KARACHI: Need stressed for promoting peace, education
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, March 14: The Commonwealth Day was observed here on Monday with an emphasis on education and creating an appropriate environment for promoting peace, justice, equitable growth, prosperity and respect for human rights.
Queen Elizabeth, head of the 52-nation Commonwealth, Secretary-General Donald C. McKinnon and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in their separate messages emphasized the importance of the grouping in the contemporary world.
The seminar was chaired by Fathyab Ali Khan and was also attended by the Bangladeshi deputy high commissioner.
In his message to the seminar organized by the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, the prime minister said the theme for 2005 “Education, Creating Opportunities, Realizing Potential” had a special significance for Pakistan.
“This theme is at the heart of our economic and development policy that seeks to eradicate illiteracy, alleviate poverty and usher in an era of prosperity for the deprived population of Pakistan through equitable growth and social development programmes,” said the prime minister.
To realize the full potential of Pakistan’s 150 million people, he stressed the need for taking advantage of the common working language, economic systems and web of communication linkages that share with 1.7 billion people of the Commonwealth.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to achieve the objectives of the Theme 2005 and recognize the vital role that education could play an important role in creating opportunities and realizing the potential for all the nations of Commonwealth.
In her message, Queen Elizabeth referred to “significant challenges” faced by the world community and the grouping. Some people, she said, lived in conditions of conflict or insecurity. Others have suffered the impact of natural disasters.
“Overcoming these global challenges, whether as individuals or nations, depended on human ingenuity and commitment. The key to unlocking human potential and creating opportunity was education,’’ she said.
“In our association, where around 75 million children lack access to basic education, one clear objective is the UN Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015. Another is mitigating the effects of HIV and AIDS, two-thirds of whose sufferers around the world are Commonwealth citizens, and which in some member countries each year causes the death of more teachers than can be met by newly qualified replacements. The third objective is to expand distance education through bodies such as the Commonwealth of Learning based in Canada that encouraged Commonwealth countries to pool their expertise,’’ she adds.
Donald Mckinnon said the people of Pakistan played an important role in this partnership and noted that since May last year, Pakistan had full returned to the Commonwealth fold and was again playing an active role in the association.
“The Commonwealth connection also helped Pakistan broaden its relationships globally and spread its influence on the international stage.’’
Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Hannan has called for undertaking efforts for the eradication of illiteracy from the subcontinent. He said Bangladesh believed in multilateral diplomatic practices.
Senior journalist, Qutubuddin Aziz, who read out the message of Queen Elizabeth, pointed out that the thrust of her message, was education.
The President, Commonwealth Journalists Association, Pakistan, S.M. Fazal, said that Pakistan should adopt a proactive policy. Ms Nabiha Gul, research officer at the PIIA, Karachi, read out a paper on the Commonwealth.
