Collective responsibility: Defeating the extremist mindset essential, says Shahbaz

CM forms committee to improve security for universities

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Thursday protecting students and teachers at universities was a collective responsibility.

“The provincial government has been spending huge amounts on providing security to educational institutions across the province,” the chief minister told a meeting of vice chancellors.

Sharif said that no effort should be spared towards protection of students and teachers. He assured the participants of the meeting that the government would extend all-out support for the purpose.

The chief minister said a joint action committee was being set up to improve security arrangements at the universities. He said that the ministers concerned, government officials and vice chancellors would be its members. “The committee will be financially and administratively autonomous,” Sharif said.

He said the country’s war on terrorism aimed at defeating the extremist mindset. “This war will have to be fought on the ideological front,” the chief minster said. Sharif stressed the need for a counter-terrorism narrative to bring about peace in the country. Universities will have to play a crucial role in developing such a narrative, he said. The chief minister said that making the society safe and peaceful was the mission of every Pakistani. All-out efforts will be made to achieve the goal, he said. Sharif called for unity to defeat the country’s enemies.

He directed the administrations of universities to strictly enforce the security plan. Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah and Rana Mashhood Ahmed, Chief Minister’s Special Assistant Rana Maqbool, MPA Jehangir Khanzada, Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal, the IGP, the home secretary and the Punjab Higher Education Commission chairman attended the meeting.

Health strategy

The chief minister chaired a meeting to review a strategy aimed at improving public health facilities.

“The plan is the most important element of the Punjab’s development strategy,” Sharif said. He said that besides primary and secondary healthcare, there was need to focus on the provision of best treatment facilities at all hospitals. He stressed the need for adopting preventive measures against communicable diseases. He praised the Health Department for effectively implementing its immunisation programmes.

Sharif ordered that recommendations with regard to implementation of the health strategy be made within three weeks. The chief minister praised Parliamentary Secretary on Health Khwaja Imran Nazir for launching a crackdown on the sale of spurious and substandard drugs.

Earlier, the primary and secondary health secretary briefed the chief minister about the salient features of the health strategy. Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Chief Minister’s Adviser Ijaz Nabi, MPA Muhammad Kashif and the chief secretary attended the meeting. The Planning and Development Board chairman also attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2016.