Islamabad, August 04, 2025 — A meeting of the Sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training was held under the Convenorship of Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan. The meeting was attended by Senator Abdul Shakoor Khan, along with officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Ministry of Law and Justice, and other relevant departments.
The Sub-Committee held discussions on the private member bill titled “The University of Business, Sciences and Technology Bill 2025”. Mover of the bill, Senator Abdul Shakoor khan informed that he has been working for the cause of education in Balochistan since 2012. He highlighted that limited educational opportunities have contributed to underdevelopment in the province, and expressed concern over the shortage of lecturers, noting that around 80% of them have left and only 20% remain.
In light of this, he shared his intention to establish a university in Islamabad, with future plans to open its branches in Balochistan, so that children from the province can have access to quality education.
Following his remarks, representatives from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) informed the Sub-Committee that for establishment of a university cabinet criteria needs to be fulfilled and besides, they have also not yet received any official documents regarding this matter. They acknowledged that it is a commendable initiative, however, there are certain pre-requisites that must be fulfilled before a university can be established, such as the submission of a feasibility report.
Senator Abdul Shakoor emphasized that he should not be subjected to discriminatory treatment and should be given the same consideration as others. He urged that data from the past three years be presented to the Sub-Committee, enabling a review of which universities were granted conditional approvals during that period. Following this, the Convener recommended that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to provide the record of Universities established during the last three years in the next meeting. The Convener further remarked that if the current state of education in Balochistan persists, the situation in the province will remain unchanged.
