Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said they were laying foundation for a true democratic system in the country in which every ruler would be held accountable by the public as they would have no luxury to fritter away the public money for their personal gains.
Addressing 6th Convocation of the Namal College as the chief guest, the Prime Minister compared the despotic regimes with that of the democratic system and said the West progressed due to continuity of the democratic system which had merits.
He said Pakistan was created under an objective and that was to follow the great principles of Riasat-e-Madina and the ideals of its founders Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.
The Riasat-e-Madina had laid the foundation of the first modern welfare state in the world in which there was parity among all the citizens, who enjoyed complete religious freedom, whereas the rulers were held accountable, he added. The Prime Minister said the Muslims laid the foundation of the world's greatest civilization on the basis of Riasat-e-Madina.
But the Muslims lost the glory when they deviated from their basic principles, he said and cited the fall of Mughal and other Muslim empires ruled by the kings while the West gained by enacting the Magna Carta, which attempted to hold the rulers accountable.
Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, ministers, Special Assistant to the PM on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq, academia, management staff, parents and students of Namal College were also present in the ceremony.
The Prime Minister said the people could rise to the heights if they had foundations in their culture, but if an alien culture was imposed upon them, they developed slavish thoughts and found themselves lowly. Only independent minds could rise, he said.
The Prime Minister said in Pakistan, military dictators also introduced Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in the power corridors. The former had struggled a lot, but the latter was first made a chief minister and then the way was paved for him to become a prime minister on the basis of formation of IJI (Islami Jamhoori Ittehad), he added.
Referring to Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif's criticism of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, the Prime Minister reiterated his confidence that unlike his predecessor, Buzdar would emerge as the best chief executive of the province.
Buzdar, he said, would not misuse his office for setting up sugar mills or amass wealth. "He neither uses huge protocol nor flies in special planes. His son-in-law is not an absconder. He will not go abroad for his treatment rather he will set up quality hospitals in the province."
Chief Minister Buzdar, he added, belonged to the tribal areas, which lacked basic amenities, including power supply and hospitals. He was cognizant of the issues and was in the best position to tackle them.
On the other hand, he said, Shehbaz had assumed the charge of party affairs by default in clear reference to disqualification and jail sentence of his elder brother.
The Prime Minister, also in a vague allusion to the Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairmen, said on the other hand, a father and his son were carrying papers to claim that they had inherited the party.
He further said China had made its 400 ministers accountable on the corruption charges. "President Xi rose to prominence with his 30 years long struggle whereas Premier Li also had the same lifelong efforts in the political life because the country had the basis for merit," he added.
The Prime Minister said under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the country was now heading towards such merits and expressed the confidence that Pakistan would soon rise economically.
Referring to the Riasat-e-Madina, he further said its principles were rooted to lift the down and under, besides special stress was made upon seeking education 'even if it was in China'. Seeking of education was equated with performing of a religious duty.
Narrating the long political struggle of the PTI, he said life never marched on the straight line as there were ups and downs. A successful person never nurtured for fears from his failures rather he took the bull by the horns. The Prime Minister reminded the students that they had the immense potential to excel in life.
"The challenges in life will give you courage to face them by using the hidden innate talents. Hard times can challenge you and there will be ups and downs, but the university education will equip you to better analyze yourself," he added.
The Prime Minister, who is also the chairman of Namal College, advised the students that they should have no such objectives to amass money as the people, who had the eyes on same goals, were never witnessed enjoying a happy life.
"You have to always ask yourself what was the purpose of your birth," he said reminding the students to serve the humanity instead pursuing their personal gains and reject the materialistic view.
He cited a report that the 62 richest persons in the world owned the same amount of money as 3.5 billion people on earth had and questioned what was the use of such money!
The Prime Minister said Pakistan was blessed with huge natural and mineral resources but in the past, no pains were made to explore them. Even the investors had to flee the country due to rampant corruption. "Most of us did not know how much we are gifted with."
Referring to a speech of Professor Hill's, he said California could produce in abundance despite inadequate water availability. He said by proper mechanism and modern techniques, Pakistan could be able to export its crops. He also stressed upon proper exploration of mineral resources including oil and gas.
Pakistan stood at seven among the top ten countries producing dairy products, but still the country was importing dry milk from abroad because the famers did not know the latest techniques, he noted.
The Prime Minister further said the new era was based upon artificial intelligence and pronounced that Namal would become pioneer in the latest technologies.
He also expressed the confidence that the Namal would soon emerge as the latest knowledge based institution and serve as a model for other institutions. The Prime Minister also congratulated the parents and expressed the optimism that the degrees earned by students would help them carving out their career besides, economically bolstering their families.
He also thanked those people, who had contributed for the university despite criticism and lack of resources, and also mentioned contributions of Rehman Mir, Ameer Musarat and the two visiting Professors Ashar Aziz and James Hill.
Addressing the ceremony, Chairman and CEO at SkyElectric Inc. Ashar Aziz said the event marked the end of the students' academic career and onset of practical life wherein they would have to be ready to face multiple challenges.
He said the pace of technological developments was accelerating, so they should equip themselves to join the race. Terming the opportunities the flip side of the problem, Aziz said Pakistan was rich in opportunities and the new graduates must opt for innovations to resolve their issues in practical life.
While narrating the ups and downs in his own professional life, he urged the youngsters to gain strength to face the failure and overcome it. Associate Dean Emeritus College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences UC Davis Dr James E Hill highlighted the immense potential of Pakistan in the agriculture sector.
He said Pakistan with four times of cultivable land and ample water resources, could eradicate poverty by using innovative technologies in the agriculture sector.
He said it was an era of nexus between the electrical engineering, computer sciences and agriculture technology. The use of technology would also save plenty of resources and avert wastage of inputs, he added.
Vice Chairman Board of Governors of Namal College Sikandar Mustafa Khan congratulated all the 75 graduating students and their parents. He said the Namal had also been awarded the status of a degree awarding institution that would end its dependence on Bradford University and UET (University of Engineering and Technology) Lahore.
He said the university was also expanding its infrastructure as an academic block had been constructed while a residency for the faculty would be completed within two months.
He urged the passing out students to act as ambassadors of the college as well as the country while pursuing their professional career anywhere. Director Namal College Shahbaz H Syed said the brainchild of Imran Khan was growing fast courtesy to the generous support from donors, which enabled it teach almost 97 percent of its students on scholarships.
He said the college was also teaching its students the social responsibility values like blood donation, environment protection, teaching the poor students and other social welfare works. He said the ratio of female students had increased after the college waived off the hostel fee for them.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the academic block in the Namal Knowledge City. Earlier, the Prime Minister as Chairman Board of Governors of Namal College also chaired its meeting.
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