Former Interior Minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) on Wednesday urged the youth to play a vital role in nation-building and against drug abuse. While addressing a delegation of the Youth Council Pakistan, he said that youth have the power to develop a country and change the fate of the nation, and help in moving forward and determine the future of the country. The delegation of Youth Council Pakistan included students from various universities across the country and was led by Muhammad Shehzad Khan.
Rehman Malik said that there are reports that drug abuse is increasing day by day in educational institutions so he would like to advise you all to protect yourself and your colleagues from the scourge of drugs. He stressed that the government should take action on war footings to eradicate the menace of illicit drugs from educational institutions. He advised the students to play their role to curb drug abuse in educational institutions by using their abilities. He said that drugs destroy youth’s health, future, families, and the whole society. He said that drugs increase crimes in society and destroy nations. He said, “Our history has witnessed that the youth had played a very important role in all movement so I urge you all to play a role against drug abuse”.
Rehman Malik in his address to the students stressed that no country in the world can develop and progress unless it gives standard education to the young generation. Answering questions by the students he said that the situation of peace and order in Afghanistan is chaotic at the moment in our neighboring Afghanistan which directly impacts Pakistan. He said that Pakistan has already suffered a lot both in terms of loss of precious lives and huge devastation of infrastructure and economy due to the war on terror and the situation in Afghanistan. He said that the security and stability of the region are facing new challenges because of Afghanistan.
Furthermore, He said that the United States left Afghanistan without a withdrawal strategy which would prove highly detrimental to regional peace and stability. He said that it would have been better if the United States had formed an interim government before leaving Afghanistan. He said that US forces could not establish peace in Afghanistan and left without any result.
However, he stressed that he wishes if the United States had established an interim government in Afghanistan before the withdrawal of troops. He said that it is still time for the Afghan leadership to come together and form an interim government with consensus and equally acceptable to all factions. He urged President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah to engage the Taliban and all other factions in dialogue for peace in Afghanistan. He said that war is not the solution to Afghanistan or any other problem.
On the occasion, the members of the Youth Council apprised Rehman Malik of the problems facing them and thanked Senator Rehman Malik for his deliberate lecture on the current affairs.
