Photo exhibition marks Pak-German cooperation

Islamabad : To mark the development cooperation between Pakistan and Germany, GIZ Pakistan and the Embassy of Germany jointly launched a photo exhibition on the merged tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) here.

Around 150 representatives of the Khyber-Pakhtun­khwa government and its departments, the German Embassy, the European Union, donor agencies, members of the provincial assembly, implementing and development partners, and academia attended the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition. Noted among the photographers, who contributed to the exhibition, are Abdul Majeed Goraya of Peshawar and Alamgir Khan of Mohm­and tribal district.

Their works showed people following their trades, earning their livelihoods and striving to provide their children with a better future. They also illustrated an emerging local governance system, community development initiatives, women standing up for their rights, and improvements in the education and health sectors. Guest of honour during the event was KP elementary and secondary education minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, who thanked the German government and the European Union for their support to the province for the development of several sectors.

“Our joint work in the areas of good governance, education and health has led to major changes in the lives of the people in tribal districts and contributed to reducing the development lag. Our cooperation has also enhanced public trust in government institutions and has helped to improve public services,” he said. Among the important achievements, he listed improved school curricula, the training of over 5,000 members of parent-teacher councils, capacity development for over 3,000 managers in the health and education sectors, as well as training of several hundred officials of the local government department.

German Ambassador Alfred Grannas said the photo exhibition and its catalogue not only offered vibrant insights into the region’s history and its rich and diverse culture and traditions but also highlighted the lives of the people and their development needs. He pointed out the successful development cooperation between Germany and Pakistan over a period of 60 years and said countless development projects had been implemented during the period.

"This cooperation has, over the decades, been continuously adapted to meet new challenges and changing social, economic and ecological conditions," he said. The ambassador said the FATA Development Programme was also an example of the joint European efforts in the field of development.