ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is seeking 20,000 PhD scholarships from China and the US — 10,000 each — and developing multiple-criteria framework for ranking of the country’s universities acceptable globally to build a strong human resource base for knowledge-driven growth, says Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference at the launch of monthly Development Update October 2025, the minister said the government was working with relevant stakeholders to develop a seven-point framework for ranking of Pakistani universities in line with global practices.

He said nearly 60pc of the country’s population was under the age of 30 which required to be upgraded in terms of knowledge base while reining in population growth. Unless controlled, national population would be touching 380 million by 2047 when Pakistan turns 100.

Govt working with stakeholders to develop seven-point framework for global ranking of Pakistani varsities, minister says

He said China had been requested to allocate 10,000 PhD scholarships in artificial intelligence, engineering, and emerging sciences at China’s leading universities over the next decade to build a strong human resource base for knowledge-driven growth. He said the government also planned to secure 10,000 PhD scholarships from top American universities as well.

The minister said Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators had been on an upward trajectory but had been a victim of climate change as evident from two successive floods in 2022 and 2025. He said the recent floods had caused fewer damages than 2022 but this was first time after 1988 that Punjab had been through such devastating floods.

Despite these floods, he said, timely government interventions, including NDMA-led evacuations, coordinated relief operations, and proactive contingency planning, ensured continuity in critical sectors, safeguarded livelihoods, and reinforced the nation’s commitment to sustainable economic recovery, showing resilience in the national economy.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2025