Daily Times

ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal has said that the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor is high on the radar of bilateral relations between the two countries, and is the most important initiative taken in decades-long strategic relations.

During a meeting with USAID Mission Director John Groarke, who called on the minister here at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan highlighted the initiatives being taken to bring improvement in social sectors, particularly in education and health. He pointed out that Pakistan faces shortage in quality human resource to meet growing needs of expanding universities’ network in the country.

“Pakistan needs 10,000 PhDs scholars in next 10 years to meet the faculty needs of different universities, and the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor will help Pakistan to produce these scholars in future,” he stated. Unfortunately, Pakistan missed the opportunities in the past to benefit from the real strength of the US i.e. its universities to revolutionise its education sector, he recalled.

However, the government realises the importance of benefiting from the US universities, Ahsan said. He emphasised the need to create the awareness for proper grooming of Pakistani students for PhD programmes in the US universities and urged USAID to help Pakistan through capacity-building measures in this regard. In response to offer of the American guest to contribute in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the minister welcomed the offer and said that there were opportunities of cooperation and collaboration in it.

The minister, however, asked the USAID representative to come up with a tangible proposal. He emphasised the need to harness the potential of the Pakistani Diaspora by offering them tax incentives for social-uplift projects in Pakistan. He shared his plan of laying telemedicine infrastructure in DHQs to connect with top Pakistani doctors in the US to raise the level of treatment in Pakistan.

On the occasion, the USAID director commended the plan of the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor and said it would be instrumental to further strength the bilateral ties by expanding them into social sector. He also apprised the minister about USAID contribution to bring improvement in education sector of Pakistan, particularly in less-developed areas.