By Abdul Ghani
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has awarded a total of 6,437 indigenous scholarships and 226 overseas scholarships to students from Balochistan, former FATA, and Gilgit-Baltistan over the past decade, reflecting sustained federal efforts to expand access to Pakistan scholarships for underdeveloped regions.
Pakistan Scholarships for Underdeveloped Regions Expand Access
According to official data, students from Balochistan received the highest number of indigenous scholarships, totaling 3,884 across MS-to-PhD, MS/MPhil, PhD, and undergraduate levels. These include 99 MS-to-PhD, 396 MS/MPhil, 96 PhD, and 2,793 undergraduate awards.
FATA Students Benefit from Targeted Scholarship Programs
Students from FATA secured 2,745 indigenous scholarships, comprising 418 MS/MPhil and 2,327 undergraduate slots.
Gilgit-Baltistan Undergraduate Scholarships on the Rise
Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan received 308 undergraduate scholarships during the same period.
Overseas Scholarships Focused on Balochistan Students
Along with indigenous opportunities, HEC also facilitated 226 overseas scholarships exclusively for students from Balochistan, including 50 language-course scholarships, 10 LLM scholarships, and 166 PhD scholarships.
Federal Quota Policy Supports Educational Equity
These initiatives fall under the federal government’s quota policy, which ensures equitable access to higher education through both local and foreign-funded scholarship programs.
Additionally, special projects dedicated to Balochistan, FATA, and GB continue to run, ensuring that students from remote and disadvantaged backgrounds are not excluded from academic progress and professional development.
A senior official at the HEC told this reporter that these initiatives reflect the government’s broader commitment to expanding higher education opportunities in underdeveloped regions such as Balochistan, the former FATA districts, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The federal government has continued to prioritize special scholarship programs, overseas study opportunities, and capacity-building projects to ensure equitable access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He said targeted interventions over the past decade have helped bridge long-standing educational gaps by enabling thousands of students from remote areas to pursue advanced degrees at home and abroad.
Such measures, he said, are part of a deliberate effort to promote inclusion, strengthen human capital, and support socio-economic development in regions that have historically lagged behind in higher education infrastructure.
Author Profile
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Abdul Ghani is a sharp analyst focused on Pakistan's industrial transformation. His reporting reveals the textile sector's pivot from basic cotton to high-growth value-added apparel.
Ghani's work underscores the triumph of knitwear and garments in boosting exports, while warning policymakers to tackle energy costs to secure long-term global competitiveness.
