Livestock development: Bahawalpur to have modern veterinary university, says CM

Shabaz says 1,000-acre campus will be set up with the help of Turkish university.

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday that a modern Veterinary and Animal Sciences University would be set up in Bahawalpur.

Presiding over a meeting on livestock and dairy development, the chief minister said the university would be set up within a year with the cooperation of Seluck University of Turkey.

Sharif said advanced veterinary courses would be offered at the university to be set up over 1,000 acres.

He said a livestock company would also be set up in the Punjab for the livestock and dairy development.

The chief minister said the livestock and dairy sector was the backbone of the national economy and it could be strengthened with the cooperation of the private sector.

He said an improved livestock sector could help overcome poverty and unemployment.

“A large portion of the rural population is associated with livestock and dairy development… the rural economy can be uplifted if we develop this sector,” he said.

Sharif said international consultants should be hired to ensure proper vaccination of the livestock, and help set up the university.

Livestock experts who had recently visited Turkey apprised the meeting of their experiences there. They said an agreement had been signed with the Seluck University to set up a veterinary university in Bahawalpur.

Ministers Rana Sanaullah Khan, Chaudhry Muhammad Shafique, Iqbal Channar and Adviser to Chief Minister on Livestock Chaudhry Arshad Jatt attended the meeting.

Separately, Sharif met Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Hiroshi Inomata and discussed bilateral relations and cooperation in different sectors.

The chief minister said the rapid progress made by Japan was a role model for others.

He said “revolutionary” steps were being taken to empower the youth who he said accounted for more than 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population.

He said 40,000 youths had been imparted training under a skills development programme.

“The programme, started in four districts of southern Punjab, has been extended to 18 other districts,” he said.

He urged Japan to cooperate with the Punjab government in skill development and other sectors.

Ambassador Inomata praised the government for taking steps for the progress of the province. He said Japan wanted to extend cooperation to the Punjab government in vocational education.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2014.