Daily Times

Co-chairman of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates Tuesday wrote a letter to President Dr Arif Alvi wherein he lauded the latter’s high-level commitment to protecting the health and well-being of every child in Pakistan.

Bill Gates, also a co-founder of Microsoft, an American businessman and philanthropist, particularly spoke high about the work to secure a polio-free future for generations of children to come. Thanking the president for a warm welcome on his first visit to Pakistan on February 17, this year, he said it was an honour to receive the Hilal-e-Pakistan national award, in recognition of his meritorious services for the people of Pakistan, particularly for the eradication of polio.

“Pakistan has made remarkable progress in the fight against wild polio virus, with no cases for over a year-although circulation of the disease has persisted in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he remarked.

Bill Gates viewed that the president’s continued engagement on polio would go a long way to accelerating Pakistan’s continued progress. He expressed his pleasure in discussing other challenges of vital importance, particularly tackling stunting and malnutrition, access to family planning services and commodities, and effective targeting of social protection programs such as Ehsaas.

“Mr. President, I look forward to a deepening partnership between the Government of Pakistan and our foundation to tackle these and other issues of shared interest. I hope we can speak again soon,” Bill Gates concluded.

Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi said that collective national efforts must be made for the realization of the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state. He urged the need to disseminate information about the struggles and sacrifices of great leaders of the Pakistan movement to educate the younger generations about the ideology of Pakistan.

The president made these remarks while talking to the members of the executive committee of Nazriya e Pakistan Council (Trust), that called on him, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The president appreciated the efforts of the Trust in highlighting the ideology of Pakistan and inculcating the spirit of patriotism in the younger generation. Chairman Nazriya Pakistan Council (NPC) Mian Muhammad Javed, briefed the president that the major aim and objective of the Trust was to spread the message of patriotism and the teachings of Islam. He highlighted that the Trust was undertaking awareness activities throughout the country by holding debates, discussions and symposia about issues and problems confronting Pakistan.