Rabat: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has been conferred the Lifetime Achievement Medal of Honour by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Rabat, Morocco. The award was presented during the sixth Vice Chancellors' Forum of Universities in the Islamic World.

According to Radio Pakistan, the prestigious award celebrates Ahsan Iqbal's visionary leadership in steering Pakistan toward a knowledge-based economy, emphasizing strategic investments in higher education, science, and innovation. Under his stewardship, Pakistan has experienced an unprecedented transformation in its higher education landscape, with public universities expanding from 99 in 2013 to 154 this year.

Additionally, higher education enrolment in Pakistan has increased from 1.1 million to 1.65 million students, and faculty strength has grown to over 38,000. Special emphasis has been placed on inclusivity and equitable access, particularly in underserved regions such as Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with deliberate efforts to promote gender equity and minority inclusion.

Key initiatives led by Ahsan Iqbal include the provision of thousands of overseas PhD scholarships in science and technology, the establishment of the Pakistan-U.S. Knowledge Corridor, and the creation of National Centers of Excellence in fields such as AI, Cybersecurity, Genomics, Robotics, Big Data, and Space Sciences.

Ahsan Iqbal dedicated this award to the youth, scholars, and educators of Pakistan, emphasizing that this recognition belongs to every young mind who dares to dream, every teacher who lights the way, and every institution that believes in the power of transformation.