PM announces 100,000 free laptops for students

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the distribution of 100,000 free laptops among talented students across the country on merit, during an International Youth Day event in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Premier stated that the distribution of these laptops will cover all four provinces, the federal capital Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, and will be based purely on merit, without any nepotism. He added that these laptops would be separate from the scheme for laptops through interest-based loans.

Read: Pakistan Army announces conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos: ISPR

Referring to Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the prime minister mentioned that Pakistan’s victory on May 10 against a numerically larger and more boastful enemy had instilled a new vigour in the entire nation.

He urged the youth to build on the spirit of this achievement and work hard to bring honour to the country.

Earlier, during the ceremony, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, Rana Mashhood, said the government’s merit-based programs for youth had enabled talented and deserving students to succeed in their lives.

He highlighted various landmark projects that continue to help thousands of students complete their education, such as the Pakistan Education Endowment Scheme, the Pakistan Daanish Authority, and the Prime Minister’s laptop scheme.

Read more: CM Maryam Nawaz announces education city in Lahore

Speaking at the occasion, Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Khael Das said that minority communities in Pakistan have always played—and will continue to play—a role in the country’s progress and development.

Waqas Arain, a final-year Mass Communication student at the University of Sindh in 2014, was among the recipients of laptops under the merit-based scheme introduced by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s government.

Launched in 2014, the scheme awarded laptops to students nationwide with a Grade Point Average (GPA) above 3.0. According to Arain, the distribution was conducted purely on merit.

Also read: PM laptop scheme 2025 reopens for students: How to apply

Arain received a laptop, along with an internet device and an adapter, after applying through a dedicated online portal.

“It took around six to seven months from application to delivery,” he said. Ten students in his class met the eligibility criteria and were awarded laptops. The following year, juniors also benefited in their final year.

He noted that the scheme helped students in their academic work and provided internet connectivity, which was less common at the time.

Laptop scheme over the years

According to Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), around 600,000 laptops have been distributed nationwide based on merit so far. Of these, 334,556 were given to male students and 265,444 to female students.

In 2024 alone, 100,000 laptops were handed out, including 58,000 to females and 42,000 to males. Provincially, the scheme has benefited 247,389 students in Punjab, 107,034 in Sindh, 76,094 in  Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and 30,513 in Balochistan.

It has also reached 112,270 students in the Federal Capital, 9,290 in the former FATA region, and 14,312 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.