Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that children were the most precious asset of any nation, adding that there is a need for their proper education and training so as to promote self-confidence in them.
In his message on International Child Rights Day, the chief minister said that the purpose of celebrating this day was to create awareness about the rights of children and the importance of their education, health, recreation and mental training.
He said that protection of rights of children is the collective responsibility of the society, and added that Punjab government is fully aware of its responsibilities towards protection of rights of children and has taken solid measures for this purpose.
Shehbaz Sharif said that more than 70,000 children engaged in children labour have been enrolled in schools. He said that comprehensive measures have been taken to eliminate child labour and to impart education to the children so as to ensure a bright future for them and the nation.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the protection of rights of children and provision of equal opportunities to them to move forward was the responsibility of the government. The chief minister further said that welfare and betterment of children demand a strong partnership between government and private sectors. He further said that there was a need to make a resolve that civil society, media and all concerned institutions will play their due role for making Pakistan a child-friendly country.
