10 April 2005	Sunday	30 Safar 1426

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PESHAWAR, April 9: Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao has urged upon non governmental organisations (NGOs) to support the government in different key sectors to alleviate miseries of the less privileged.

Inaugurating the Centennial District Conference of the Rotary International here on Friday, Mr Sherpao said that Pakistan, being a developing country, was faced with numerous problems, including limited resources, and the government alone could not cope with every issue. Members of the Rotary International’s District 3270, comprising Pakistan and Afghanistan, are attending the three-day conference in large number.

Mr Sherpao sought support of NGOs in various sectors, especially for the provision of potable water to different communities.

Recalling his participation in a meeting of the RI about 25 years ago in Nowshera, he said that the impact of the meeting still remained in his mind and soul. He said: “The RI is a wonderful blend of professionals who have been pooling their resources and contributing towards humanity without any monetary gains.”

The minister informed the participants that name of the Rotary International was derived from word ‘rotation’ as it was a practice of philanthropists to conduct their meetings on rotation basis. He said that today about 1.2 million Rotarians were members of 3100 Rotary Clubs in 166 countries of the world.

“The RI has made historic contribution in the field of immunisation against polio and its volunteers have immunised about one billion children all over the world,” he added.

A personal representative of the RI’s President, Haji Mustapha, hailing from Malaysia, laid emphasis on acquisition of education and expressed his regret that about 80 percent of the Muslims across the world were illiterate.

Haji Mustapha, who is the oldest Rotarian with 43 years of membership, asked the members to be credible. He said that service to the humanity should be their business. He said that the RI had several unique features that distinguished it from other NGOs as its membership comprised cross section of professionals while its hallmark was spirit of voluntary service.

The centennial district governor of the RI, Abdul Rauf Rohaila, highlighted the role of his organisation.

In the Saturday sessions, President Peshawar Press Club Muhammad Riaz said that due to growing commercialisation print and electronic media had turned into industry and were least concerned with the vital issues of health, education, etc.

In his presentation on “Role of Media in Eradication of Illiteracy” he said that the entire newspaper industry was after earning more profit. He expressed his regret that illiterate and tax evader businessmen had started establishing newspaper concerns and they were least bothered about educating people.

“We still have to decide what should be our system of education. Three parallel systems — madaris, public and private schools — have been in vogue here, “Mr Riaz said and added that they were against what was contrary to the status quo. He said the media had been projecting the concept of ‘enlightened moderation’ of General Pervez Musharraf, but question arose ‘could a dictator be an enlightened person?’

The director of Human Resource Management and Development Centre, Bushra Gohar, stated that education was the most neglected sector in the country as the state had shown little commitment to it. Expressing her views on “Role of NGOs in Eradication of Illiteracy”, she said that under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it was the fundamental right of every citizen to get education.

Ms Gohar said that the apartheid still existed in education in the country and was maintaining the class-system. She said that various NGOs had been running projects in the education sector. She, however, said education could not be a project but a long term commitment.