LAHORE
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday said that the knowledge park being set up in Lahore would be the first educational centre of international standards in South Asia where facilities, including boarding and lodging for teachers and students, shopping mall and recreational centres will be available.
He was addressing an introductory function regarding the knowledge park project in London, which was attended by British investors, heads of universities, deans and educationists.
Shahbaz said that the aim of establishing the centre was to provide higher education facilities to young people who have no resources for getting higher education abroad. He said that foreign students would also get education in the park. He said that facilities would also be provided to the investors for opening campuses of foreign educational institutions in the park.
He said that the campus of first information technology university of Punjab would also be set up in the park. The CM said that Pak-UK friendship was based on strong historic and cultural ties and “we highly value the cooperation by UK in education sector”. He said that the trends of extremism and violence in Pakistan were not created overnight and it would take time to eliminate it. However, there is a need to see the present situation of Pakistan in the wake of its real historic prospects, he added.
Shahbaz said that Pakistan has sacrificed 40,000 lives in the war on terror. He said, “Our commitment for elimination of terrorism is beyond any doubt.” The CM said that the present trend of militancy and extremism could not be controlled only through gun, but they would have to remove causes of terrorism. He said that the culture of tolerance, patience and broadmindedness could not be introduced among the people without spreading education.
“Similarly, we will have to eliminate poverty and hunger of innocent but poor youth by riding them of menace of extremism,” he added. He said that education was not only the source of employment but it also gives lesson of self-respect to the nation.
Earlier, addressing the function, Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood said that the establishment of the park on 852 acres of land would prove to be a revolution in the educational economy of South Asia. He hoped that the prestigious foreign educational institutions would also set up their campuses in the park.
British High Commissioner in Pakistan Philip Barton said that positive progress was being made in the education sector. He assured that his country would continue its cooperation regarding the steps being taken for the promotion of education in Pakistan. He disclosed that the UK deputy high commission would soon be set up in Lahore.