KARACHI: The Jam­aat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that a handful of politicians have held the entire nation of over 250 million people hostage.

Addressing to thousands of aspiring participants of BanoQabil programme here on Sunday, he said Pakistan was full of resources and bounties by Allah Almighty, but unfortunately these resources were in clutches of “corrupt elements” in the corridors of power.

Thousands of students had assembled in two grounds in Federal B Area and Gulshan-i-Memar for the aptitude test of 4.0 variant of BanoQabil programme, which offers “50,000 opportunities in 29 disciplines”, according to a statement issued here.

Hafiz Naeem delivered the keynote address at the ceremony.

Besides JI leadership, senior host and comedian Ayaz Khan, gold medallist bodybuilder Ramiz Ibra­him, YouTuber Danish and several celebrities visited the venue to encourage students.

The celebrities also shared their views about the initiative and Alkhi­dmat Foundation.

Talking about the education sector in Pakistan, the JI chief said that quality education had been kept out of reach of ordinary Pakistanis, whereas tens of millions of children in school going age were out of educational institutions due to poverty and flawed policies.

He urged students and volunteers to work in two dimensions; politics and service to fellow citizens, in order to change the fate of the nation.

He said that Alkhidmat’s BanoQabil had facilitated over 50,000 students so far.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2024