World University Ranking: The apathy of Pakistani and Indian universities
Oxford continues to be the world’s topper since nine consecutive years
(By our correspondent)
The World University Rankings 2025 reveals the apathy of Pakistani and Indian universities. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 says only one out of 47 universities of Pakistan in the race stands at number 401 out of 500 while the number of Indian universities at this position is three. In Pakistan 10 universities declined from their previous year’s position while seven institutions marked improvement.
According to the reported details, the said body in its ranking for the year 2025 evaluated over 2,000 educational institutions from 115 countries across the world. It marked 9.7% year-on-year increase in the number of ranked universities this year from 6% rise last year. It said Pakistan has 47 ranked universities, making it the 14th most-represented nation globally, alongside Taiwan. The country’s top-ranked institution, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), remains in the 401-500 band and stands at its previous year’s position.
Mahatma Gandhi University, Anna University, and Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management of India were placed in the 501-600 band in 2024 but improved this year by securing a place in the 401-500 band.
It also said only seven Pakistani universities very minutely improved their rankings, while 10 have speedily declined. The ranking tells QUA is the top-ranked educational institution of Pakistan. Eight of the ranked universities are in the 601-800 band. The University of Malakand moves up by swapping Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan from number 801 to 601 out of 1100. The Sukkur IBA University also entered the 601-800 band this year.
After Oxford stand the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University at second and third place respectively. University of Cambridge holds fourth position. The Princeton University, California Institute of Technology, and University of California, of the USA respectively stand at number 5, 6 and 7.
The Imperial College London and Yale University of the USA secured 8th and 10th positions in the first 500. According to the further details, in Asia, 853 universities from 35 countries were ranked this year that made Pakistan the 6th most-represented nation in this continent.
A total of 2,860 institutions submitted their data this year to the ranking body out of which 768 institutions achieved “reporter” status that means they submitted data but did not meet the eligibility criteria to be ranked.
The performance indicators followed by the mentioned body in this ranking were around 18 divided into five key pillars including: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and internationalization.
Israel to send negotiators to new Gaza truce talks
JERUSALEM (AFP): Israel said Thursday it will send negotiators to Qatar this weekend for talks seeking to reach an elusive Gaza deal, as the death toll soared from a sweeping Israeli operation in the Palestinian territory’s north.
The head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, will head to Qatari capital Doha on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister’s office said, to attend talks with US and Qatari officials.
The apparent resumption of the long-stalled truce negotiations come with Israel under pressure to end its wars with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Meeting with Qatar’s leaders in Doha on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that mediators would explore new options after the failure of previous efforts to seal a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“We talked about options to capitalise on this moment and next steps to move the process forward,” Blinken told reporters.
The US and Qatar were seeking a plan “so that Israel can withdraw, so that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives and rebuild their futures,” he said.
Qatar said that US and Israeli teams would fly to Doha, with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani adding that Qatari mediators had “re-engaged” with Hamas since the Israeli military killed the group’s leader Yahya Sinwar.
There was no mention of Hamas participating in the planned Doha meeting.
Israeli and US officials as well as some analysts said Sinwar, who was killed last week in Gaza, had been a key obstacle to a deal allowing for the release of 97 hostages still held by militants in Gaza, 34 of whom the Israeli military says are dead.
After the new talks were announced, an Israeli group representing families of hostages called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas to secure an agreement to free the remaining captives.
“Time is running out,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
Hundreds dead in days
After nearly a year of war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, Israel expanded its focus to Lebanon a month ago, vowing to secure its northern border from Hezbollah attacks.
“More than 770 people have been killed” in the territory’s north in the 19 days since the operation started, Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, adding that the toll could rise as people were buried under the rubble.