Altaf Hamid Rao.
Bagh/MIRPUR (AJK) (Parliament Times) : President Azad Kashmir and Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry stated that his primary objective in life was to raise awareness of the Kashmir cause on a global scale and to resolve the problems confronting the people of Azad Kashmir at local level.
He said this while addressing a function after laying the foundation stone of two construction projects at Women University Bagh here today
.The construction projects included administration block and student hostel building would be completed at a cost of 315 million and 254 million rupees respectively.
On this occasion, government minister Sardar Zia Qamar, former Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Abdul Rasheed Tarabi, Presidential Adviser Sardar Imtiaz Khan and Vice Chancellor University of Poonch Rawalkot Prof. Dr. Zakaria Zakir were also present.
Speaking on the occasion, Barrister Chaudhry said that visiting Bagh has always been a pleasant experience for him particularly the Women’s University, which, he said, was founded to provide higher education and training opportunities to the women of the liberated territory.”I am happy to see that the objectives for which this institution was established are being achieved fully”, the president said, adding that it was heartening to see that challenges faced by the university in terms of basic infrastructure, acquiring land and attracting highly qualified faculty have now been overcome .He expressed the optimism that a state-of-the-art infrastructure would be available for the university very soon and the students after graduating from this institution would be able to serve the nation in a much better way.” I also appreciate the support of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and the Government of Azad Kashmir in strengthening the only university established for women in Azad Kashmir”, the president added.
Barrister Chaudhry said that it was a pleasure to see that the first software technology park for women has been established in the Women University Bagh in collaboration with Pakistan Software Export Board. Appreciating girls’ talent, the president said that the women of the liberated territory, who were endowed with so many natural talents, would serve the country better by benefiting from such facilities.It is a matter of great satisfaction that the university has made its place in the global ranking in spite of numerous challenges in a very short period of time”, he said.He said that sports activities play an important role in the mental development of the students. “It is commendable that the Women’s University is providing ample opportunities to the female students to participate in sports activities”, the president said, adding that girls of the region possess a great potential to win competitions at the national level. The President , who is also the Chancellor of the Azad Kashmir Universities urged the students that they should not forget the sufferings of their brothers and sisters who are reeling under India’s brutal suppression in the Indian occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir.” We should support our Kashmiri brethren in every possible way”, Barrister Chaudhry remarked. The new generation, he said, should be educated about the supreme sacrifices our forefathers had offered during the liberation struggle so that they recognize and realize their responsibilities of the base camp towards the Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom struggle against India. VC Bagh university Dr. Abdul Hameed on the occasion briefed the president about different initiatives the varsity had taken to improve the quality of education. He said that the establishment of new departments, particularly the launch of technology program in allied health sciences, as well as MPhil and PhD programs were important milestones the university achieved in a short period of time.
Meanwhile, addressing a function organized by District Bar Association Bagh, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry highlighted lawyers’ key role in providing justice to the common man. The lawyers’ community, he said, plays a decisive role in establishing the supremacy of the constitution and rule of law. He also praised the legal fraternity’s role in Kashmiris’ ongoing liberation struggle.
On the occasion, the AJK president, while referring to Indian brutalities in occupied Kashmir, asked the lawyers to raise their voice against the ongoing Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir to highlight the issue of Kashmir at the national and international level.
He said that lawyers should play their role in highlighting the freedom movement of Kashmir at the global level by using social media platforms.