Pakistan will live forever: Shahbaz

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan will live forever and there is a need for collective effort for national progress and development and ensuring a glorious future for the country. He said that the importance of developing indigenous resources for attaining the goal of self-reliance had become more pressing than ever.
He said that it was only through relying on available resources and talent and energies that the nation could get rid of the dictation of others. He said that more than 50 percent population of the country comprised women and the aim of progress and prosperity could not be realised without bringing them into national mainstream. He announced three buses for Fazaia College of Education for Women Lahore.
He was addressing the first convocation of Fazaia College of Education for Women Lahore Cantt, here on Wednesday. Addressing the convocation, the Chief Minister said that the aim of national progress and prosperity could not be translated into reality without promotion of education and keeping in view that fact, Punjab government was attaching top priority to the uplift of education sector and had taken revolutionary measures to spread knowledge to every nook and corner of the province. He said that setting up of Daanish schools was is a splendid project which would realise the dream of the poorest boy and girl students to get quality education. He said that though there were Cadet Colleges, Grammar Schools and other prestigious educational institutions for the elite but children of the poor people and the common man could not even think of enrolling in such schools.
He said that Daanish school project had been initiated first time in the 63 years' history of the country for providing modern educational facilities to the poorest of the poor students. He said that establishment of those schools would not only open up new avenues of development in backward areas but it would also enhance the dignity and respect of the students as well as help eliminate extremism. He said that Pakistan was achieved after innumerable sacrifices so that it could be made an Islamic welfare state but it was not the country that had been envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal. He said that Daanish schools project was an important step towards transforming Pakistan in accordance with the ideals of Quaid-e-Azam.
Referring to the steps taken for the development of education sector in the province, Shahbaz said that establishment of IT labs in more than four thousand schools of the province, provision of scholarship to talented boy and girl students of Punjab and other provinces through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, arrangements of visits of position-holder students of different examinations to international educational institutions and awarding of prizes to the winners of essay and speech writing competitions and sports events were such steps which were leaving a positive impact on education sector and polishing the talent of students through curricular and extra-curricular activities.
He congratulated the parents of the girl students who had received BA and BSc degrees. He advised the students to adopt truth and honesty in their practical life. He said that Fazaia College for Women was playing an important role in imparting education to women and all out assistance would be extended to the institution.
Earlier, the Chief Minister gave away degrees and medals to the students who had completed their education and achieved prominent position in the examination. Air Marshal Wasim-ud-Din, Vice Chancellor Air University Dr Ijaz Malik and Principal Naaz Gul Syed also addressed the function and paid rich tributes to the Chief Minister for taking revolutionary steps for the development of education sector.