Youth urged to follow Quaid-e-Azam’s principles

Adviser to Prime Minister for Institutional Reforms & Austerity Dr Ishrat Husain on Tuesday urged the youth to follow Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s principles to take the country on the path of progress and prosperity.

Dr Husain was the chief guest of the inauguration ceremony of a special exhibition titled ‘Portraits of Quaid-e-Azam by Prof Saeed Akhtar’ that was organised by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) at its head office in connection with Jinnah’s 142nd birth anniversary.

The adviser said that over 50 per cent of the country’s population consists of youth and they should follow the three golden principles of the Father of the Nation: unity, faith and discipline. Expressing his pleasure that the SBP celebrated Jinnah’s birth anniversary in a unique way, he said the youth should be made aware of the Quaid’s struggle through art and they should be provided opportunities to explore their skills in that field.

Paying tribute to the nation’s founder, the premier’s adviser cited Stanley Wolpert’s quote: “Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”

Dr Hussain, a former governor of the SBP, said the State Bank should organise such exhibitions in other cities of the country as well. He also appreciated Prof Akhtar’s efforts for restoring the portraits.

He recalled the foundation laying of the SBP museum during his tenure as the State Bank governor and expressed gratitude that after him all the governors continued the work on the museum.

Earlier, in his welcome address, SBP Governor Tariq Bajwa said the main objective behind organising the exhibition was to express the affection for the Father of the Nation on his birth anniversary. “We all should follow the principles of the Quaid.”

Bajwa quoted a few words from Jinnah’s speech delivered at the inauguration of the SBP on July 1, 1948: “I need hardly dilate on the important role that the State Bank will have to play in regulating the economic life of our country.

“The monetary policy of the bank will have a direct bearing on our trade and commerce, both inside Pakistan as well as with the outside world, and it is only to be desired that your policy should encourage maximum production and a free flow of trade.”

The State Bank governor said the SBP is playing a pivotal role in the preservation of national heritage. He said the SBP’s Museum & Art Gallery was inaugurated on July 1, 2011, with one of its main objectives being the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.

Bajwa said that in a very short span of time the museum has become member of international forums in the field of museology. He said the museum will be taken to the next level and this exhibition was the first step in this direction.

Praising the work of Prof Akhtar, he said the man had spent his life making the Quaid’s portraits. He said that various artists from Karachi will also be invited to exhibit their work. Addressing the ceremony, Prof Akhtar highlighted the significant events of his career. He shared the details of painting the portrait of the Quaid-e-Azam in 1970 for the newly-built National Assembly building in Islamabad, which, he said, was his most important work to date. He said Jinnah’s portraits need to be restored to preserve them.

Jinnah’s portraits were brought from different important government buildings, including the Nadra Office in Islamabad, the Sindh and Punjab governor houses in Karachi and Lahore, the

Punjab Assembly in Lahore, the Staff College Quetta, the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul, the Sindh Chief Minister House in Karachi and the Saeed Akhtar Studios in Lahore.

Prof Akhtar, the master portrait maker born in 1938 in Gakhar, Pakistan, is the recipient of the country’s esteemed civilian awards, including the Sitara-e-Imtiaz 2012 and the Pride of Performance 1994.

The celebrated contemporary artist graduated from Lahore’s National College of Arts in 1960 and later began teaching at his alma mater. He proved to be one of Shakir Ali’s best students. Prof Akhtar has been playing an iconic role in the promotion of art and art education in the country.