Founded by the personal initiatives led by Sir S.A. Qayyum and Sir George Roos-Keppel in 1913, it is one the oldest institution of higher education in Pakistan, and its historical roots are traced from the culminating point of the Aligarh Movement.[2] The university was established in a view to build an effort to provide quality education to region's youth, and provides higher learning in fine arts, humanities and modern sciences.[2] In 1950, the University of Peshawar was founded as an offshoot of Islamia College Peshawar, with the later being associated to the university as a constituent college.[2] Initially established as Islamia College, it was granted university status by the Government of Pakistan in 2008; the word college is retained in its title for preserving its historical roots.[2]