Everyone must play its role to keep surroundings clean: minister

Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness and purity while significance of cleanliness and hygiene cannot be overlooked by any society, said the Punjab Environment Minister Muhammad Rizwan. While talking to a high-level delegation of National Peace Committee for Inter-faith Harmony led by Dr. Allama Syed Ayaz Zaheer Hashmi, the Minister said that purpose of the meeting was to ensure the participation of spiritual leaders from different religions in Prime Minister's Clean and Green Program and to present the recommendations in this regard.
While admiring the recommendations of the delegation, the provincial minister said Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness and purity, both physically and spiritually. More importantly, cleanliness is termed an indispensable fundamental of faith. However, this fundamental and powerful tenet of our faith, unfortunately, is not reflected in our society practically. Serious reflection is required on our individual as well as collective practices in order to make this valuable principle of Islam part of our lives.
He said that climate change has become a global issue because it is affecting human lives directly. "After terrorism, climate change is our biggest challenge. In order to avoid the repercussions of climate change, we need to take practical steps on a war footing and give awareness to the people that environmental pollution is one of the biggest challenges that Pakistan is facing these days", he added. He stressed that in order to control environmental pollution; everyone in society must play its role and keep the surroundings clean in order to overcome the negative impacts of climate change. "It is our responsibility to provide clean environment to the new generation. Likewise, it is also important to give awareness to the young generation regarding tree plantation", he added.
The provincial minister said that the need of the hour is to revise the curriculum and add chapters related to environmental pollution and degradation in it which may help provide civic education and train the younger generations of a society. "Without the guidance and support of religious scholars, we cannot progress and develop therefore, it is very important that the religious scholars must also play their part and educate the people regarding the importance of cleanliness and how environmental pollution is dangerous for all of us", he added.
He said that since every faith and civilization stresses the importance of cleanliness therefore, the spiritual leaders must give awareness to the people regarding cleanliness in their worship places.