DUBAI: Pakistani students in the UAE will now be able to get scholarships worth one million dirhams (AED) and discounts of up to 50 percent on tuition fees as part of agreements between the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai and a number of universities.
The agreements aim to encourage students from UAE's Pakistani community to continue their higher education in the UAE, instead of opting to move back to Pakistan due to expensive fee structures in the Emirates, the Consul General of Pakistan to the UAE, Ahmed Amjad Ali, told Arab News on Monday.
The consulate signed an agreement with the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (Szabist) in Dubai on Sunday and with Skyline University College, in Sharjah on Monday, Ali said.
“Agreements with two other universities, Bolton University in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Dar University, will also be signed soon as details are being finalized with them,” he added. “Many of our students had no choice but to head back home since not many affordable options were available for them in the UAE. We want to encourage them to continue their studies here while staying close to their families.”
Szabist charges up to AED 2,500 per course for an undergraduate programme.
Students can apply for the new scholarships through the consulate which will then refer them to the university of their choice. A minimum GPA of 2.50 is required to be eligible.
Rakesh Gaur, Director of Marketing and Creative Communication at Skyline University College, told Arab News that a fund of AED one million had been allocated for students from the Pakistani community. As per the Memorandum of Understanding, the university would also hold workshops and webinars for Pakistani students. Skyline currently offers business and IT undergraduate and graduate programmes.
“We have divided the scholarship into three metrics of 15, 25 and 50 percent with a minimum GPA of 2.50,” Gaur said. To apply for a 50 percent scholarship, students had to achieve a GPA of 3.0 and maintain it through the entire programme.
Skyline charges AED 178,500 for a two-year BBA programme. It will soon open applications for its January term.
Professor Dr Humayun Naeem, head of the Dubai campus of Szabist University, told Arab News that a 20 percent discount on fees would be applicable for all students who had been recommended by the Pakistan Consulate.
“With this discount, each student would be able to get AED 1,600 off per Bachelor of Business Administration programme effective February onwards,” he said. “We are very happy to support students from our community especially in the times of this pandemic where students might have to discontinue their education.”
One million dirhams in scholarships announced for Pakistani students in UAE
https://arab.news/wu673
One million dirhams in scholarships announced for Pakistani students in UAE
- Pakistani consulate signed an agreement with Szabist University in Dubai on Sunday and Skyline University in Sharjah on Monday
- Students can apply for the scholarships through the consulate, a minimum GPA of 2.50 is required to be eligible
Former spy chief Faiz Hameed appeals conviction by Pakistan military court
- The ex-ISI chief was sentenced to 14 years in prison over engagement in political activities, misuse of authority
- His conviction is highly unusual in a country where the military has ruled for almost half of its 78-year history
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former intelligence chief Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed has appealed his sentencing to 14 years in prison by a Pakistani military court, Hameed’s lawyer said on Sunday.
Hameed was arrested in Aug. 2024 amid accusations he was involved in land grabbing and coercive seizures of property belonging to the owner of the Top City housing development near Islamabad. At the time, the military said multiple violations of the Pakistan Army Act after his retirement had also been established, prompting court martial proceedings.
On Dec. 11, Pakistan’s military announced that Hameed was found guilty of engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act and misusing authority and government resources as the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
“We have filed an appeal against the sentence handed down to Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed by the military courts. The appeal was submitted to the Registrar Court of Appeals, AG Branch, Chief of Army Staff,” Hameed’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq told Arab News, without providing further details.
Hameed served as the ISI director-general from 2019 to 2021. His conviction is highly unusual in a country where the military has ruled for almost half of its history and continues to exert significant influence during civilian rule.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, had said that Hameed was tried on four charges relating to political interference, breaches of the Official Secrets Act, misuse of authority and causing “wrongful loss to persons.”
“After lengthy and laborious legal proceedings, accused has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by the Court which has been promulgated on 11 December 2025,” the ISPR said on Dec. 11.
Hameed was widely seen as close to Imran Khan when he was the prime minister and after his removal in a no-trust vote in 2022.
The military had previously accused Hameed of helping engineer political unrest during violent clashes on May 9, 2023, when Khan supporters rioted nationwide after his brief arrest on graft charges. Protesters were accused of torching government and military buildings “at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests.” Khan, jailed since August 2023 on charges he says are politically motivated, denies ordering the attacks.
In its Dec. 11 statement, the military said the trial against Hameed complied with all legal requirements, adding that the former spy chief was given full rights, including the ability to choose his defense team, and retained the right to appeal “at the relevant forum.”
The ISPR also said his alleged role in “fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements” was being handled separately, leading to speculation about more inquiries and legal cases.
Hameed, who retired in Dec. 2022, has long been a polarizing figure. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also accuses him of helping engineer the 2017 removal of former premier Nawaz Sharif through court cases. Hameed denied the allegations.
“This is a landmark decision and I think the rule of law and accountability mechanism has been strengthened,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who belongs to the PMLN-N, had told a Pakistani broadcaster after the announcement of the verdict against Hameed.
