The government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has unveiled a comprehensive plan to allocate £190 million (approximately Rs54 billion) towards the construction of schools and a university in Pakistan. These funds, recovered by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and previously linked to the conviction of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, will now be redirected to advance education in emerging technologies and improve access to quality education in underserved areas. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has approved the reallocation of these funds for educational purposes.

The projects include the establishment of Daanish University and schools in impoverished regions, with a focus on modern education and recreational facilities for underprivileged children. The Daanish Schools Initiative aims to provide equal opportunities for boys and girls from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, with admissions based on financial need and parental circumstances. Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal will lead a committee to finalize the school programs, while a steering committee headed by the Prime Minister will oversee the transparent and efficient utilization of the funds. The university will operate as a Trust and include a 20-bed hospital, with all projects expected to be completed within 18 months.

However, the initiative has sparked a debate about the direction of Pakistan’s educational investments. Ibrahim Hasan Murad, President of the University of Management and Technology (UMT) and a prominent voice on education and innovation, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the plan. While acknowledging the good intent behind the Daanish University for Applied Sciences, Murad highlighted potential shortcomings in its execution. He pointed out that Pakistan’s previous attempt at a similar model, the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule, struggled due to inadequate funding for research and development (R&D).

In his tweet, Murad stated, “A university without strong R&D funding yields no real innovation. Funding comes from two sources: Govt & Private Sector—both risk-averse, leading to no applied innovation & no budgets.” He argued that instead of establishing another applied sciences university, Pakistan should focus on creating a specialized institution for Artificial Intelligence (AI), similar to the UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).

Murad emphasized that such an AI-focused university could:

Connect with global AI initiatives
Produce top AI talent for Pakistan
Drive AI adoption across industries
Position Pakistan as a regional hub for innovation

He further noted, “AI is the future—Applied Sciences is a term of the past. Two of this year’s Nobel Laureates credit AI for solving breakthroughs, including a 50-year-old problem. Let’s invest in the future! Let’s invest in AI!”

Murad also suggested that if the AI university proposal is not feasible, the funds could alternatively be used to support R&D and the commercialization of applied research across existing universities in Pakistan.

As the President of UMT, a leading institution in Pakistan known for its emphasis on innovation and research, Murad’s insights carry significant weight in the ongoing discourse about the country’s educational priorities.