Moot stresses joint efforts for country’s uplift

LAHORE: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood has said that everyone has to play a role in development and prosperity of the country.

He was addressing a national conference on ‘South Asia: Evolving Challenges and Petitioned Opportunities’ jointly organised by PU Centre for South Asian Studies and Paigham-e-Pakistan here Friday. On this occasion, CSAS Director Prof Dr Naheed Goraya, President Centres of Pakistan International Relations Amna Munawar Awan, senior journalist Syed Moayed Jafri, faculty members, researchers and students were present. In his address, PU VC Dr Khalid Mahmood said that everyone knows the challenges facing the South Asian region and their solutions, but the problem is implementation. He said that researchers and teachers of higher education institutions talk about problems and solutions through research journals and media, which policy makers usually do not value. He said that even the biggest problem of the world can be solved through dialogue. He said that in the age of digital media, access to information has not been a major issue, but instead of increasing harmony, it has increased chaos. He said that educational centres that are aware of the problems need the patronage of government institutions to get them out of the financial crisis, for which the policies should be expedited. He said that the youth are the future of Pakistan, from whom we hope for the betterment of the country. Amna Munawar Awan said that the South Asian region is of worldwide importance due to its geo-political situation. She said that Pakistan-India relations and peace in Afghanistan are essential for the development of the region. She said that this is the era of digital media, to take advantage of which we all have to work on the narrative of Pakistan’s ambassador across the world. She said that the world wanted to do business with us, but the country has chaos. No one is ready to invest due to scarcity, ignorance of emerging technology and weak economic conditions, she added. She said that India is promoting linkages with the Middle East to strengthen the industry. She said that for the development of Pakistan, it is necessary to overcome the leadership crisis and use the capabilities of CPEC, BRI and educated youth. She said that cyberspace warfare is a big challenge for us, which requires cyber experts to deal with it. Syed Moayed Jafri said that change in the society does not come at once, for that one has to work with continuity and unity. He said that democracy can be strengthened by positive changes in Pakistan’s bureaucratic system, teaching methods and curriculum.

Dr Naheed Goraya said that South Asia is a region with 25% of the world’s population, whose problems need to be understood so that appropriate solutions can be found. She said that the region is facing challenges such as proper use of human resources, peace, sustainability, chaos, extremism and terrorism without which development is not possible. She said that the purpose of organising the conference was to highlight these issues so that a better society can be formed. She said that we have to advance the process of dialogue with the world with constructive thinking because peace does not come through force but through understanding.