Poverty, illiteracy main causes of corruption: Mamnoon

THATTA: President Mamnoon Hussain on Saturday said poverty and illiteracy were the main causes of corruption, crime and extremism which could be countered by promoting education at the grassroots level.
An educated future generation could struggle for building a corruption and crime free society in the country, he said while addressing a huge gathering of women here at the Makli Ground held in connection with the inauguration of the Prime Minister’s Waseela-e-Taleem Programme.
The programme was launched by the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in collaboration with Aurat Foundation, and financial assistance of the United Kingdom and other foreign donor.
The president said the Waseela-e-Taleem Proramme could play a pivotal role in promoting education which would ultimately help in eradicating all evils from the country, including corruption and lawlessness. He underlined the need for formation of a comprehensive strategy for providing education to children, particularly girls at primary level as would help achieve rapid development in the country.
He said a strict monitoring system was required for Waseela-e-Taleem Programme so that stipend could reach the deserving children for their education which would not only make them stand on their own feet but also help others.
The President lauded BISP Chairperson Marvi Memon for not only activating the Programme but also motivating women to play their due role for the development of the country.
Flaws in the BISP’s working during past regimes had been removed and now under the leadership of Marvi Memon, the Programme was striving to help the deserving people through launching different projects, he said and assured his support to the BISP chief being the patron-in-chief of the Programme.
The President said the government had been engaged in addressing all the issues being faced by the people, particularly the energy crisis.
A number of projects had been launched, including civil nuclear energy, coal, gas, windmill and solar energy and hopefully power load-shedding would end by 2018, he added.
The country, he said, was confronted with crucial issues because of corruption and lawlessness. The operation Zarb-e-Azb launched by Pakistan Army against terrorists (in tribal areas) and operation for the restoration of law and order in Karachi were bearing fruitful results, ensuring peace in the country.
A team of dedicated persons like Marvi Memon was required for elimination of poverty, corruption and other evils from the country, he added. The President also praised the United Kingdom for providing financial assistance for education and provision of other facilities to the people of Pakistan and hoped that such cooperation would also continue in future.