ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has declared 2013 as ‘Year of Child Rights’, and directed the ministry of information and broadcasting to prepare special programmes to educate and entertain children.

“The programmes must focus on balanced development of the child,” he said while launching the Awareness Campaign on Child Rights. The event coincided with the Universal Children’s Day observed on Tuesday.

The premier announced a grant of Rs30 million for the Parliamentary Forum on Child Rights as a token of government’s commitment to child welfare. The assistance would help the forum spearhead the agenda of child development, he said.

The forum seeks to ensure the parliament’s role in monitoring public sector institutions engaged in provision of education, healthcare, food and safe environment.

The government has already announced establishment of an independent and autonomous National Commission on Child Rights which will be responsible for protection and promotion of rights of the child.

The prime minister said the government was devising innovative strategies to address issues related to children in the light of new political, legal and economic framework.

Referring to the attack on Malala Yousufzai, he said uproar against the incident made it clear to the world that Pakistani nation was united in safeguarding its values, traditions and way of life. “We cannot and will not allow our future to be held hostage to extremist agenda.”

In recognition of Malala’s role for promotion of girls’ education, the government has already decided to observe Day of Child Girl on October 11 every year. Giving the examples of Malala, Arfaa Karim, Zohaib Asad and Ibrahim Shahid, the prime minister said Pakistani children were endowed with enormous talent.

He said the National Assembly had recently passed the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill 2012 unanimously to ensure free and compulsory education to children aged five to 16 years. It was now the responsibility of the provinces to enact similar laws to ensure children’s rights, he said.