Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Janurary 1 stressed the need for the effective implementation of the "Quality Assurance Framework," developed in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the British Council in 2023, to improve the standards of higher education in the country.

He expressed these views during a meeting with Pakistani-American Professor Mudassar Wyne, who called on him and discussed matters related to quality assurance and the improvement of education standards, according to a news release.

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the Director of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), and the Member of the Planning Commission for Science & Technology also attended the meeting.

Professor Mudassar Wyne, a quality assurance expert in California who holds a PhD in Computer Science, highlighted the principles of quality assurance recognized by the American Board of Engineering and Technology.

Ahsan Iqbal appreciated the contribution of Pakistani experts residing abroad to national development under the “Uraan Pakistan” program.

He proposed forming a “Premier League Group” consisting of the top 10 universities to transform Pakistani universities in line with global standards, which would establish linkages with leading universities worldwide.

The Planning minister said the Quality Assurance Framework, developed for Pakistani universities in collaboration with HEC and the British Council in 2023, was not only ideal for improving educational standards but also catered to the unique needs of the country’s education system.

Earlier. The PML-N-led government on Janurary 6 tried to downplay differences with its reluctant ally, the PPP, as a cabinet minister likened their disputes to "domestic problems", saying that just because there were differences doesn’t mean there is a problem.

Talking to the media after attending a meeting regarding federally-funded Public Sector Development Progra­m­me (PSDP) projects, federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that differences in a coalition government were inevitable.

He was referring to concerns raised by PPP spokesperson Shazia Marri a day earlier, who assailed the federal government for not consulting her party on key decisions, such as the establishment of the Pakistan Maritime and Seaport Authority (PMSA).

In an impassioned sta­te­ment, Ms Marri had said that the government’s survival “hinged on PPP’s support” and that it would “collapse” if that support was withdrawn.

Flanked by Sindh En­e­rgy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Mr Iqbal responded to questions regarding her outburst by saying that “slight differences” were usual when governments were formed via a coalition.

“These problems happen even in a household — between siblings, bet­ween husband and wife — but it does not mean there is a problem,” he said, adding that both par­ties had managed their differences amicably.

“The two major political parties in the country have distinct ideologies, but one vision, so there is a consensus,” he said. “That vision is Pakistan.”

He said that both parties put their differences aside whenever it came to the country’s development.

“We need to keep our politics aside and both parties have to play their part,” he said, adding that the understanding be­t­ween the parties exi­s­ted since the Charter of Dem­ocracy was signed bet­ween Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in 2006.

“This is the beauty of Pakistan’s politics, that two parties with independent values have such maturity,” he said.