Seminar at University of Swat: Students sensitised on importance of voting process

MINGORA: Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday shed light on the importance of voting in the electoral process and asked the young voters to play their role in promoting democratic values.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had arranged the seminar in collaboration with the ‘Chiragh Se Chiragh’ project and the Department of Media and Communication Studies, University of Swat.

The students from different departments participated in the seminar held at the Central Library of the University of Swat. The seminar titled “Youth Voter Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” was aimed at educating the students on the importance of voting in the election process, whereas the young voters were urged to play their role in promoting a peaceful election process.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Vice-Chancellor, University of Swat, Prof Dr Hassan Sher said that youth, particularly students of universities, were the main stakeholders of democratic system, adding that they would have to play their role in the election process.

“It is the responsibility of each individual, especially the students to cast their votes as a national obligation,” he maintained. The vice-chancellor said that in Pakistan the majority of voters fell in the category of ‘youth’, adding that educated youth should communicate the message of peace, especially at the time of elections, to the general public.

Regional Election Commissioner Fazal Hakeem Khan, District Election Commissioner Swat Faridullah Khattak, Assistant Director Gender and Social Inclusion ECP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Syed Aun Ahmad, Program Officer IFES Ambreen Kanwal and In-charge Department of Media and Communication Studies, University of Swat, Dr Jamaluddin spoke on the occasion and highlighted the importance of voting process and voter education for the students of higher educational institutions.