A new facility by Pakistan Youth Hostels Association (PYHA) was opened at the historic Katas town in rural Chakwal, marking a valuable addition to the association’s fleet of 17 hostels on Saturday.
Punjab Ombudsman Chairman Khalid Mehmood, while addressing a gathering mostly of local students, described the rural populace as “the real heroes of our society” who, despite facing multiple hardships, work hard to earn their livelihood, give education to their children and contribute to the growth of the economy.
He advised the schoolchildren to follow the footsteps of intellectuals and hardworking honest people rather than making the showbiz and sports personalities their role models.
“There is no dearth of talent in our country. The only thing we have to do is to provide them opportunity and environment to show their talent and skills,” the ombudsman said, referring to the youngest Microsoft certified engineer, Arfa Karim, who died recently.
“Prepare for the future challenges and acquire modern education and knowledge instead of following a traditional ways to achieving objectives in life and becoming part of the status quo,” he advised students. He lauded the initiative of Dera Ghazi Khan Cement in helping PYHA in building the facility and introducing a new technology for producing 10MW electricity, easing burden on the national grid.
The provincial ombudsman also asked the media to highlight positive happenings in the society and not only highlight destructive, gloomy and horrible incidents.
Mahmood, who is the chairperson of Zafar Ali Khan Trust, donated the youth hostel a set of books by Zafar Ali Khan, the renowned journalist, writer and poet who played an important role in the struggle against British imperialism and for independence of the subcontinent. He also announced Rs100,000 for setting up a library in the hostel.
Earlier in his welcome address, the YHA National Secretary Agha Afzal Hussain gave a brief history of the historic importance of Katas Raj and the YHA. He said that the movement started in 1907 from Germany. In 1932 International Federation of Youth Hostels was established and now 5,000 YHAs are members of the federation. In Pakistan, the first hostel was set up in 1951.
The YHA runs 18 hostels which provide a decent accommodation to tourists and visitors, mostly students. Over 50,000 students from all over the country stay in these hostels which provide a platform for them to understand each others’ culture and promote national integration and harmony.
About the Katas hostel, Hussain said the plot was allotted at the historic place for the hostel in 1954, which is around 36 km from Chakwal. It took over 58 years to construct the hotel building at a cost of Rs3.8 million provided by the Youth Hostels Trust. Construction material and expertise was provided by DG Khan Cement which is operating in the area. He thanked the cement company’s operation manager, Arif Bashir, for his personal interest in completing the hostel.
YHA Vice-Chairman Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui spoke about the historical background of Katas and said that it was the place where famous Iranian explorer, intellectual and cartographer Al-Bairuni made the world map. He regretted that the pond near the Hindu temple once used for bathing is now stinking and in a bad shape due to apathy of the department concerned.
He exhorted the Punjab Archaeological and Tourism departments to take steps for the upkeep and maintenance of Katas Raj. “Katas can be a major tourist attraction especially for cultural and religious tourists, if developed and maintained properly,” Dr Siddiqui said. He said that only 50 employees are looking after the historical temple complex.
Nishat Group of Industries Director Operations Dr Arif Bashir, and PYHA General Manager Riaz Ahmed Khan also spoke on the occasion.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2012.
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A great step in the right direction...
Attention: Express Tribune
This news has been posted in the section for Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa News. Please note that Katas is situated in district Chakwal in Punjab Province; it does not fall within Kyber Pakhtoonkhwa.