Imperial College London has publicly denied the Punjab government’s announcement that the prestigious university would open a campus in Lahore, stating the reports are “incorrect.”
The disagreement began when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, and the official Punjab government X account all posted that a campus of Imperial College London would be established at the Nawaz Sharif IT City. The posts, which have since been deleted, claimed the foundation stone would be laid in November and that the campus would include a modern 300-bed hospital.
However, Imperial College London directly contradicted these claims in a statement on its official website. “Reports that Imperial College London plans to open a campus overseas are incorrect,” the university stated. It clarified that it has “no such plans” and that all of its campuses are based exclusively in the United Kingdom.
As an Imperial alumnus, I was briefly bemused by the bold claim of a campus in Nawaz Sharif IT City. Turns out Imperial College is less adventurous — its campus plans remain firmly UK-bound. Verification, it seems, is still a novel concept. pic.twitter.com/zuptEIoxlB
— Javed Hassan (@javedhassan) October 21, 2025
The incident has sparked criticism over the government’s verification process. Javed Hassan, a former chairman of a national technical commission and an alumnus of Imperial College, commented on the situation, stating he was “briefly bemused by the bold claim.” He added, “Verification, it seems, is still a novel concept.”
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The Nawaz Sharif IT City, a 853-acre tax-free zone commercially inaugurated by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in May, is pitched as a major hub for technology and investment. The government had previously stated that several international tech companies were showing interest in the project.