RABAT: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has been conferred Lifetime Achievement Medal of Honour by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Rabat, Morocco.
The award was given to him during the sixth Vice Chancellors’ Forum of Universities in the Islamic World.
The prestigious award celebrates visionary leadership of Ahsan Iqbal in steering Pakistan toward a knowledge-based economy, underpinned by strategic investments in higher education, science, and innovation.
Pakistan has witnessed an unprecedented transformation in its higher education landscape under his stewardship as public universities expanded from 99 in 2013 to 154 this year.
Similarly, higher education enrolment rose from 1.1 million to 1.65 million students and faculty strength increased to over 38,000. Special emphasis was placed on inclusivity and equitable access, particularly in underserved regions such as Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with deliberate efforts to promote gender equity and minority inclusion. –Agencies
The key initiatives which were taken by him include thousands of overseas PhD scholarships in science and technology, establishment of the Pakistan-U.S. Knowledge Corridor and creation of National Centers of Excellence in AI, Cybersecurity, Genomics, Robotics, Big Data, and Space Sciences.
Ahsan Iqbal dedicated this award to the youth, scholars, and educators of Pakistan, emphasizing that this recognition belongs to every young mind who dares to dream, every teacher who lights the way, and every institution that believes in the power of transformation.
