Dhaka University (DU) has lifted its ban on admitting Pakistani students, marking a significant step towards academic collaboration between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The decision was finalized during a syndicate meeting on November 13, chaired by DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmad Khan, as confirmed by Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Sayma Haque Bidisha.
Under the revised policy, Pakistani students can now enroll at DU, while Bangladeshi students will have opportunities to pursue higher studies in Pakistan. University officials believe this initiative will strengthen ties in education, culture, and mutual interests between the two nations.
Professor Bidisha explained that the ban, in effect since December 2015, was lifted solely for academic purposes. “Ties with Pakistan were severed at one point, but as an academic institution, we must provide opportunities for our students,” she said. “This decision is about fostering academic cooperation, not addressing sensitive political issues such as Pakistan’s denial of the 1971 genocide.”
The 2015 ban had been imposed during the tenure of then-Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique. It followed Pakistan’s refusal to acknowledge the atrocities committed during Bangladesh’s Liberation War. At that time, Prof Siddique stated, “As long as they do not acknowledge the genocide and atrocities, this institution will not maintain any relationship with them. Our students will not go to Pakistan, nor will we admit any of their students.”
A key factor behind the recent change was the September 2024 visit by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof, to DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad Chowdhury. This meeting, the first in nearly a decade, paved the way for the restoration of academic relations.
University authorities emphasized that the new policy seeks to uphold DU’s commitment to promoting knowledge exchange, transcending past political differences.
