Daily Times

Suspension of the U.S. Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) is akin to losing a wise counsellor. For 15 years, this program was never merely about scholarships. It stitched strand upon strand of human relationships; converting Pakistani students into diplomats of cross-cultural exchange. Now, as the program dissolves, it is an echo of a greater unravelling of the ties that once bound the two countries.

The Trump administration’s “America First” mantra reshaped more than trade deals; rewriting the rules of global engagement. From Day One, executive orders piled up, many dismantling policies that nurtured international collaboration. Educational diplomacy, a long-standing behind-the-scenes strength of U.S. power, was brutally slashed. Diversity and inclusion initiatives-domestically and internationally-were pushed to the back burner, portending a withdrawal from the very values that made programs such as UGRAD possible.

For Pakistan, the loss runs deep because for decades it has used American universities as a window through which its most talented minds gain access to the world’s finest education. But this door, once fully ajar, now creaks more and more shut. Trump-era visa rejections and deportations have sent hundreds drifting. The U.S., which was once the gold standard in education, now seems a distant dream.

Yet as one door closes, others crack open. China’s Belt and Road scholarships hold out promises in Shanghai, and Canada and the EU simplify visas and provide bountiful funding. But it is not enough to depend on others. Pakistan’s universities-frequently underfinanced and packed-struggle to keep up. Think about what could be done with the energy previously devoted to lobbying for U.S. visas redirected: What if Pakistan collaborated with Germany to construct vocational tech centres, or with South Korea to start AI research facilities?

The takeaway here isn’t merely how to adjust to foreclosed opportunities. It’s a wake-up call. Pakistan’s youth are entitled to more than a winning ticket into foreign classrooms. They deserve world-class institutions in their own country, powered by investment in staff, laboratories, and computing infrastructure. Will Pakistan step up to create an education system that does not need foreign crutches? *