LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his message on universal children’s day said that children were the country’s future and its most cherished assets.
He said that children should be treated with love and compassion, adding that children were the architects of tomorrow and that they should, therefore, be given proper education and training from childhood. He said that it was important to cultivate self-confidence in children to enable them to bear the responsibilities that they have to assume.
The chief minister further said that the purpose of celebrating universal children’s day was to promote awareness about children’s rights, as it was the society’s collective responsibility to ensure their provision. He said that the welfare and betterment of children demanded a strong partnership between public and private sectors.
The chief minister also said that the Punjab government had taken measures to eliminate child labour at brick kilns, saying that the government had admitted children formerly working in brick kilns to schools.
The chief minister said that the whole society needed to take a pledge to safeguard children’s rights on the universal children’s day.