ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will open today, Saturday, a two-day summit on girls’ education in Muslim communities, with over 150 dignitaries from 44 Muslim and other friendly states taking part in the conference.
The global summit, hosted by the Pakistani education ministry, aims to address the challenges and opportunities in advancing girls’ education across Muslim communities worldwide, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the conference and deliver a keynote address at the opening session. He will reaffirm the nation’s commitment to promoting girls’ education and gender equality.
Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui this week said the primary aim of the conference is to stress the implementation of the Islamic message, which clearly states that both men and women have the right to education.
“By promoting girls’ education, we can build better homes, a better society and a stronger nation,” he said at a media briefing, adding that an “Islamabad Declaration” will be announced at the end of the summit that would outline decisive steps to transform girls’ education in Islamic countries.
Several dignitaries, including Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and Egyptian Grand Mufti Dr. Nazir Mohamed Ayad, have arrived in Pakistan to attend the summit.
Pakistan has also extended an invitation to Afghanistan to join representatives from other Islamic countries and attend the conference in Islamabad.
“We have extended an invitation to Afghanistan to participate in this conference and hope that their delegation will attend as it is a very important neighboring country,” Siddiqui said.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, at least 1.4 million Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary education, according to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released in August last year.
Siddiqui said everyone respects tribal customs and cultures, but all such practices must align with Islamic values in Muslim countries, adding that nothing holds precedence over them.
“In Islam, there is no justification for restricting women’s education,” he added.
Pakistan to open today two-day summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries
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Pakistan to open today two-day summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries
- The conference’s aim is to stress Islam’s message that both men, women have right to education
- Over 150 dignitaries from 44 Muslim and other friendly states are taking part in the conference
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ISLAMABAD: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will visit Pakistan on Dec. 8-9 to explore avenues to enhance bilateral cooperation with Islamabad in trade, defense, investment, health, education and other sectors, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Pakistan enjoys cordial ties with Indonesia, with diplomatic relations between the two countries established in 1950. The volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Indonesia surged to $2.6 billion in 2020, as per official data.
Subianto, who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key ministers and senior officials, will mark his maiden visit to Pakistan. The last Indonesian president to visit Pakistan was in 2018 when Joko Widodo arrived in the country.
“The two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda aimed at further strengthening Pakistan-Indonesia relations and exploring new avenues of cooperation, including trade, investment, defense, health, IT, climate, education and culture, as well as enhancing collaboration at regional and global levels,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during the visit.”
During his visit, Subianto will hold delegation-level talks with Pakistan’s prime minister and meet the country’s president and chief of defense forces.
“The visit of President Prabowo will provide an important opportunity to deepen bilateral ties and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, contributing to the continued growth and diversification of the partnership between the two countries,” the foreign ministry said.
Indonesia is also home to a few hundred Pakistani expatriates, many of whom are engaged in businesses such as restaurants, hand-knotted carpets, precious stones, textile items, and herbal medicines.
