ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has gained traction as a major higher education destination for Pakistani students, university representatives and local admissions professionals noted this week, as the six-day “Study in Dubai” fair concluded in Lahore on Saturday after touring various cities.
Dubai has seen a significant increase in foreign student enrollments since the launch of the UAE National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 more than six years ago. UAE authorities reported this month international enrollments have risen by 25 percent since the 2022-23 academic year, including a seven percent increase among Pakistani students.
Education professionals believe Dubai is increasingly competing with traditional education destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
“What we have observed is that Pakistani students have started moving toward the Emirates,” Muhammad Shoaib told Arab News on Tuesday when the education fair was held in Rawalpindi.
“This is particularly because there have been some policy changes in the mainstream destinations, like Canada, Australia and the UK,” he continued. “Furthermore, we have seen that many reputable universities from the US, UK and Australia have started opening their campuses in Dubai.”

Dubai is currently home to 45 private universities offering over 650 programs, with degrees in business, engineering, information technology and media being the most sought-after among students.
Several top-ranking institutions of learning, including New York University, University of Birmingham, and Australia’s Curtin University, have opened their campuses there in recent years.
Wali-Ur-Rehman, the country manager for Curtin University’s Dubai campus in Pakistan, said the growth in international enrollment was due to increased postgraduate funding and greater job opportunities for those pursuing higher education in Dubai.
“We have seen a massive growth, from 2023 to 2024, of 40 percent [in terms of student applications] in the [Dubai] market, coming from Pakistan especially,” he said.
Daniyal Ahmed, a 19-year-old aspiring candidate for study in Dubai, described the UAE as an “ideal option” for him due to its proximity to Pakistan.
“Dubai has well-known universities now, like New York University and Khalifa University, which are performing quite well,” he said.
Asked about the traditional destinations preferred by students pursuing higher education, he said Pakistanis were beginning to face difficulties in securing visas to go to European universities.
Ahmed also mentioned Dubai’s education strategy, saying it included an expanded professional experience initiative, providing a variety of career training programs to students, such as on-campus work, job shadowing, joint ventures and vocational training.

ISLAMABAD: Security forces in Pakistan killed one militant and injured another in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, said the military’s media wing, ISPR, on Saturday, while they were trying to stop passenger vehicles in Harnai district.

Earlier this month, armed assailants intercepted a bus traveling from Quetta to Taftan near the city of Noshki, singling out nine passengers, who were later identified as migrant laborers from Punjab province, and shot them.

Balochistan’s Harnai district has also witnessed militant violence, with an improvised explosive device killing one employee of Mari Petroleum and injuring 14 others in March 30.

“On 27 April 24, a fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists in Harnai District of Balochistan,” the ISPR said. “The terrorists tried to stop passenger vehicles plying on Sanjavi Road, Harnai. Security Forces reacted immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists.”

The statement mentioned that one militant was killed and another injured during the fire exchange.

“The timely response by the security forces thwarted nefarious intent of the terrorists, saving innocent lives,” the statement added. “Sanitization operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area.”

Balochistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist groups who accuse the state of denying the people of the province of their share in its vast mineral wealth.

The government has frequently denied the allegation, saying it is carrying out a number of development projects for the prosperity of Baloch nationals.