MULTAN, Nov 30 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday said the victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections in India driven by an extremist ideology and hegemonic ambitions was a serious challenge for Pakistan.
Speaking at the second convocation of Air University here, he said a peaceful neighbourhood and a people centric development agenda was Pakistan’s highest priority.
However, Indian belligerent actions and rhetoric continued to imperil peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia, he added.
Pakistan, he said, had consistently demonstrated in words and actions that it wanted peace in the region. Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor earlier in November, reaffirming the unshakable belief in the Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of Pakistan having interfaith harmony.
At the same time, he added, Pakistan would always remain steadfast in advocating the case of people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) for their inalienable right of self-determination, showing solidarity with them, as they had been resiliently facing inhumane lockdown by the Indian occupation forces for the last 116 days.
He felicitated the graduating students and their proud parents, saying it was a moment of pride for them because they have achieved an important milestone in their lives.
“The students and their families are reaping the fruit of their dedication and sacrifices today,” he noted.
Qureshi said he was delighted to know that about 500 students were graduating on the second convocation of Air University and lauded the progress of the university within a short span of time.
Highlighting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government’s initiatives for the youth, he said it had paid special focus on the enabling young people to become drivers of economic and social growth through innovation and entrepreneurship. The prime minister’s recently launched “Kamyab Jawan” initiative was a step towards uplift of youth to utilize their potentials, he added.
He asked the youth to come up with business plans and benefit from the resources earmarked under the programme.
About the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ measures, Qureshi said they launched science diplomacy hoping that the youth would join hands with the government to become ‘agents of change’.
Earlier, in his speech, VC Faaiz Amir shed light on the university’s achievements, saying one of its scholars had recently brought a laurel for it by topping in a research paper abroad.
He said the varsity ranked 10th in the engineering institutions in Pakistan and they were aspiring to be the leading one in future.
He stated the varsity was offering 11 programmes, including four undergraduate and seven graduate programmes, adding that more than one third of its strength consisted of female students.
Earlier, the foreign minister gave away gold and silver medals to position holders.
Chief of Air staff Air Chief Marshal, Mujahid Anwar Khan, VC Air University Air Vice Marshal (R) Faaiz Amir, Director Multan Campus Dr Ghulam Ali, Bahauddin Zakaria University VC Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi, NFC VC Dr Akhatr Kalroo, Govt Sadiq College Women University VC Dr Saiqa Imtiaz, academicians, graduating students, parents and faculty members attended the convocation.
