ISLAMABAD, JAN 11 /DNA/ – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the exchange of MoUs between Muslim World League and OIC, at the International Conference on Girls’ Education in Islamabad on January 11, 2025.

ISLAMABAD, JAN 11 (APP/DNA): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday called upon the global and local organizations, philanthropists and entrepreneurs to join them in creating scalable and sustainable opportunities for ensuring education to the women.

Addressing a two-day International Conference on “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities,” as a chief guest, the prime minister said that in the next decade, millions of young girls would enter the jobs market with immense prospects for social and economic prosperity.

“As they do so, they have the potential to not just lift themselves, their families and the nation out of the poverty but also to enrich the global economy, new markets and find innovative solutions to their shared challenges,” he observed.

The prime minister also stressed that they should assure the womenfolk that their rights should be respected and their ambitions be met, besides, no cultural or social impediment stood in the way of achieving their dreams.

He said despite their rich legacy, the Islamic world, including Pakistan, was facing numerous challenges in ensuring actable access to education for girls, adding that denying education to girls, amounted to denying their rights and voice and denying them their right to bright future.

In Pakistan, the prime minister said the women made half of the total population, yet the female literacy rate stood at 49 percent only, while alarmingly around 22.8 million children, with age bracket of five to eight years, were out of schools, including a proportionate number of girls.

The inadequate infrastructure, safety concerns, as well as deeply entrenched societal norms further exacerbated the issue, creating a cycle of deprivation, spanning over spans of generations, he regretted.

The prime minister said the founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a strong advocate for women’s role in the national building.

He had stated “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you,” and advised that the magnitude of these problems might be considerable but they should keep fighting for their cause by committing resources and raising their voice.

The prime minister further elaborated that the one of the major steps to addressing the educational disparities in Pakistan was the establishment of Danish schools during his tenure as chief minister Punjab.

It was a unique initiative to provide quality education to the deprived population to the unprivileged students in the under-developed rural areas. Without this opportunity, their talent would have been lost in the dusty streets of their remote villages, he added.

The prime minister said this initiative was now replicated in different far-flung areas of Pakistan, paving way for promising and inclusive future.

He also expressed his satisfaction over the presence of girl students, present in the ceremony, who had graduated from these schools.

Their presence was a testimony to their efforts and culmination of a collective dream as these students embodied the hope and nation’s bright future, he added.

The prime minister said through the youth programmes, the government was committed to providing quality education and creating jobs and offering meaningful opportunities which included, scholarships, vocational training and demand-driven skills in AI, data and cyber security etc; as well as, provision of free laptops to the high achievers.

He said the pursuit of knowledge was the sacred duty of every Muslim regardless of gender as emphasised upon by the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

His all-inspiring message was preached in the society which was still in darkness and in denial of the basic rights to women, and to address these grave injustices, Islam introduced a transformed social paradigm which declared the pursuit of knowledge as the true measure of social development, he added.

The prime minister said history witnessed to the resilience and determination of women who thrived in the limited spaces afforded to them, breaking the shackles of societal servitude and leaving their deep marks on the society from the early days of Islamic history and cited Hazrat Khadijah (RA) who stood an inspiring example of a successful businesswoman.

At home, he said they celebrated, Mohtarma Fatema Jinnah, the mother of the nation, who stood shoulder to shoulder with her brother Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah while spearheading the Pakistan’s Movement.

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto broke the political ceilings to become the first female prime minister in the Muslim world, inspiring and paving the way for the women at all levels, he added.

The prime minister also mentioned late Arfa Kareem who made the history as the youngest Microsoft certified professional at the tender age of nine years.

Today, he said the dynamic political leaders like Maryam Nawaz, the first chief minister in Pakistan was leading any province and continuing to inspire women in the political, social and economic empowerment.

The prime minister also expressed his gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for their support and patronage of the conference.

He also extended gratitude to the Muslim World League for its unwavering commitment to education.

The prime minister also announced the signing of Islamabad declaration in line with the UNSC objectives and as a collective aspiration of the ummah.

The conference aims at addressing the challenges and opportunities in advancing girls’ education across Muslim communities worldwide; foster dialogue; and find actionable solutions to address the challenges.

The event has brought together over 150 international dignitaries, including ministers, ambassadors, scholars and academia from 44 Muslim and friendly countries, OIC Secretary General, General Secretary Muslim World League, representatives from the international organizations including UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.

ISLAMABAD, JAN 11: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari inaugurated the first section of the highly anticipated Malir Expressway on Saturday, the largest public-private partnership (PPP) project in Sindh.

The Sindh government named the newly-constructed high-speed corridor after PPP founder “Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto”.

Bilawal drove his vehicle himself with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on the state-of-the-art corridor, featuring a three-lane dual-carriageway with modern and access-controlled infrastructure, and also paid a toll tax of Rs100.

The inauguration ceremony was organised at the Qayyumabad Interchange of the expressway.

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.

ISLAMABAD, JAN 11 /DNA/ – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 met with the OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha @OIC_OCI today.

The DPM/FM while welcoming the OIC Secretary General to Pakistan:

* expressed his appreciation for high level participation from the OIC in the International Conference on “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities”.

* discussed the situation in Gaza and the Middle East, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Afghanistan, Islamophobia, discrimination and violence against muslims across the globe and the role of the OIC in that regard.

* commended the OIC’s principled stance and unwavering support for the just struggle of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination and expressed his appreciation for the appointment of OIC’s Special Envoy on Islamophobia.

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman has criticised the establishment, saying that its behaviour remains unchanged, as it disregards the notions of right and wrong and focuses solely on retaining authority.

“Their only concern is maintaining their power. The establishment ridicules the people’s vote so why shouldn’t the public mock the establishment in return?” he said during a press conference in Karachi on Saturday.

Fazl asserted that the establishment’s claims of being apolitical were inherently political and remarked: “Even martial law regimes have managed to complete their terms in power”.

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The JUI-F chief also highlighted a specific instance of electoral interference, saying: “They ensured the victory of a candidate who couldn’t win even a single polling station. Such practices continue to erode the sanctity of democracy and the constitution”.

The veteran politician further expressed disappointment with politicians who, in his view, compromise on democracy, constitutional principles, and basic values.

“Our grievances with political leaders who fail to uphold democratic norms and are only interested in vested in their own rule,” he lamented.

His remarks come as the religio-political party has protested against the alleged alteration of results in the by-election for Balochistan Assembly’s PB-45 constituency.

The recently held by-polls saw Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate Haji Ali Madad Jatak winning by securing 6,883 votes followed by Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Nasrullah Khan Barech in the second place with 4,122 votes.

JUI-F’s candidate Mir Muhammad Usman Pirkani managed to secure 3,731 votes to secure third place.

On other matters, Fazl mentioned that all national issues should be resolved through consensus.

“We have to improve the country’s [existing] system,” he said.

Speaking on education reforms, the JUI-F leader said that parliamentary legislation has already been enacted to regulate and register madrassas, and acknowledged that relief had been provided in their registration process through a presidential ordinance.

“We do not object to these reforms, but we must ensure they respect the autonomy of these institutions,” he emphasised.

Regarding recent developments, the politico revealed that his meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was of a personal nature.

“He often visits my residence, and our discussions remain private,” he clarified.

Commenting on the economy, he urged for transparency, saying: “The truth about the nation’s economic condition must be revealed”.

Reiterating his respect for Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Fazl took a jibe at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and said: “Though he is the federal minister for education, he often comes to my house to ‘study’ various issues.”