Speakers highlight the need for promoting a culture of dialogue

By A.M.Khan

CHITRAL: The Department of Political Science, University of Chitral held a seminar on ” Political Parties Manifesto  for the election-2018, and Development of Chitral ” on Thurday.

The district  leaders of APML, JI, JUI, PPP and PTI Chitral participated in this seminar .

The Head of Department Prof. Basharat Hussain shared the aims and objectives of the seminar on the opening of the session, after recitation and hymn of Holy Prophet Muhammad pbuh.

Addressing students, APML leader Sultan Wazir said that our party’s vision is to address the menace of nepotism and corruption. After “Pakistan First” our new slogan is “Ruphe Chitrali Ruphe Tan Haqo Bachen Ruphe”(stand Chitral, stand for your right). Security, welfare and well being of people is part of our program, and crushing any act of terrorism and extremism with zero tolernace , he added. Development of the area, agriculture, economy, communication, infrastructure, industry and environment; and energy development , tackling deforestation, installing water filter plants, working for education , health , population control, media , heritage, and sport are part of our program. Welfare of the people is our priority , he added,  with concluding remarks.

Maulana Jamsheed , Amir Jamat-e-Islami, said that it’s a great forum to discuss party mission and program for the election. Our manifesto is what Prophet (pbuh) had given 1400 years before. We are under stress , and it’s a time to contemplate on the causes as a nation addressing them. Having 98pc population of Muslims we are divided on different lines, facing the challenge of peace, poverty , ignorance and problem of national integration.  Referring charter of Madina, implementation of law equally, elimination of ‘ interest’, making of ways for business, fighting against ignorance, he said are part of our manifesto. What we  want introducing the system of Quran and Sunnah in the country, he concluded.

Leader of JUI Chitral, Maulana Hussain Ahmad , tracing the concept of politics and republic in Greece ,and state of Madina , went on saying that this country came into being in the name of Islam. Our program is distinctive based on the Holy Quran which has been endorsed by people all around as ‘supremely successful’ system. Our first concept, he added, is sovereignty of Allah, based on divine system, referring to charter of Madina as first written constitution , he added , it provides for freedom of conscience and human independence irrespective of any discrimination.  ‘We don’t believe in red line but we believe on green line’ , our manifesto is peace, prosperity and Development of the region, he said.

Advocate Alam Zeb, representing PPP Chitral, started with the developments which led to the establishment of the party . In the perspective of the election of 2018, he said, our party manifesto focused on the development of education, health, communication, tourism, environment, youth development and women empowerment with reference to the developmental works carried our by PPP in Chitral.

PTI leader Abdul Lateef , defining the concept of state as ‘a magnified individual’,  he said, we are still on the discussion of the nature of the state of Pakistan after 70 years of Pakistan’s creation.  Empirically time, wealth, and life are important , our first priority, he added, is “One Pakistan” wherein law should be implemented everyone equally. Secondly, our priority is ‘Institutional building’,  action against corruption, PTI has proved it,  having been in opposition.  Education has been our priority, increasing budget from 60b to 154b, we lead by example,  he added.

With concluding remarks in the perspective of Chitral, he said, that agriculture is not our priority because we have no land. We want to invest in hydropower production generating more 600mw, promotion of tourism, and exploitation of minerals in Chitral under Mineral Act passed by KP government.

District Nazim Chitral , Haji Maghfirat Shah, he said that it’s due to immaturity, our country slipped to instability, we should be serious, rational and practical. Chitral is a mountainous area, having population lives in 34 valleys. Here maintenance of roads has been more difficult than constructing them. Accessibility was a problem, a problem for investors, now road and power is available in Chitral. Asian Development Bank supports for both mini-and-micro power generation, we are working on it, and we have put forward proposal for royalty from provincial government.  Our future coordinated strategy for District Development Plan to prepare “Chitral growth strategy” a socio-economic development project would properly be launched in Chitral after Ramzan , he said.

A question answer session, moderated by Dr.Bukhari, was held in which in which party leaders responded questions raised by participants and students.

With the vote of thanks , project director University of Chitral, Dr. Badshah Munir Bukhari said its how wind of change brewing in Chitral, like the world, conflicts should be resolved through dialogues , debated this culture needs to be developed here. US and other European countries have been following this pattern of debate in universities before the start of elections. The next round of debate, we would provide this platform to party candidates, and said , you would decide who’s the best candidate.  University is a place to generate and dessiminate knowledge, not doing politics, and we want to make it , he concluded.