On the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day, the Oxford Pakistan Programme (OPP) has announced its 2026 graduate scholarship awards, enabling a new cohort of outstanding Pakistani scholars to pursue graduate study at the University of Oxford.
This year’s cohort, consisting of 12 scholars, is notable for its geographic and institutional diversity.
Scholars come from communities stretching from Swat, Nowshera and Azad Kashmir to Khangarh, Khairpur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Karachi.
Reflecting OPP’s commitment to discovering talent wherever it exists, the scholars are drawn not only from leading private sector institutions, such as LUMS and IBA, but also from public sector universities including Quaid-i-Azam University, the University of Peshawar, NED University, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, COMSATS University, and the International Islamic University Islamabad.
This year’s scholars will study subjects ranging from law, economics and public policy to engineering, medicine, cancer science and the humanities.
A particular highlight this year is the first cohort of four scholars supported through the Bhutto Graduate Scholarships, established in partnership with the Government of Sindh.
Announced in Oxford by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the initiative is designed to expand access to Oxford for talented students from historically under-represented regions.
Amarta Chandio graduated from LUMHS with the highest GPA in her cohort and four gold medals, while Faiza Rehman studied Economics at IBA Karachi on a full scholarship; both have worked on maternal health in rural Sindh.
Mir Musawwar Ali, a LUMS graduate, placed second in Pakistan’s Central Superior Services examination, and Junaid Memon studied engineering at NED University before securing admission to Oxford. The programme has also awarded the Benazir Bhutto Graduate Scholarship, supported by the Government of Balochistan, to Maira Mehmood from Sohbatpur.
The OPP also announced its inaugural Interloop Scholar, Saadia Khan, who will pursue graduate study in Cancer Science at Oxford, and the first scholar supported through its new landmark partnership with the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust, Sara Saleh from Swat.
The OPP contribution towards Sara’s scholarship is supported by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, one of OPP’s foundational donors and a longstanding advocate for girls’ education.
Ali Hassan from Khangarh, South Punjab, becomes the latest Tareen Scholar, while Manal Ahmed (Karachi), Hamza Khan (Nowshera, KP)) and Abdul Rehman Noor (Poonch, Azad Kashmir) complete this year’s cohort.A campaign for Pakistan at Oxford
The OPP’s co-founders said the programme’s growth is a testament to the solidarity of a community willing to invest in the country’s young people. The programme is supported by a growing community of philanthropists, entrepreneurs and institutional partners, including the Malala Fund, Interloop Group, the Sheikh Family Foundation, Ali Tareen, the Hamid Ismail Foundation, and numerous Pakistani business leaders in Pakistan and abroad.
Musadaq Zulqarnain, Chairman of the Interloop Group, described OPP as a “charity of hope” capable of lighting many candles at a time when Pakistan’s young population is hungry for opportunity.
Mohammed Khaishgi, a former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, praised OPP’s “big-tent approach”, its “constant can-do attitude” and a belief in Pakistan that he described as “infectious”.
Reflecting on the announcement, the OPP team said the programme represented far more than a scholarship scheme. They said: “OPP is ultimately an investment in Pakistan’s human potential. At a moment when many young Pakistanis are searching for reasons to believe in the future, these scholars remind us that extraordinary talent exists in every province, every community and every kind of university. Our mission is to ensure that a young person’s birthplace, financial circumstances or institution does not determine the limits of their ambition.”
The team added that announcing the scholarships on Pakistan’s Independence Day was intended to send a message of confidence and hope. “There can be few more powerful expressions of belief in Pakistan’s future than investing in its young people and enabling them to compete with the very best in the world.”
