Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz termed Afghanistan’s ban on girls’ education a deeply concerning development and a serious setback for human rights and global progress, as she addressed the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye.
Regretting the continued denial of education to Afghan girls, she said no society could achieve lasting prosperity while depriving half its population of the fundamental right to education. “Education is the most powerful tool for empowering communities, and no one should be deprived of it,” she remarked during her speech at the international forum.
In the same address, the Chief Minister announced the establishment of Pakistan’s first specialized university for artificial intelligence in Lahore. She said the initiative, launched by the Punjab government, was part of a broader effort to modernize education and equip the country for the demands of the 21st century.
“The AI university will be a transformative step toward institutionalizing advanced sciences in Pakistan,” Maryam Nawaz stated, adding that the project reflected her government’s commitment to rebuilding traditional educational frameworks through innovation.
She said the university was one among several forward-looking measures aimed at enhancing the quality of education and preparing future generations for technological leadership.
