Karachi: Grand firework shows in different cities of the world incuding Pakistan on the occasion of the New Year night is sheer wastage of money and these precious resources could be used to eliminate hunger and poverty, said Pasban e Pakistan President Altaf Shakoor here Monday.
He said huge funds are wasted on the displays of fireworks in whole word from New York to Karachi on the occasion of New Year night which is nothing but the wastage of resources. He said if the money wasted in these fireworks is spent on reducing hunger and poverty millions of hungry children could be easily fed. He said the international forums like the United Nations should formulate some mechanisms so that the member states use these precious funds on poverty reduction instead of wasting them in fireworks and such other futile activities.
Altaf Shakoor regretted that even in the poor country like Pakistan, people waste funds in fireworks and aerial firing and this negative tradition should be stopped for good. He said in our beloved country millions of people live beneath the poverty line and proper steps should be taken at the collective and individual levels to raise the living standard of poor Pakistanis. He said in this regard the government has to play a major rule by introducing prudent policies aimed at creating more job opportunities.
He said education is the most important factor that could result in a rapid socioeconomic development of Pakistan. He regretted that the government is not opening new universities, professional colleges and technical training institutions to equip the Pakistani youths with the needed education, skills and training to compete in local, regional and international job markets. He said Pasban has been demanding for long that the government should open at least one university in each district. He said similarly to provide better medical education facilities to youth and adequate healthcare coverage to the masses each and every district headquarter hospital of Pakistan should be upgraded to the teaching hospital level.
Altaf Shakoor said Pakistan is an agricultural country but sadly the agriculture is the most neglected sector of our country. He said the government is shying away from introducing modern irrigation and farming technologies in Pakistan. He said we have committed a cardinal sin by not constructing big dams in last three decades. He said the vested interests deliberately made the Kalabagh Dam controversial. He said new dams including the Kalabagh Dam are urgently needed to feed our hungry farmers. He said the government should improve mechanism of water distribution amongst the provinces and nobody would object on the Kalabagh or any other dam. He said the reservations of smaller provinces are on distribution of irrigation water and if the government satisfies them that would get their due share of water they would fully support the Kalabagh Dam. He said there is dire need to revamp the WAPDA and make it a productive agency instead of being a white elephant to devour budget.
He said growing poverty is not only the issue of Pakistan but the whole world and policies should be made on national and international level to reduce poverty and hunger on priority. He said if we shun the negative practices like huge firework displays and aerial firing on the New Year night it could prove the first step towards the lofty goal of poverty reduction.