Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) enjoy commonality of views on public issues and hoped that the two parties might contest the future election jointly.
“It seems that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf can join hands with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the next elections,” the prime minister said at the stone laying ceremony of the first-ever public-sector university in Hyderabad here at the PM Office. “PTI and MQM-P have similar ideologies. I always used to think that MQM’s viewpoint – the things that they speak of – is closely aligned with that of PTI,” he said. “Our only problem is that of militancy which we both think is wrong,” he added.
Speaking high of the federal ministers from MQM, the prime minister said Firough Nasim and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui are among the most decent cabinet members. “When our government was formed, these two ministers joined our cabinet. We were afraid of what might happen. But today I will say this: there aren’t any cabinet members more refined than these two,” the prime minister said.
Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said out of 210 million population of Pakistan, 60 percent people are below 30 years of age. The youth can uplift the country if they are educated properly and they can also do otherwise if kept deprived of education. He said education and justice are the key pillars of a successful society. Particularly, he highlighted the importance of higher and technical education to help create employment opportunities in the country.
The prime minister, who earlier unveiled the plaque of the project, congratulated the people of Hyderabad over the groundbreaking of the university and assured all-out support to the ministry concerned for its completion. He said the previous government focused merely on the construction of roads, but he believed that after getting education, the people can help build the country’s infrastructure. He said Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) offered the war prisoners to teach 10 Muslims each against their release, because he realized the importance of education. He said the Holy Prophet (PBUH) did so because he knew that education provides the real security to a nation.
Imran Khan says both parties enjoy commonality of views on public issues
The prime minister said the budget of Singapore University alone is more than that of all the universities in Pakistan. He said as Singapore focused more on higher education and knowledge economy, its exports surged to $330 billion against $240 million of Pakistan. He said Namal University of Mianwali focused on technical education that is why 92 percent of its graduates get jobs soon after completion of their education.
He said despite coming from Urdu-medium background, a record 55 percent of the Namal graduates get first divisions and obtain Bradford degrees.
He questioned as instead of supporting the projects, why some people are resisting the establishment of university in Hyderabad city. He said another private sector university is being set up in Sohawa area of Jhelum to exclusively teach Science and Sufism, where research will be conducted on the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
He said owing to the dearth of religious scholars, Pakistan cannot befittingly argue with the western world after the publication of blasphemous contents against the Holy Prophet (PBUH). However, he said, after the government raised the issue effectively, the European Union court ruled against recurrence of such blasphemous act in the name of freedom of expression.
The prime minister also discouraged the tendency of speaking English in the presence of Urdu speaking audience which he viewed creates inferiority complex among non-English speaking majority of the country.
Law Minister Firough Nasim said PTI and MQM are on same page for the establishment of university in Hyderabad and those opposing it are naive to Islam which started revealing with the word ‘Iqra’ (read).
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said the HEC has forwarded Rs 2 billion project of the university to the ministry concerned. The charter of university is also with the law ministry for consideration. He hoped that the matters related to the acquisition of land will also be resolved soon.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said with the establishment of the university, the longstanding demand of the MQM as well as the people of Hyderabad will stand fulfilled. He said the ministry concerned has agreed to provide the land of the Civil Aviation for the university.
IT Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the groundbreaking of the university has given hope to the people of Pakistan, particularly Hyderabad, which has been fighting for its right to higher education for the last seven decades.
