News Detail
Event Title: Senator Danesh Kumar, Convener "Minority Caucus" presiding over a meeting of the Caucus at Parliament Lodges, Islamabad
Event Date: 2026-08-27
Minority Caucus Seeks Data on Scholarships for Minority Students
The meeting of the Minority Caucus was held today at the Old PIPS Hall, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Senator Danesh Kumar. The meeting was attended by Members Parliament including Poonjo Bheel, Mahesh Kumar Malani, Dr. Nelson Azeem, Ms. Neelum, Sanjay Perwani and Naveed Aamir. The Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), Director General Human Rights and officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) also attended the meeting.
The HEC representative briefed the meeting on the scholarship policies and programmes being implemented in universities across the country. He informed the Caucus that Quaid-i-Azam University provides scholarships to students on merit and need basis rather than on a quota basis. He further stated that no separate seats had been allocated for minority students under the scholarship programme.
The meeting was informed that scholarships under the Ehsaas Programme were awarded to minority students for two batches before the programme was discontinued. In the first batch, 660 male and 253 female minority students were awarded scholarships, while in the second batch, 592 male and 271 female minority students benefited from the programme.
The HEC representative explained that universities allocate funds annually for scholarships and have dedicated scholarship committees to assess students' academic performance and financial needs. Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students maintaining high academic performance, while need-based scholarships are extended to orphans and financially disadvantaged students.
It was further informed that 119 universities are registered with HEC and that the Government has allocated approximately Rs. 65 billion for scholarships.
The Convener directed HEC to furnish the Committee with the record of scholarships awarded during the last three years, particularly the number of scholarships provided to minority students. He also appreciated the initiative of the Government of Balochistan for allocating a substantial amount for the welfare and development of minorities. He sought details regarding the expenditure incurred on the renovation of places of worship and the number of minority children provided scholarships at the school level.
MNA Dr. Nelson Azeem emphasized the need for universities across Pakistan to provide adequate playgrounds and spaces for co-curricular activities to ensure the holistic development of students.
The meeting also noted that, following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, several subjects fall within the legislative and administrative domain of the provinces.