Student convention: PTI will impose ‘state of emergency’ in education’

Tareen says youth support gave hope to veteran politicians.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will impose a state of emergency in education and make a uniform curriculum for rich and poor if it comes to power, PTI Punjab President Ahsan Rashid said on Wednesday at the fist Insaf Students Federation (ISF) convention at Awain-i-Iqbal on Wednesday.

Rashid said that while India spent 6 per cent of GDP on education, Pakistan spent just 1.3 per cent of GDP on education, one of the lowest rates in the world. Addressing the crowd of students from schools all over Lahore, he said that they represented the future of the party and the country and the PTI would give them a chance to lead.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was to be the chief guest at the ‘Mashal-i-Inqilaab’ convention, but he was unable to make it so former federal ministers Jehangir Tareen and Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri took his place.

Kasuri urged the students to get behind Imran Khan and help the country progress. He said while the parties in power had to get help from patwaris to bring people to their rallies, people came to PTI rallies of their own volition. He said Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s comments about the theft of chairs following the PTI rally in Kasur on Tuesday were “shameful”.

Tareen said in his speech that young people formed the basis of PTI’s support and their enthusiasm had given hope to the senior politicians joining the party.

PTI Women’s Wing President Fauzia Kasuri said the ISF had come out for rallies every time Imran Khan had called it. She said the students were the backbone of the party.

ISF Pakistan President Hassan Khan said Imran Khan had established the party to save Pakistan and it took him 16 years to do so with the support of the youth. Hafiz Farhat Abbas, former ISF chairman, said the student federation had become “an undefeatable force”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2011.