It might surprise you, as it did me, to learn that in 1980, a Pakistani doctor named Wasiullah Khan founded a private university in Chicago, USA, known as East-West University. Over the past 42 years, this university has been steadily growing and developing.
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Dr. Wasiullah Khan hails from Bahawalpur and was a Deputy Secretary in the Punjab Department of Education in the 1970s. He received a scholarship to pursue his PhD in the USA and later taught at various universities there. During this time, he returned to Pakistan and met with the renowned scholar Syed Abul A’la Maududi. In their meeting, they discussed the educational challenges faced by Pakistanis and other minorities in America. Maududi advised Dr. Wasi to establish a private university there.
Dr. Wasi consulted with seven like-minded friends in the USA, including professors, businessmen, and doctors. They collectively raised funds to register the university. Initially, the university started with only 23 students. Later, a Saudi prince donated $100,000, and a Pakistani-American businessman named Riaz donated $1 million. Today, the university’s assets are valued at $125 million.
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While universities in Chicago and other American cities charge between $70,000 and $90,000 in tuition fees for a degree, East-West University charges a maximum of $22,000. The university attracts students from many countries, with the highest number coming from Pakistan and India.
by: Prof. Dr. Fakhr-ul-Islam
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