Pakistani humanitarian organization offers monthly stipends to support 70 Palestinian students from Gaza

Faisal Edhi (c), the head of the iconic Edhi Foundation in Pakistan, gestures for a group photo with Palestinian students from Gaza, who are currently enrolled in various local educational institutions, in Karachi on March 30, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Edhi Foundation)

• The top Edhi Foundation official says the students will receive the amount for a minimum period of six months
• Faisal Edhi points out these students face a difficult situation since their families no longer support them financially

KARACHI: A leading Pakistani humanitarian organization has started providing a monthly stipend of Rs 25,000 ($90) to 70 students from Gaza who are currently enrolled in various local educational institutions, with its top official vowing to help them sustain their studies and livelihood on Saturday.
Pakistan hosts hundreds of foreign students, primarily from the Middle East, who attend colleges and universities in various cities across the country. These students often pursue higher education in fields such as medicine, engineering and business.
Many Palestinian students have also been living in Pakistan before Israel launched its recent military campaign last October, with many of them finding it difficult to receive finances from their families due to the ongoing war that has killed over 32,000 people and displaced much of the residents of Gaza.
“The relentless Israeli bombardment has inflicted widespread devastation upon Palestine, particularly Gaza, depriving its residents of even the most basic necessities such as food and health care,” Faisal Edhi, the head of the iconic Edhi Foundation in Pakistan, told Arab News. “Amid this crisis, Palestinian students studying in Pakistan are facing unprecedented challenges as their families back home are displaced and left homeless due to the destruction. They are not getting support from their family.”
“Among them, approximately 70 students hail from Gaza, the hardest-hit area,” he continued. “Recognizing their dire circumstances, the Edhi Foundation has stepped forward to provide essential financial assistance to these 70 students, enabling them to sustain their studies and livelihood.”
Edhi informed each student would receive Rs 25,000 per month for the next six months as an initial support measure.
“If needed, this support will be extended for another six months,” he added.
Pakistan has consistently called for a ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations and other international forums while seeking a viable and geographically contiguous Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders.
There is also a great deal of sympathy among the people of Pakistan who widely support the Palestinian cause and have been deeply critical of Israel’s presence in the Occupied Territories.