ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Pakistan’s University of Lahore have joined hands to launch a fellowship program for Bangladeshi students and scholars, state-run media reported on Sunday. 

The program is open for Bangladeshi nationals aged 22 to 45, residing in any country of the world, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. It said Bangladeshi nationals must have outstanding academic achievements and a demonstrated commitment to contributing to their communities for the fellowship.

The program covers tuition fee waiver, round-trip airfare, honorarium and free accommodation, it added. 

“This fellowship program is a testament to our commitment to bridging gaps in education and research across the Muslim world,” Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, COMSTECH’s coordinator general said. 

“By investing in Bangladeshi scholars and students, we aim to cultivate a generation of innovators and leaders who will address the challenges of our time.”

Eligible candidates can apply through the official websites of COMSTECH and the University of Lahore, APP said, adding that applications are open until Mar. 1, 2025.

The development takes place amid a renewed push from both Bangladesh and Pakistan to improve their ties after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from office in August last year. 

Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.

However, Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka have improved as Bangladesh’s relations with India, where Hasina has sought refuge, have deteriorated.