Only progress in education to bring about change: Ahsan Iqbal

CHAKDARA: Federal Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday that change couldn’t be brought about by levelling baseless allegations and abusing opponents.

“Progress in the fields of science and technology are the ways to bring about a real change,” he said after performing the ground-breaking of an academic block, student’s teachers and an examination hall at the University of Malakand in Lower Dir district.

The interior minister said that those politicians who introduced the culture of abuse and allegations had disappointed the people.

Ahsan Iqbal said the political commentators, who spread disappointment in talk shows on various television channels, were doing no service to the people.

He said the youth should be equipped with quality education to compete with the developed countries in the race for development and prosperity.

“We would have to promote all sectors and increase our foreign exchange reserves. The nations lagged behind in education and research could not compete in the world,” he added.

Ahsan Iqbal said the countries critical of the policies of the previous government who used to declare Pakistan a failed state were now acknowledging the country’s progress on the economic and other fronts.

The minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government eliminated militancy and loadshedding from the country.

“The PML-N has brought about a real change in the country,” he went on to say.

Ahsan Iqbal said there was time when no investor was willing to invest even US $10,000 in the country. “But now the situation has changed as billions of dollars are being invested under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other projects,” he said, adding, “The journey to rehabilitation and development of the country is a steady and lengthy process and requires hard work, commitment, political stability and continuation of policies.”

Ahsan Iqbal appreciated the role of University of Malakand in promotion of quality education, adding the federal government had increased the budget of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) from Rs13 billion to Rs35 billion.

He said that the incumbent government had approved Rs17 billion projects for various universities, adding, “We are also providing laptops to students to help them in research and get modern day’s education.”

Talking to media, Ahsan Iqbal said the government condemned militancy in all its forms and manifestations. “An act of terrorism is terrorism whether it is carried out in the Army Public School in Peshawar or Kunduz or other city of Afghanistan,” he added.

Earlier, UoM Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Gul Zaman in his welcome address asked the government to help the administration in implementing various projects.

On the occasion, students and faculty members, who had completed research, were given commendation certificates.