One Nation, One Agenda: Festival opens with call for peace
The festival will continue till September 8.
PPP Vice President Shaukat Basra praised the PTI for engaging the youth of the country. DESIGN: SUNARA NIZAMI/FILE
LAHORE:
The opening ceremony of the fourth National Youth Peace Festival was held at Ali Auditorium at the Ali Institute of Education here on Thursday.
The festival is being organised by the Chanan Development Association (CDA) in collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDF), Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER) Pakistan and Karachi Youth Initiative.
As many as 500 young people from across the country are expected to come together at the festival themed One Nation, One Agenda; Democracy and Peace.
The opening day’s event included a panel discussion between politicians deliberating over the law and order situation in the country.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Vice President Shaukat Basra praised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for engaging the youth of the country.
“No political party can be complete without representation of the youth,” he said.
Basra said his party was handing over senior leadership to a young leader.
Basra criticised the government’s laptop scheme, saying it was not practical to distribute laptops when a majority of the youth could not afford education.
He urged the government to make education a priority.
He said the law and order situation in the country was deteriorating.
“Our schools and places of worships are under attack. Our country is in a state of war,” he said.
PTI’s MPA Murad Raas was welcomed to the stage with a round of applause.
“The PTI was the first political party to call for including the youth in the democratic process. Young people hold the future of Pakistan in their hands,” he said.
He said violence should strengthen people’s resolve to work for peace.
Referring to the attack on a church in Peshawar, Raas said the attacks were an attempt to derail the peace talks.
He criticised the government for failing to ensure a uniform education system in the country.
He said laptop schemes were not enough to encourage the students.
Leader of Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Faisal Sabzwario of the Muttahhida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said there had been extremism in the society long before US intervention in the region.
He said terrorism in the country was a home-grown menace.
“Pakistan is a security state where a right wing narrative prevails,” he added.
He said the country could not survive without peace.
‘’You cannot find a solution unless you acknowledge the problem. The solution to our problems does not lie in military or armed interventions,” he said.
CDA Executive Director Shahzad Khan requested all politicians to take up the issues relevant to the youth.
The festival will continue till September 28.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2013.
The opening ceremony of the fourth National Youth Peace Festival was held at Ali Auditorium at the Ali Institute of Education here on Thursday.
The festival is being organised by the Chanan Development Association (CDA) in collaboration with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDF), Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER) Pakistan and Karachi Youth Initiative.
As many as 500 young people from across the country are expected to come together at the festival themed One Nation, One Agenda; Democracy and Peace.
The opening day’s event included a panel discussion between politicians deliberating over the law and order situation in the country.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Vice President Shaukat Basra praised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for engaging the youth of the country.
“No political party can be complete without representation of the youth,” he said.
Basra said his party was handing over senior leadership to a young leader.
Basra criticised the government’s laptop scheme, saying it was not practical to distribute laptops when a majority of the youth could not afford education.
He urged the government to make education a priority.
He said the law and order situation in the country was deteriorating.
“Our schools and places of worships are under attack. Our country is in a state of war,” he said.
PTI’s MPA Murad Raas was welcomed to the stage with a round of applause.
“The PTI was the first political party to call for including the youth in the democratic process. Young people hold the future of Pakistan in their hands,” he said.
He said violence should strengthen people’s resolve to work for peace.
Referring to the attack on a church in Peshawar, Raas said the attacks were an attempt to derail the peace talks.
He criticised the government for failing to ensure a uniform education system in the country.
He said laptop schemes were not enough to encourage the students.
Leader of Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Faisal Sabzwario of the Muttahhida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said there had been extremism in the society long before US intervention in the region.
He said terrorism in the country was a home-grown menace.
“Pakistan is a security state where a right wing narrative prevails,” he added.
He said the country could not survive without peace.
‘’You cannot find a solution unless you acknowledge the problem. The solution to our problems does not lie in military or armed interventions,” he said.
CDA Executive Director Shahzad Khan requested all politicians to take up the issues relevant to the youth.
The festival will continue till September 28.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2013.