ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Mamnoon Hussain Tuesday said Pakistani nation’s spirit of philanthropy was laudable, however he stressed the need for a joint public-private mechanism to maximize the benefits of welfare activities.
In his address at the launch of Individual Philanthropy Report at National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad, the president said an effective mechanism between the welfare organizations of government and individual trusts could yield better results.
The president said philanthropy was a symbol of living and caring nations and expressed satisfaction that Pakistan had numerous examples of welfare hospitals and schools been set up for public welfare.
He emphasized on promoting the spirit of philanthropy in the country by raising awareness among people and suggested that the subject could be included in educational curriculum in view of its importance.
President Mamnoon said in the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, philanthropy should be used to help the needy people get self-reliant by providing them initial financial support to start their businesses.
He said Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy should take a lead in this regard and act as a bridge among different welfare organizations to streamline the charity work on transparent basis.
The president also called upon the people to promote tax culture so as to support government carry out several activities of public welfare.
He said Pakistan’s economic conditions had experienced improvement, adding that the positive ranking of international organizations given to the country was a testimony to the fact.
He said the government was fulfilling its responsibilities despite financial constraints.
He mentioned that the previous governments wasted precious time and resources by ignoring the vital sectors particularly education.
The Rector NUST Lt General (retd) Naweed Zaman said NUST had incorporated community service, development, and engagement into its core values.
He said NUST Community Service Club (NCSC) supported by NUST schools and administration had spearheaded relief efforts in times of emergency besides offering a compulsory Community Service Learning (CSL) course as part of all undergraduate programs.
He apprised the audience that NUST was the headquarters of Pakistan Chapter of the Talloires Network (PCTN), which stimulates civic engagement among institutions of higher learning.
He said to date, 68 Pakistani universities are members of the network.
The Rector mentioned that one of NUST’s projects ‘Education for Empowerment’ had recently won the Talloires Network’s prestigious MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship.
The Chairman PCP Board of Directors Zaffar A Khan in his welcome remarks highlighted that the study was a pioneer comprehensive exposition of trends of individual giving and its channelization to individuals and organizations to improve people’s lives.
The PCP Executive Director Shazia Amjad informed that the research was based on a sample of about 10,000 households covering the four provinces in Pakistan.
She said the findings revealed that the total estimated magnitude of household giving in Pakistan is around Rs 240 billion in the year 2014, and that about 98 percent of households reported giving in cash, in-kind, or time-volunteered.
Source: APP
