ISLAMABAD: A spokesperson for the Pakistani chapter of COMSTECH, the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), told Arab News on Wednesday the institution would give 500 fully funded scholarships to Palestinian students and scholars over the next two years.
COMSTECH was established by 57 OIC member states at the platform’s Islamic Summit in Makkah in 1981. One of its main goals is to enhance member states’ capabilities in science and technology.
The scholarships for Palestinian students were first announced on Tuesday by Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, the COMSTECH coordinator general in Islamabad.
The new grants are not a part of the existing quota of 100 yearly scholarships reserved for Palestinian students by the Pakistani government but new scholarships which COMSTECH has launched under a special program to cover research fellowships, technician training and workshop grants for all disciplines.
“These are 500 fully funded scholarships which will be given to undergraduate and postgraduate level students in partnership with the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP), and member institutions of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence,” COMSTECH media adviser Murtaza Noor told Arab News, explaining that the initiative by the OIC-established institution was being supported by 24 private and 14 public sector Pakistani universities.
“The work on scholarships will start by the end of this month and they will be offered in the coming academic year, which is starting from September this year at most universities,” Noor said. “Each scholarship will cost around one million Pakistani rupees on average,” he added, saying that the amount could be increased depending on the discipline and whether the student planned to attend a private or a public university.
Noor said COMSTECH had decided to launch the initiative given that years of violence and conflict had “systematically destroyed the educational and socio-economic infrastructures of the Palestinian state.”
“In order to support them, COMSTECH has taken this initiative as higher education is our mandate and we want to provide them modern education at the best Pakistani universities,” Noor said. “We will cover students’ travel, other logistics, stay, academics and all other expenses.”
He said students needed to be residents of the state of Palestine or Palestinian refugees to be eligible for the scholarships.
“For selection, students shall meet eligibility criteria of the university for their respective discipline,” Noor said. “COMSTECH is establishing a project management unit with collaboration of universities to implement the scholarship scheme. We will also involve Palestinian embassy in Islamabad in the selection process to verify the nationality of these students.”
Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmed Rabei conveyed his gratitude to Pakistan for providing the opportunity to Palestinian students to study at its institutions.
“We are grateful to Pakistan for opening up its educational institutions for Palestinian students,” the envoy said. “Our thanks go to COMSTECH for it’s initiative in cooperation with the government of Pakistan. This new scholarships scheme will be very beneficial for Palestinian students.”
OIC-backed institution announces 500 scholarships for Palestinians at Pakistani universities
https://arab.news/y2ej2
OIC-backed institution announces 500 scholarships for Palestinians at Pakistani universities
- COMSTECH established by OIC states at 1981 Islamic Summit with goal of enhancing member states’ capabilities in science and tech
- Scholarship initiative for Palestine residents and refugees will roll out over two years, supported by 24 private and 14 public universities
Pakistan says it is targeting militant infrastructure in Afghanistan as Kabul threatens to hit Islamabad
- Ata Tarar says Pakistan is carrying out ‘precise intelligence-based operations’ to avoid civilian casualties
- Afghan defense minister says the underlying dispute between the two sides is over the ‘Durand Line’ border
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Saturday it was conducting intelligence-based operations against militant infrastructure inside Afghanistan while attempting to avoid civilian casualties, as a senior Afghan Taliban official warned Kabul could retaliate by targeting Islamabad if Pakistani forces struck the Afghan capital.
The escalating rhetoric comes as cross-border fighting between the two neighbors intensifies following clashes that began last month when Afghan forces launched attacks on Pakistani military installations along the frontier. Kabul said the assault was retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes targeting what Islamabad called militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said last week the situation had effectively become “open war” between the two countries.
“Pakistan is only targeting terrorist infrastructures and support system with precise intelligence based operations ensuring no collateral damage takes place,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said in a statement.
He challenged the recent claims made by an Afghan defense ministry spokesperson earlier this week who said his country was making significant battlefield gains against Pakistan including the killing of 109 soldiers and the capture or destruction of 14 military posts in large scale attacks.
“These so called attacks by Afghan Taliban in coordination with FAK [Fitna Al Khawarij] Terrorists once again confirm the nexus of Afghan Taliban regime and multiple terrorist organizations operating from within their territory,” Tarar continued. “All such attempts are responded to, immediately and effectively with severe retributive punishment that is swift, precise and effective.”
“The imaginary numbers being floated by Afghan Taliban regime are however not worth any serious comment,” he added.
Tarar said Pakistan’s military campaign — described as Operation Ghazb Lil Haq — had inflicted heavy losses on Afghan Taliban forces.
According to figures shared by the minister, 527 Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 755 injured since the clashes began, while 237 check posts were destroyed and 38 captured and destroyed. He said 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns were destroyed and 62 locations across Afghanistan had been targeted by air strikes.
Arab News could not independently verify the claims made by either side.
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
Earlier this week, the United Nations raised concern over the toll of the escalating conflict on civilians.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday that 56 Afghan civilians — nearly half of them children — had been killed since hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified.
However, Tarar questioned the UN findings, saying its assertions appeared to rely heavily on information provided by Taliban authorities and did not adequately reflect independently verified intelligence.
“Pakistan categorically reiterates that all counter-terrorism operations conducted by its security forces are carried out with the highest degree of precision, professionalism, and responsibility,” he said.
Islamabad has long accused the Taliban government of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies.
“Operations are meticulously planned so that civilian areas remain completely safe,” the minister said. “The locations targeted are remote terrorist hideouts and facilities far removed from populated zones, including sensitive areas such as Kabul’s Green Zone.”
AFGHAN WARNING
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob issued a warning to Pakistan in remarks circulated by Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews.
“If Kabul lacks peace, there will be no peace in Islamabad. If Kabul is attacked, Islamabad will be attacked,” Yaqoob said in a promotional clip of an interview shared on social media.
Yaqoob rejected Pakistan’s justification that the presence of the TTP in Afghanistan warranted military action and suggested the underlying dispute was over the contested “Durand Line” border between the two countries.
So far, there has been no official response from Pakistan to Yaqoob’s remarks.
