By: Our Correspondent
LAHORE: Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib and PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal addressed the closing ceremony of 11th National Youth Peace Festival 2021 in Lahore via video link. The two-day festival was organized by Chanan Development Association and Punjab Ombudsperson in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy and Aman Rang with the theme “Leveraging Youth Power for Democracy, Peace and Sustainable Development”.
In his address, Farrukh Habib congratulated CDA on hosting the festival. He said that “the present government has set up a National Youth Council for the development of youth and Kamyab Jawan program of the Prime Minister is providing employment opportunities for the youth for which a fund of Rs. 100 billion has been set up. So far 25,000 loans have been disbursed while 150,000 youth scholarships have been provided through the Ehsas program”. “Young people should not be part of any violent activities. They should stand with the democratic system and be part of the political process, especially in local government elections,” he added.
Addressing the event, Ahsan Iqbal said, “Pakistan’s real strength and future depends on the youth. If we give direction to youth, it will be an asset to the country and if we fail to provide health, education and employment opportunities, it will be a disaster.” He also said that “the basis for strengthening any state is not force, coercion and weapon but the relationship between the state and the citizens is strengthened by values such as justice, protection and respect for fundamental rights.” “Pakistan is a diverse and multi-religious country and it is our duty to ensure that the minorities living in Pakistan do not feel insecure. It is imperative that we eradicate all forms of prejudice and hatred from society. We must not make anyone our enemy on the basis of mere disagreement”, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Shehzad Khan (Executive Director – Chanan Development Association) said that the platform of the Youth Peace Festival helps in empowering the youth to play a key role in the development of the country. Other speakers included Irfan Mufti, Iftikhar Mubarak, Rizwan Jaffer, Asim Nawaz Abbassi, Sabiha Shaheen, Dr. Mohsin Gul, Sadia Rehman, Larib Abid, Shahid Rehmat, Khabeeb Kayani and Muhammad Tehseen also spoke at the event.