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Education only means to counter terrorism LAHORE (APP): Senoir Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa has said that the Punjab government has devised a comprehensive plan to fight terrorism through education and 'Danish Schools' would be set up in all the 36 districts of the province to provide free education to the poor children. He was addressing a large gathering of intellectuals, educationists and scholars of Punjabi language at the National Conference "History and Culture of Punjab" held under the auspices of Academy of Letters Pakistan. Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Shahbaz Sharif could not preside over the conference due to bad health. However, his message was read by Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa on the occasion. He said that some elements have maligned the name of the country and ours is known as the "Land of Terrorists" today. The impressionable minds of the children are brainwashed and duped at the madarassahs. The poor parents of these children are obliged to send their children to these madrassahs for free food and education. These children later become a fodder for terrorism, he said. He said that the Punjab government has adopted a tangible policy to counter these subversive elements and terrorism. A 'Danish' school will span over an area of 100 acres. These schools would provide free education, food, clothes and boarding facilities to the poor and the underprivileged children in the province. Commenting on a reference made by a speaker at the conference, he said that the dictators have always compromised on the national issues and deprived Punjab of its rivers in the past which is main reason of the looming water crisis. This could render the plains of Punjab barren, he added. Khosa said that Punjab was once the 'Bread Basket of India'but it was unable to produce enough food for lack of irrigation water. The land of five rivers was deprived of its rivers and their water by the dictators in the past, he said. He alleged that the first dictator, Genearl Ayub Khan, had handed three rivers to the Indians for 12 crore rupees. Later,Gen. Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf allowed India the construction of Salal Dam and Baglihar Dam on river Chenab. He said that the construction of Baglihar Dam by India could stop the water of river Chenab for 29 days while the construction of eight more proposed dams by India above the Baglihar Dam could stop the flow of Chenab water for three months. He said that the punjab government of the Chief Minister, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif believes in patronising art and culture I n the country. The Punjab government would encourage the exchange of regional cultures. The intellectuals, writers and students would be sent to other provinces under exchange programme. The Frontier Post May 28, 2009 |