KHAIRPUR: Swiss Con­sul General Emil Wyss has said that inter-faith harmony is essential for sust­a­inable development and advised students to fight against corruption and for justice in society.

At an interactive session organised by the department of peace & conflict studies during the envoy’s visit to the Shah Abdul Latif University (Salu) on Monday, Mr Wyss said that his country awarded 38 scholarships to Pakistanis last year.

He praised Pakistan’s efforts to attain sustainable development. The country’s security apparatus was improving day by day and the Pakistan-China Econ­omic Corridor was a significant development.

He remarked that peace was a process and Swit­zerland’s efforts for world peace were recognised by the world community. “We believe in dialogue. Peace is always a solution not war. Our sustainable development is owing to our efforts for peace,” he said.

He agreed to establish a peace academy at Salu under the auspices of the Swiss consulate.

He said that Switzerland was democratic and the happiest country of the world whose crux of foreign policy was neutrality and non-violent policy. “The federal government tries to accommodate the provinces. There is equitable share of provinces in the social services,” he added.

Salu Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Parveen Shah said that peace was the need of the hour. “Peace brings prosperity, production, performance and purity,” she said.

She said that long-standing bilateral relations between Switzerland and Pakistan had been always cordial and based on mutual understanding and common goals of peace and sustainable development.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2016