Scholarship programme for minority community students launched

With the distribution of cheques to 400 students of Karachi, the Sindh government on Wednesday formally launched the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Scholarship for Sindh’s minority communities.

Addressing the ceremony, special assistant to Sindh chief minister on minority affairs, Dr Khatumal Jeevan, said the distribution ceremony was the first phase of a programme under which the provincial government would disburse cheques of around Rs35 million among a total of 2,400 deserving students over the course of this year.

In the second phase, 1,600 students from Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions would be awarded cheques, while 400 more students would be awarded the grants in the third phase, to students of Sukkur, Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions.

He informed that the scholarships would be awarded annually and the number of scholarships will be increased phase-wise so as to accommodate more students.

Dr Jeevan said the programme’s launch brought immense pride to the Sindh government.

“This morning has brought immense pleasure and pride to me and all at the minority affairs department and the entire Sindh government.”

He added that the scholarship was in line with the view of the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto who had established a separate department for the welfare and other issues of minorities in 1994.

However, he alleged that the successive governments paid no attention on increasing the scope of the minority affairs department. 

The chief minister’s special assistant further said that the department’s budget was tripled during the last four years, terming it a historic step taken to recognise the importance of minorities’ role in the country’s progress.

Dr Jeevan added that the department had complete support of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. He said the provincial government was already awarding scholarships to Sindh’s bright and deserving students under the Sindh Education Department Endowment Fund for pursuing higher education and a large number of minority community students benefited from it.

The advisor to Sindh CM on social welfare, Shamim Mumtaz, said the government was taking practical measures to establish interfaith harmony which would lead to the country to real progress.

Among other noted personalities present on the occasion were MPA Mahesh Malani, Pesumal Ukrani, former MPA Pitamber Sehwani, Behru Lal Balani, minority community welfare committee members Anwar Lal Din, Tushnamaity Patel, Ramesh Singh, Dr Suno Khangrani, Lyari Medical College Principal Dr Anjum Rehman, Jinnah Medical University Registrar Dr Irfan Ashraf.