KARACHI, Nov 17: The Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) on Thursday held a ceremony to mark the launch of a commemorative stamp issued by the Pakistan Post Office in the memory of Khwaja Sarwar Hasan, founder secretary of the institute.

The stamp of Rs5 denomination in the series of men of letters, printed in a quantity of 0.5 million, designed by artists will be on sale from Nov 18 in the country. Mr Hasan lived from 1902 to 1973.

During the ceremony, speakers praised the founder secretary of PIIA and the former secretary of the Indian Institute of International Affairs for his professional abilities and expertise as a speaker and writer and advocate of Pakistan’s case on Kashmir and the independence of Muslim states.

PIIA Chairman Fatehyab Ali Khan said that Mr Hasan provided a forum in the shape of PIIA in Karachi for discussions and debates on Pakistan’s foreign policy and contemporary issues.

Chairman of Pakistan Postal Services Management Board, Maj-Gen (retd) Agha Masood Hasan, highlighted the purposes of the men of letter series of stamps and issuance of a commemorative stamp on Mr Hassan was meant to pay tribute to him and to eulogize his services for the country. The stamps will also be circulated among the members of the World Postal Union Services, he added.

A former foreign minister of Pakistan, Agha Shahi, who talked on “Civil Society and Foreign Policy”, paid homage to Mr Hasan as well and said that he contributed significantly towards the scientific study of international relations. He has provided a lot of resource materials for scholars and historians, he remarked.

Agha Shahi in his short speech referred to the Pakistan’s ideology, role of historians and policy makers and expressed the view that problems of governments throughout the world had been enormous and they alone could not cope up with those.

He said that NGOs and civil society in Pakistan today be allowed to work for the empowerment of the vulnerable groups, including minorities. Civil society should go from strength to strength to ensure elimination of injustices and discrimination.

Mr Shahi noted that on some occasion the Pakistani government and the civil society had been failing to stand steadfast and care for the ideology behind the country’s creation and its principal stands.

He said that objectivity was needed to be maintained while writing history but it were some spin-doctors or writers who did vice-versa and just rewrite the history to appease the rulers.

We can live with and make best use of the situation by not changing our vital strategies and also can have a foreign policy based on principles, further observed the former foreign minister.