SOHBATPUR/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed the hope that civilised societies would come up to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-hit Pakistan at the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan scheduled to be held in Geneva on January 9. PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed his government’s strong commitment for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-affected areas.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing a public gathering after the inauguration of a rebuilt Government Boys Secondary School of Kili Jia Khan in Sohbatpur District of Balochistan, said he was constantly contacting the leadership of the friendly countries to invite them to the conference.
“Yesterday, I talked to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim…He assured of sending a delegation to the conference. He will also join through Zoom,” he said and mentioned his telephonic interactions with the leaders of Turkey, Qatar and UAE for the purpose.
The prime minister said he would co-chair the moot with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. However, he said the government and people of Pakistan would have to put in their efforts for rehabilitation.
PM Shehbaz Sharif said the government had already distributed Rs100 billion among the affected people through BISP but a lot more funds were still needed to pay compensation for one million houses destroyed by the flood and many people were yet awaiting assistance for their rehabilitation.
The prime minister, who earlier unveiled the plaque of the newly built smart school building, announced to develop the facility at par with the Danish Schools of Punjab. He committed to inaugurate the upgraded school on March 23, to be equipped with IT facilities like e-library, hostel, solar energy and playgrounds.
He also announced the construction of 12 Danish Schools across Balochistan to provide equal educational facilities to the poor children of the province.
The prime minister highly applauded the performance of the government officers and provincial leadership for completing the school building within two months and also announced Tamgha-e-Khidmat award for three officers including chief secretary and secretary of education.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the coalition parties inherited a country with a breached IMF agreement, skyrocketing oil prices and reduced wheat production. He said the previous government failed to purchase gas when it was the cheapest in the international market and the incumbent government had to spend $27 billion for oil import.
The prime minister who also witnessed the sports match among the school students said the vision behind Danish School was to bring the children of the far-flung areas into the mainstream.
He got emotional while narrating the story of an orphaned girl student in Danish School of Rahim Yar Khan who felt blessed to have found the facilities of education and residence when she felt helpless. He asked the Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo to find out suitable land for the construction of Danish Schools in the province.
The prime minister sat with the students in their classroom, mixed up and also played with them on the ground. He told the students that education and skill training could only enable the country to cope with poverty and illiteracy. He said education was the only tool to put Pakistan on the course to progress and prosperity as well as bringing about a revolution.
The prime minister, who was given a briefing on the status of reconstruction and rehabilitation works, also interacted with the flood-affected families.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the government would extend its maximum support to the seminaries to help them impart education in accordance with modern-day needs.
Prime Ministers Shehbaz Sharif, in a meeting with a delegation of Ittehad-e-Tanzeemat-e-Madaris, also assured them for providing maximum administrative autonomy to the seminaries and easing their registration process.
Lauding the services of the seminaries for religious education, he said that around five million students were studying there free of charge. The seminaries also teach the students to memorise the Holy Quran besides playing their active role to protect Pakistan’s interests.
He said half of the students enrolled in seminaries were girls and thousands of them were orphans. The students were also getting free books and education at the seminaries.
Calling the seminaries Islamic or Pakistani NGOs, the prime minister said the government desired to extend its support to them in their social services.
He also expressed condolence over the death of renowned religious scholar Mufti Rafi Usmani and said that not only Pakistan, but the whole Muslim world recognised his services to the religion.
The meeting was attended by Ameer of Jamiat Ulema Islam-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani, Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalandhri, Mufti Munibur Rehman, Sahibzada Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, Senator Professor Sajid Mir, Maulana Abdul Malik, Maulana Afzal Haidri, Maulana Abdul Kabir Azad and Maulana Fazal Rahim.
Federal Ministers Rana Tanvir Hussain, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Special Assistant to PM Syed Fahd Hussain and senior officers were also present.