PM Shehbaz Orders Two-Week Timeline for Daanish University Plan
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed officials to prepare and submit within two weeks a detailed implementation plan for Daanish University, including a defined construction timeline, as the government moves ahead with plans for an Islamabad-based institution focused on high-quality education for talented students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Chairing a review meeting on the project in Islamabad on Thursday, Shehbaz said the university should provide international-standard education and professional training to talented students from low- and middle-income families.
He stressed that the institution’s academic and administrative model should differ from conventional universities and should be designed around high international standards.
Two Weeks Given for Detailed Project Plan
A key directive from Thursday’s meeting was the requirement for officials to prepare the project’s details, together with a defined construction period, and present them to the prime minister within the next two weeks.
The instruction is a deadline for submitting the project and construction plan, not a direction to complete the university itself within two weeks.
No final opening date for Daanish University was announced in Thursday’s report.
The government has been developing the institution for more than a year. In May 2025, the Planning Ministry said work was under way on its charter, legal framework, academic leadership and international engagement. The university was envisioned as a centre for applied sciences, innovation, research and technology.
International Faculty Planned
Officials briefed Shehbaz on plans to recruit faculty with qualifications from leading international universities.
The meeting was told that steps to engage both international-standard faculty and a prominent US college were in their final stages. Officials also briefed the prime minister on recent discussions with that institution concerning the proposed teaching system.
However, the Pakistani government has not publicly identified the US college in the report reviewed, and no final partnership agreement was disclosed.
For that reason, the development should currently be described as an effort or negotiation rather than a completed international academic partnership.
Earlier planning documents show that the government has sought international expertise for the project. In May 2025, officials proposed roadshows in Türkiye, China, South Korea and Switzerland to engage internationally recognised design and supervision consultants.
Outreach to Low- and Middle-Income Families
Shehbaz directed officials to make accessibility for economically disadvantaged and middle-income families a central part of the university’s outreach programme.
He said one of the primary motivations behind the project was to give students from such backgrounds access to international-standard education and professional training.
This approach is consistent with earlier government planning for the institution.
In March 2025, the Law Ministry said the proposed legal framework envisaged Daanish University as an autonomous institution and discussed establishing an endowment fund to support talented students who could not otherwise afford high-quality education.
The existence of an endowment proposal, however, should not be interpreted as confirmation that all students will receive free education. Thursday’s announcement did not disclose tuition fees, scholarship amounts, eligibility thresholds or the final financial-aid structure.
State-of-the-Art Campus Design Planned
Officials also showed the prime minister the proposed campus design and construction plan.
According to the briefing, the university is intended to be built using a state-of-the-art campus design based on international practices, with bidding for construction expected to begin soon.
Again, “bidding soon” means the procurement and construction process is advancing; it does not mean construction has been completed or that a contractor has already been selected.
An official federal procurement portal separately shows that the Daanish University Trust published a consultancy procurement opportunity on August 31, with a September 17 closing date, providing further evidence that procurement activity around the project is continuing.
Project Has Been Under Development Since 2025
Daanish University is not a newly announced project.
In May 2025, the federal government said cabinet approval had been obtained for allocation of land for the university, while authorities approved the appointment of an expert consultant for feasibility and design work.
By November 2025, Shehbaz had visited the Daanish University site in Islamabad and ordered strict transparency, third-party validation and pre-qualification of reputable companies for construction.
A December 2025 review further reported that a Project Management Unit had been established, while the university’s charter had received Law Ministry approval and was to proceed to the cabinet and parliament for final approval. The government was also developing a nationwide outreach programme and engaging international education experts.
Thursday’s meeting should therefore be understood as a progress and implementation review of an existing project, rather than the launch or first approval of Daanish University.
Government Wants a Different University Model
The broader ambition is to establish an institution focused on emerging technologies, applied sciences, research and industry-linked education.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said during an earlier project review that academic programmes should be developed in consultation with industry and academia to address skills gaps, while the university should become a centre for applied learning, research and industrial-academic collaboration.
Shehbaz’s latest instructions reinforce that approach by calling for a system distinct from conventional universities and focused particularly on students who might otherwise struggle to access internationally competitive higher education.
Federal ministers Dr Musadik Masood Malik and Attaullah Tarar, Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, members of the Daanish University board and senior officials attended Thursday’s meeting.
The immediate milestone is now the government’s two-week deadline for a detailed project and construction timeline, while procurement, international academic engagement and faculty planning continue.
