Afridi announces revival of Ehsaas Scholarship

Says youth are Pakistan's greatest asset, highlights record provincial revenue growth

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Wednesday announced the revival of the Ehsaas Scholarship Programme through provincial resources, reaffirming his government's commitment to expanding educational opportunities for deserving students and strengthening higher education across the province.

Addressing the convocation of the University of Peshawar, the chief minister described the youth as Pakistan's most valuable asset and said the country's future depended on visionary leadership, sound public policy and transparent governance.

He said Pakistan possessed abundant natural resources, a talented workforce and one of the world's youngest populations, but decades of flawed policymaking, weak governance, inefficient utilisation of resources and political instability had created serious economic, administrative and political challenges. He maintained that governments focused on political confrontation rather than public welfare inevitably slowed national development, weakened economic stability and undermined social cohesion.

Highlighting his government's performance, Afridi said comprehensive governance reforms, inspired by the vision of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, had significantly improved transparency, accountability and financial management in the province. He said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's own-source revenues, which had remained around Rs68 billion for nearly 75 years, increased to Rs92 billion during the 2024-25 fiscal year without imposing any new taxes. He added that although the revenue target for the current fiscal year was Rs129 billion, improved revenue administration, anti-corruption measures and institutional reforms had pushed collections beyond Rs150 billion, marking a historic achievement for the province.

The chief minister stressed that Pakistan's economic problems could not be resolved through higher taxes or increased petroleum prices alone. Instead, he called for structural reforms aimed at expanding the economy, attracting investment, promoting industry and trade, increasing exports and creating employment opportunities. He also stressed that national interests should take precedence over political considerations to ensure sustainable economic recovery.

Referring to higher education, Afridi said his government had addressed the severe financial crisis facing public universities after assuming office. He said pension liabilities accumulated from 2017 to June 2026 had been fully cleared, while the combined financial deficit of public universities had been reduced from nearly Rs9 billion to approximately Rs4.5 billion. Provincial financial assistance to universities had also been increased from Rs10 billion in the previous fiscal year to Rs12 billion in the current budget to improve teaching, research and academic quality.