-person instruction.

    According to Reuters, the government said it would drop the plan amid a legal challenge brought by universities. But a senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said the administration still intended to issue a regulation in the coming weeks addressing whether foreign students can remain in the United States if their classes move online.

    There are more than a million foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities, and many schools depend on revenue from foreign students, who often pay full tuition.

    The July 6 move by the administration blindsided many universities and colleges that were still making plans for the fall semester, trying to balance concerns about rising cases of the novel coronavirus in many U.S. states and the desire to return to classes.

    A flurry of lawsuits were filed challenging the rule, including one brought by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and another by a coalition of state governments. Dozens of big companies and colleges and universities filed “friend-of-the-court” briefs opposing the rule.

    Harvard has planned to hold all of its classes online for the upcoming academic year, a decision which President Donald Trump thinks is ridiculous.

    The universities argued the measure was unlawful and would adversely affect their academic institutions.

    In a highly anticipated court hearing on Tuesday in the case brought by Harvard, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts said the U.S. government and the two elite universities that sued had come to a settlement that would roll back the new rules and restore the previous status quo.

    The hearing lasted less than four minutes.

    The controversy began after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it would re-instate rules for international students on F-1 and M-1 visas that limit the number of online courses foreign students can take if they want to remain in the United States. Those rules had been temporarily waived due to the public health crisis.

    The DHS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the details of any future regulation on this issue remain under discussion. In particular, DHS officials are still deciding whether to treat students already in the United States differently than students seeking to enter the country for the first time, according to the official.