Swat: Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that we want to build a state that considers peace its responsibility and makes education its central focus. He said if given the opportunity, we will implement educational reforms across the entire country under a unified curriculum and a single language, in order to establish unity and equality among the nation. He said that provision of education was government's responsibility but federal and provincial government limited themselves to politics and empty slogans.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman expressed these views while addressing the graduation convocation of 1,200 young boys and girls from Malakand Division under the "Bano Qabil Program" at Wadoodia Hall, Saidu Sharif.
On this occasion, a large number of central and regional leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan were present. These included Syed Waqas Anjum Jafri, Central General Secretary of Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan; Inayatullah Khan, Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North; Muhammad Haleem Bacha, General Secretary; Fazal Mahmood, President of Alkhidmat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Dr. Khalid Farooq, General Secretary; Hameed-ul-Haq, Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Swat; Ziaullah Khan, President of Alkhidmat Foundation Swat; and former MNA Ayesha Syed.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that currently, 26.2 million children in Pakistan are out of school, out of which 5.5 million are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Outsourcing education, avoiding the construction of new schools, and the poor condition of existing institutions are clear evidence of the government's failure, he remarked. 'Despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's education budget being 363 billion rupees, public educational institutions are in a state of ruin, and now they are being outsourced - which is a clear form of education privatization,' he added.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that education is not charity but a constitutional and fundamental right of the nation - and we will reclaim it if it's taken away. The state collects taxes, yet it neither provides employment nor security. He added that political parties only agree on increasing their own perks and salaries, while the public is crushed under the weight of poverty, inflation, and unemployment. Currently, 44% of Pakistan's population is forced to live below the poverty line, he added.
He said that Jamaat-e-Islami's 'Bano Qabil Program' is a revolutionary step toward empowering the youth, through which one million young people will be provided IT education over the next two years - whether the government supports it or not.
Speaking on the energy crisis, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that since 1994, all governments have been involved in the corrupt agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The nation is paying 1,500 billion rupees annually to these private power plants, even though they are not producing electricity-this is a major national tragedy.
At the end of his address, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced, 'I will return to Swat on August 31 and take further steps to empower more youth with skills.' He appealed to the youth, saying, 'Change won't come through slogans alone. To truly transform the country, the youth must support Jamaat-e-Islami so that we can uproot this decaying system.