Islamabad:The government of Japan has extended grant aid worth 350 million Japanese Yen for the implementation of the Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) FY 2026 Programme in Pakistan.
A formal signing ceremony was held in Islamabad, where notes verbale were signed and exchanged between Japanese Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi and Economic Affairs secretary Muhammad Humair Karim Kidwai.
Also, a grant agreement outlining the implementation details of the project for Fiscal Year 2026 was signed between Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Pakistan Office Shinozaki Yusuke and Senior Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs Miran Mohiyuddin Soomro.
The JDS Programme, which was launched in 2018, is part of Japan’s commitment to strengthening the administrative capacities of the government of Pakistan. It offers highly capable Pakistani government officers the opportunity to pursue Master's and PhD degrees at leading Japanese universities. The JDS Programme also seeks to promote mutual understanding and further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperative relationship between Japan and Pakistan by fostering future leaders who will serve as bridges between the two countries. The ambassador said the programme was built on a simple but powerful belief that investing in people is the most sustainable investment a nation can make.
"When we support a young civil servant to pursue a Master's or doctoral degree at a leading Japanese university, we are not simply funding an academic qualification. " he said. The envoy said Japan deeply valued its relationship with Pakistan, and the JDS Programme was one of the most personal and enduring ways we invest in that relationship.
