SWABI: Adviser to chief minister on social welfare, Zakat and Ushr, Malik Liaqat Ali Khan, has said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to launch Rs500 million Ehsaas loan programme to economically empower persons with disabilities.
He said that Ehsaas scholarship programme, with an allocation of Rs700 million, has also been launched for students with disabilities.
Addressing a Khuli Kutcheri (open forum) organised on Thursday for persons with disabilities in Swabi, the CM adviser said that the Ehsaas loan programme had been included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the current financial year. Under the initiative, interest-free loans will be provided to persons with disabilities on easy terms, enabling them to start businesses, earn a respectable livelihood and become economically self-reliant.
He said the ehsaas scholarship programme has been launched to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities and provide them with greater opportunities for higher education. Under the programme, scholarships will be provided to deserving students with disabilities.
AGREEMENT SIGNED: The GIK Institute has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nazarbayev University, one of the Kazakhstan’s leading research varsities, to strengthen academic ties between both the institutions.
According to a statement a delegation from Kazakhstan’s leading research university Nazarbayev University (NU), led by Provost Prof Rehan Sadiq, visited GIKI and held talks with academia about research collaboration.
The MoU establishes a framework for collaboration in key areas including dual-degree pathways, a proposed 1+1 Master’s programme in Artificial Intelligence, a proposed 2+2 undergraduate model and faculty and student exchanges. The MoU aimed at opening a new chapter of academic, research and technological cooperation between Pakistan and Central Asia.
GIKI Rector Prof Fazal Ahmad Khalid said the MoU has created new international opportunities for its students and faculty and termed the agreement an important milestone, saying it would strengthen GIKI’s links with international research universities and open new global opportunities for students and faculty.
The NU Provost Prof Dr Rehan Sadiq highlighted faculty and student exchange as an immediate priority and stressed the vast potential for cooperation in artificial intelligence and dual-degree programmes.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2026
