Daily Times

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday that it was the duty of every individual, especially the youth, to fight against the miscreants who spread intolerance and misinformation in the society, saying that sustainable development was not possible without peace.

Talking to the participants of Peace, Education and Development Conference held under the auspices of the University of Narowal, at Narowal Sports Gymnasium, he said the biggest challenge faced by Pakistan was propaganda stemmed in misinformation fracturing the very basic ethics and value set of our society.

Ahsan Iqbal said that without peace there would be no sustainable progress and development, adding that the foundation basis of Islam was ‘peace and peace’ only.

The Federal Minister said that in past, unfortunately our politics had become a victim of intolerance and bigotry and even some have used religion to victimize their opponents but salute to the people who rejected such elements with the power of their vote.

He said the purpose of today’s conference was that we had to make this country a citadel of peace as progress and prosperity depend on peace.

Ahsan Iqbal said that today youngsters should dive deep into the reason behind Pakistan’s creation, it was struggle for peace which then was not possible as Muslims felt vulnerable as a minority – Thus, today, it was the duty of every Pakistani to protect it’s minorities and their rights.

He said: “If we want Pakistan to enter top economies then we need to embrace “Mera Pakistan Movement” for each Pakistani working in different sectors, his or her circle of influence is their Pakistan”.

Citing the attack on him in past, the Federal Minister said that today’s event on 6th May marks the sad day when a ‘vulnerable young individual’ fell victim to hate and bigotry propagated by intolerant elements of the society. However, with the grace of Allah Almighty, he survived to champion.

Peace, education and development to prove that hate would always be defeated by positivity, he added.

He said: “When the seeds of prejudice and hatred were planted in the mind of a person, then we have to consciously make every effort to get rid of this hatred so that we are not devoid of rational thinking”.

Today, he said that disinformation had become a big challenge for peace in the world, at this time it was responsibility of every individual to protect ourselves and the people around us from disinformation.

“We have to make our country one of the 10 best economic powers in the world by 2045, so we have to make our country the best country through peace-building, continuity of policies and continuous reforms like other successful countries”, he added.

Ahsan Iqbal said the country was a bouquet, adding “Our Christian brothers said to Britain at the time of Pakistan creation that our vote is with Pakistan, we should be made a part of Pakistan”.

“At the point where we are standing today, Pakistan was heading towards development again and our stock exchange is in a better position today than before,” he observed.

Prof Ahsan Iqbal also congratulated the University of Narowal for the successful organization of the conference.

The conference was attended by well-known Pakistani journalist and columnist Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Ajmal Shami, well-known religious scholar Khurshid Nadeem, Vice Chancellor Medical University Faisalabad Prof Dr Zafar Chaudhry, Director General Islamic Research Institute Islamabad Dr. Zia-ul-Haq, well-known drama writer Sarmad Khoosat, Members National Assembly Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, Member Provincial Assembly Rana Manan Khan, MLA Chaudhry Akmal Sargala, former captain of Pakistan National Cricket Team Abdul Razzaq, prominent social, religious and political personalities.