Educational reforms stressed to foster nation-building

Islamabad :Calling educational reforms imperative for achieving key national objectives and safeguarding Pakistan’s interests, members of the National Academic Council of the Institute of Policy Studies unanimously emphasised that such measures would also play a part in mitigating sub-nationalist fragmentation and class divide in the country to foster the nation-building process effectively.

They were deliberating on key issues the country is faced with during the annual meeting of IPS-NAC – an assembly of renowned scholars, academic leaders and experienced practitioners in diverse disciplines brought together on one platform by the Institute to help steer its research work with their guidance and feedback.

The IPS-NAC meeting was chaired by IPS executive president Khalid Rahman and was attended and addressed by former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan Mirza, former water and power secretary Hamid Hasan, former finance secretary Dr Waqar Masood, former chief economist at the Planning Commission Fasihuddin, member of the Federal Public Service Commission Dr Sarah Safdar, Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunnat Pakistan leader Mufti Muneebur Rehman, former PML-N senator Barrister Saadia Abbasi, vice-chancellor of the Riphah International University Prof. Dr. Anis Ahmad, Council of Islamic Ideology member Dr Syed Mohammad Anwer, vice-chancellor of the University of Sindh Prof Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat, vice-chancellor of the Muslim Youth University Dr Syed Tahir Hijazi, defence analyst Air Commodore (r) Khalid Iqbal, former chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters Dr Qasim Bughio, and former president of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Amanullah Khan.

The panellists were of the view that Pakistan’s challenges of Foreign Policy had increased manifold off late as now it needed to balance its relations with China vs America and Iran vs Saudi Arabia simultaneously.

They said the siege of Indian Held Kashmir had complicated the matters even further but that offered an opportunity to Pakistan to apprise the international community of the humanitarian crisis in the region.