PRESIDENT Asif Ali Zardari has said that getting education should be made mandatory for everyone. At an international conference, he said that the provision of education should be ensured for every child. … He said that unity is the only solution that will bring people out from the darkness and into the light … to defeat evil with goodness. This, he said, was the way towards development and progress.

Countries that have served their people with national zeal and ensured education to every individual have succeeded in achieving their objectives. … Mr Zardari said that it was the duty of the UN to ensure that every girl holds books in her hands in every part of all … countries in order to meet the target of increasing the literacy rate in under-developed countries. He said that democracy was the best system to provide rights to every individual and group, and ensure self-respect. Democratic states that have made progress are live examples, he said, adding that democracy requires time and sacrifices but its results are always equally good for all. — (Dec 13)

Women’s rights

UN OFFICIALS in Afghanistan have ... stressed the need for the government to implement laws protecting the rights of women. According to an official, the violation of women’s rights is increasing in Afghanistan and many of the cases are not reported in the media or by the law-enforcement agencies.

A recently released report said that the UN has urged the Afghanistan government to take concrete steps for the implementation of the relevant laws so that issues resulting from violence can be controlled. Otherwise, women’s development will remain a distant dream. The UN has urged the Afghan government to focus on the protection of ... the rights of women, and identify the reasons behind the escalating violations because women are the worst affected and many of them have lost their lives as a result of minor issues. Women have the same rights as men and it is the duty of every government to fulfil its responsibilities effectively and ensure the protection of women’s rights in every part of Afghanistan. — (Dec 13)