Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Sunday all the deposed judges, including Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, would be restored and complete freedom to the press ensured.
Inaugurating the Namal College at Namal, some 35 kilometres from here, he said his family had the distinction of having set up education institutions and hospitals. He said when he could not spare time even for Multan, he was very happy to address the people in Mianwali. Gilani granted 30 million rupees for the construction of the college hostel. He also promised to send the minister for tourism to the place to set up a national park at the Namal Lake.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Education Ahsan Iqbal said President Musharraf had spent Rs 5.1 billion for the purchase of military weapons when India spent 3.2 billion rupees for the purpose. He claimed it was a waste of the national exchequer. Instead, he said, the government should have spent the huge amount on education and health.
He quoted the example of the UK and Germany, which were destroyed after the Second World War but were later rebuilt in 10 years’ time because of their educated human resource. He said the previous government, despite tall claims, could not increase the funding for education.
“During our democratic government in 1998, the allocation in education sector was 2.4 per cent of the GNP, which was reduced to 1.8 per cent later and eventually Pakistan emerged 136th out of 177 countries in terms of literacy,” he said.
He said the new education policy had been finalised to provide equal opportunities to the poor so that they could get admission for their children to medical and engineering colleges. Ahsan said they had decided to open one school each for boys and girls in each union council to promote education. He said all the high schools would have a modern science laboratory and a computer lab. The education minister said around 40 to 50 lakh children were not going to schools and the government had set a target that every child should go to school by 2010.
Imran Khan, in his welcome address, said that during his election campaign in 2002, he noticed abject poverty and unskilled youth so he decided to set up a university here to produce skilled persons. He said the people of Kalari had given him free land and he wanted to set up a knowledge city at Namal. Khan said the Namal College, to be upgraded in four phases, had been affiliated to the Bradford University. The first phase due this month would introduce diploma preparatory courses for which around 75 students had been granted admission. In the second phase, diploma courses in different technologies would be conducted, in the third phase degree courses would be offered while in the final phase postgraduate courses would be arranged.
He said he would tour Europe to raise fund for the Namal College. Bradford University representative Ms Ellison also addressed the gathering and promised to provide all assistance to the college. Cricketer Wasim Akram was among many other cricketers who attended the ceremony.
More than 4,000 people were present to listen to Gilani and Ahsan Iqbal. Meanwhile, inaugurating a trauma centre here, Gilani said his father Syed Alamdar Hussain Gilani, when he was the Punjab health minister, laid the foundation stone of the Mianwali District Headquarters Hospital in 1955 and after 55 years he was inaugurating the trauma centre. He praised PPP Senator Ghulam Akbar Khawaja for building the Sikana Gynaecology Hospital and an academic block here.
The prime minister announced Rs 30.5 million for the DHQ Hospital and approved Sui gas supply to Piplan and special quota for unskilled labour in the nuclear power projects at Chashma. Earlier, Senator Ghulam Akbar Khawaja said around Rs 5.813 million were spent on his 24-bed trauma centre. MNAs Humair Hayat Rokhri, Malik Ahmad Khan and four MPAs including District Nazim Obaidullah Shadikhel were also present.
The prime minister flew to Kalabagh where PPP’s MNA Malik Amad Khan hosted a launch for him. Gilani promised to supply Sui gas to Isakhel besides ordering immediate repair of the Kalabagh Bridge.
Online/APP adds: Premier Gilani said the Kalabagh Dam would be constructed in consultation with all the four provinces while steps would be taken to meet the shortfall of electricity through construction of small dams.
He was addressing the reception hosted for him by Nawabzada Ammad Khan. “We will mobilise all resources to address the problems facing the people. However, we don’t have the Aladdin’s Lamp to resolve the problems in the blink of an eye,” he added.
He said the jobless people of Mianwali and Kalabagh would get jobs after the construction of the Jinnah Hydel power project. “I will talk to Punjab Chief Minister Dost Muhammad Khosa to remove the backwardness of Tehsil Essa Khel.”
Addressing the gathering at the inauguration of the Namal College, Gilani said, “I want to tell you that Inshallah the chief justice will also be restored, the judiciary will be restored and made independent.”
Despite the split mandate in the recent elections, he said the democratic forces had joined hands for taking the country forward on the path of progress and prosperity, to strengthen democracy and to ensure the supremacy of parliament.
He called the coalition of PPP, PML-N, ANP, JUI and the independents as “unity in diversity” and said it was a historic day when he, as the prime minister, got a unanimous vote of confidence.
The prime minister said the coalition government would come up to the expectations of the people. “We have not come in the government to rule. We have come after making sacrifices. We have lost Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.” He said the government had already fulfilled its promise made to media by removing draconian laws from Pemra Ordinance as well as restoring the trade and student unions.
The PM said the government was focusing on education, “as we do not want our youth to become terrorists but want them to get education and provide an educated future leadership to the country.”
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