The Oxford Pakistan Programme (OPP) achieved a significant milestone during its Annual Fundraising Dinner hosted at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. The event brought in commitments for three new scholarships and a £100,000 endowment, strengthening the programme’s mission to provide access to world-class education for Pakistan’s most promising students. These contributions reflect the growing support for initiatives focused on academic excellence, cross-cultural collaboration, and equitable access to higher education.
Musadaq Zulqarnain TI, representing Interloop Ltd—Pakistan’s leading exporter—committed to funding a scholarship for the next three years. This pledge was accompanied by further support from British Pakistani philanthropists Munir Hussain, a well-established figure in the UK food sector, and Aneel Musarrat, both of whom pledged to sponsor full graduate scholarships under OPP for the next five years. These scholarships will support Pakistani students in highly competitive programmes such as theoretical physics, genome medicine, advanced computer science, and mathematics at Oxford University.
A major highlight of the evening was the announcement of a £100,000 donation to the OPP’s endowment fund by Professor Sarwar Khawaja, ensuring long-term support and sustainability of the programme. Sponsored by Oxford alumni Dr Omer Suleman and Shamyl Malik, co-founders of fintech firm Haruko, the event was attended by donors, academics, and community leaders who have long supported educational advancement efforts through OPP.
Since its formation, the Oxford Pakistan Programme has awarded nearly £1 million in scholarships, directly benefiting 52 students from underserved areas including Balochistan, Sindh, and South Punjab. The initiative was created to bridge access gaps for both Pakistani and British Pakistani students seeking higher education at Oxford. OPP co-founders emphasised the demographic reality of Pakistan—where over two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30—and stressed the importance of creating structured academic pathways for these young minds to become thought leaders and agents of progress.
Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate and long-time supporter of OPP, addressed attendees with a keynote speech underscoring the value of investing in youth potential. She stated that students supported through the OPP will contribute to shaping industries, policy, and community leadership, ultimately creating lasting impact. Attendees included Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Mohammad Faisal, MP Naz Shah, Professor Stephen Blyth of Lady Margaret Hall, Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh, and a wide range of business leaders, academics, and professionals.
The event also paid tribute to the programme’s cornerstone supporters, including Malala Yousafzai, Ali Tareen, the government of Balochistan, COSARAF Foundation, and Dunya Foundation. Several individual philanthropists who contributed partial scholarships were also acknowledged, such as Suleman Raza, Hamid Ismail, Professor Sarwar Khawaja, and Syed Babar Ali.
Dr Adeel Malik, one of the programme’s founders, reiterated that the OPP aims to ensure no deserving student is denied admission to Oxford due to financial limitations. He, along with Dr Talha J Pirzada, Haroon Zaman, and Minahil Saqib, continues to lead the initiative with the vision of cultivating future leaders through global education and inclusive opportunity.
