LAHORE: Nobody endorses blasphemy but Article 295-C is a man-made law and has been misused, Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer said on Saturday. He made these remarks while addressing the 146th Convocation of the Forman Christian College (FCC).
Taseer informed the audience that several people had warned him not to go to blasphemy accused Aasia Bibi’s city but he received great support from the people and now everybody had the courage to talk about the issue. The governor urged students to look into national issues and congratulated them on receiving their degrees.
Taseer said that he always felt proud when visiting FCC as his father educationist Dr MD Taseer had completed his master’s degree from the college and secured the first position in the Punjab University (PU). The governor joked that he never stood first in his whole academic career due to which he became the Punjab governor.
A huge laughter was witnessed in the audience on Taseer’s remarks. He said that it was quite an honour that the FCC had progressed so much and now 47 percent of the faculty members were PhDs. Taseer said that the biggest honour for the institution was helping 1,300 flood-affected families. The governor informed the audience that with the University of Engineering, Taxila students’ help, 100 houses for flood affectees had been built and construction of 100 more houses were in progress.
He said that FCC Rector Dr Peter Armacost has promised to construct 20 houses for the flood affectees. Taseer urged students to utilise education in their respective fields, as their real job started in the practical field.
The governor said that the media had stopped concentrating on the flood, as the most crucial time of rehabilitation had started. He urged students to remember the children who could not afford attaining education.
Earlier, degrees were distributed amongst students who had completed their Bachelor of Arts, Science, Computer Science, Business Science, Master of Science, Arts, Business Administration and Diploma of English Language Teaching.
Dr Armacost also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the contributions of FCC. He also thanked the chief guest for attending the convocation. Students who bagged positions in Intermediate Examinations also received awards, while students who outclassed others in the co-curricular also received awards.
