Peaceful Afghanistan, beneficial for Pakistan: President

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday, re-affirming Pakistan’s continued  support to establish peace in Afghanistan, said peaceful Afghanistan  was beneficial for Pakistan.

The president was addressing a cultural event at Pak-China  Friendship Center. The event ‘Payam-e-Subh’ was organized by  Higher Education Commission (HEC) in context of ‘Allama  Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships Programme for Afghan Nationals’.

He said Pakistan had been contributing in different development areas including education and health for a common goal of establishing  peace and rebuilding Afghanistan.

The president hoped prospects of peace would gradually return to  Afghanistan for which people had to be united. “Afghanistan will remain  our brother and Pakistan wants whatever Afghan people want for their  country”, he added.

The president said Pakistan and Afghanistan had common challenges  of poverty, education, health and terrorism, and added collective efforts  were required to get rid of these issues.

He said both brotherly countries had faced common issue of security.  Pakistan had curbed terrorism with national resolve and had sacrificed  over 70,000 lives in fighting terrorism, he said adding Afghanistan had  also received a huge damage, particularly in the past three decades.  The president said Afghanistan had gone through trails but no one  could subjugate its people.

He said the resilient nations regained peace and prosperity with  unanimous resolve to fight prevailing challenges. “No country in the  world deserves peace as necessary as Afghanistan does,” he  added.

He urged Afghan students, enrolled in Pakistani universities, to  make concrete contribution in rebuilding their country on their return.

He emphasized that Afghan students were the elite class, who  after acquiring higher education, would assume paramount  responsibility of reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.  

The president lauded the efforts of HEC in accommodating and  facilitating an increased number of Afghan students. He also  expressed pleasure that female students’ strength was also  increasing for getting admissions in Pakistani educational  institutions. The president expressed hope that Afghan students would become  good ambassadors of Pakistan in Afghanistan and integral part of  their country’s development.

Reiterating brotherhood between the two countries, the president said  Pakistan had welcomed Afghan refugees at the time when the developed  nations didn’t do so to others. He said Pakistan’s such generosity for  their Afghan brothers in hardship, was a symbol of hospitality, Islam  had ordained.

Earlier, the president inaugurated official logo of Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships for Afghan Nationals. Besides, high-ranked officials from HEC and Afghan embassy, a large number of Afghan students also attended the event.

Furthermore President Dr Arif Alvi Monday urged the members of the Parliament (MPs) to plant at least one tree each to become a role model for the rest of the country. He said this after a detailed briefing given to him about plantation of trees at jurisdictions of Awan-e-Sadr, Parliament House and Cabinet Block.

During the drive, pine, golden shower (Cassia Fistula), orange, peach and loquats will be planted. 

He said the project should be completed speedily with minimum cost. The president said trees plantation at maximum level was very important to tackle climate changes.