Terrorism is biggest challenge for Pakistan: Punjab Governor

Chaudry Muhammad Sarawar highlights role of media and intellectuals in overcoming the nation's problems.

LAHORE: The Governor of Punjab, Chaudry Muhammad Sarwar, has said that the biggest challenge the country is currently facing is terrorism and a comprehensive strategy and country-wide effort is needed to eradicate it.

According to the governor, the country’s press, a fourth pillar of the state, played a pivotal role in the effort to eradicate terrorism and contributions from writers, journalists, scholars, columnists and those belonging to the fine arts are crucial.

He expressed these views while addressing a delegation from the Press Council of International Affairs who met him at the Governor House a few days earlier.

Prominent names like Zia Shahid, Asadullah Ghalib, Akram Shaheedi, Azmat Shaikh, Dr Shafique Jalandhri and Professor Muhammad Qutab were present.

The governor said that whenever Pakistan had faced an issue undermining its sovereignty, the intellectual class deployed its pens as swords and worked to protect their country. Furthermore, to this day it has thus been their national duty to counter the nefarious designs of terrorists, he said.

Sarwar announced that education is first and foremost in the list of his national priorities. He is planning strategies to provide one million children with basic education each year, and claimed the spread of education is the only method by which the nation can secure the future of upcoming generations and bring social and economic revolution.