The Ismaili community launches “Saaf Khushaal Pakistan” cleanliness drive on World Environment Day
ISLAMABAD: (PR) The Ismaili Community in Pakistan, under the global Ismaili CIVIC program, launched a cleanliness drive named “Saaf Khushaal Pakistan” (Clean, Prosperous Pakistan) on 5th June to mark the World Environment Day.
Taking a step towards protecting the environment, volunteers from the Ismaili community along with sister community members collected garbage and other waste at various locations from F9 Park, Islamabad. The objective of the drive, according to a press release, is to maintain a clean environment and foster a collective sense of responsibility as citizens and community members.
Abdullah Khan, Assistant Commissioner, Pathohar, Islamabad, also attended the drive as the Chief Guest.
The drive started with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran followed by the National Anthem. Later, a number of speeches and performances by children took place. The speakers emphasized the importance of environmental change and the importance of maintaining cleanliness of our surroundings.
Assistant Commissioner Abdullah Khan appreciated the role of the community in development of the country. He also committed to increasing the level of cooperation among the government agencies and the Ismaili community in the future.
Earlier, Dr. Nadir Anjum, President, Ismaili Council for Central Region, shared details of the Ismaili Civic Initiative and its potential impact on future generations. He added that Ismaili CIVIC is a global initiative under which Ismaili Muslim communities internationally, unite around a common mission to serve humanity, by rendering voluntary service to improve the quality of life of the communities in which they live. This service reflects the community’s ethic of civic engagement and good citizenship, exemplifying Islam’s core values of service, peace, compassion and care for the vulnerable. In Pakistan, the theme selected for the Ismaili CIVIC for the year 2021 is Environmental Protection.
He further added that earlier in April 2021, a tree plantation drive, “Darakht se Hayat”, was also launched by the community; 162,000 trees were planted at more than 150 sites across Pakistan with the participation of more than 7,000 volunteers and community members, he said.
Also present at the occasion were Mr. Naveed Aly Manji (Honorary Secretary, Ismaili Council for Central Region), Mr. Azam Khan (President, Ismaili Council for Rawalpindi) and Mrs. Zahra Ladhani, Chairperson, Aga Khan Education Board for Pakistan, among others.
Thanking the participants, Mr. Naveed Aly Manji (Honorary Secretary, Ismaili Council for Central Region) paid tribute to all the dignitaries, scouts, guides, community institutions who contributed to making the drive a success. He also thanked the parents for allowing their children to participate in the drive.
The drive ended with a walk and cleaning of the F9 park. where participants cleaned the park from waste.
