Youth film, peace festivals start

LAHORE: A two-day ‘National Tax Justice Youth Film Festival’ and National Youth Peace Festival 2018 with theme ‘youth, peace and sustainable development' began here on Tuesday at a private institute of education.

The objective of the festivals is to create awareness among university students and youths to encourage ‘direct tax’ culture in the country instead of burdening the poor segments of the country with additional taxes like sales tax, value-added tax, income tax and petroleum levies.

Over 500 young people from across the country participated in festival. University students from all over the country participated in film festival and 19 short-films and documentaries were shortlisted to be screened for contest with content theme to depict and highlight tax-related miseries of the people and misuse of tax collection on part of elite leadership. Programme Director Oxfam Pakistan Adeel Qaiser said: “Pro-poor tax laws and legislation along with a fair tax system can only lead to better Pakistan." Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik, MPAs Sania Aashiq and Uzma Kardar lauded the organisers of the festival. Renowned singer and social activist Jawad Ahmed said that in Pakistan, political leadership was doing politics in the name of poor public.