ISLAMABAD: The federal government is moving ahead with a plan to set up five new public-sector universities across Pakistan, with more than Rs9 billion earmarked for these projects in the upcoming 2025-26 Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
According to the reports, these universities will be built in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly FATA), and Balochistan, showing a strong push to improve access to higher education in less developed areas.
Here’s how the funds will be distributed:
- University of Sahiwal is set to receive Rs1.37 billion. The project, first cleared by the Development Working Party (DDWP) in 2020, is aimed at strengthening Punjab’s educational framework, especially for students in the Sahiwal region.
- Women University Bagh, located in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, will get Rs1.80 billion. Approved back in 2016 by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), this university is focused on advancing academic and research prospects for women in the region.
- FATA University, now under the Gilgit-Baltistan administrative umbrella, has been allotted Rs1.76 billion. This initiative was originally approved in 2015 by the CDWP and is designed to offer higher education opportunities to students in what were previously underserved tribal areas.
- University of Chitral is expected to receive Rs1.72 billion. Also given the green light in 2020 by the DDWP, this university will serve as a much-needed educational institution in the remote north western belt.
- University of Gwadar tops the list with Rs2.49 billion allocated to it. Cleared in 2022 by the CDWP, this campus is seen as a key part of the broader strategy to support the city’s growing importance under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Together, these university projects highlight the government’s intention to decentralise access to higher education and spark growth in regions that have long been overlooked.
From Punjab’s agricultural heartland to the coastal edges of Balochistan, these campuses are expected to ease pressure on overcrowded institutions in major cities, offer local employment, and slow down student migration.
However, the true success of this initiative will rest on timely and transparent execution. While the allocations are promising, results will only follow if work on the ground matches the vision.
The PSDP Pakistan’s key annual development blueprint is set to be presented with the federal budget on June 10. Lawmakers will review and discuss the funding proposals before giving them final approval.
If passed, construction on all five universities is expected to kick off later this year, with the first batch of students likely to be admitted by 2026.