GUJAR KHAN: Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has approved the upgradation of the Punjab University’s sub-campus in Jhelum to a fully autonomous university, a move aimed at expanding higher education opportunities in the region.

While talking to Dawn, Minister of State for Finance and Railways, Bilal Azhar Kiani, who belongs to Jhelum district, revealed that the newly sanctioned University of Jhelum will function independently and provide state-of-the-art educational infrastructure, along with a wide array of modern academic programs and degrees.

He said the initiative is expected to ease the burden on students who previously had to travel to major urban centres for higher education, terming it a transformative development for youth across Jhelum and surrounding districts.

Mr Kiani also disclosed that the Punjab government has allocated Rs2 billion under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2025–26 to support the university’s launch and initial development.

In addition, the minister noted that a separate project for the establishment of a medical college in Jhelum is also underway, with progress described as “fast-tracked.”

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2025