Mainstreaming of deprived segments, fast decision-making vital for Pakistan’s progress: President

ISLAMABAD, President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said the mainstreaming of the deprived segments including women and differently-abled women, leveraging artificial intelligence and fast decision-making were inevitable for the progress and prosperity of the country. The president, addressing the Members’ Convocation of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA), urged the new graduates to play their role for the welfare of their employees and environmental protection besides fulfilling their responsibilities to their respective industries as well as the society.

He urged the educational institutes to produce leaders as the country faced an acute shortage of leadership which should be honest to the people and the nation besides being capable of addressing the pervading issues. The president reiterated his condemnation of the ongoing killings in Gaza and rejected the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the revocation of Article 370 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He questioned the conscience of the developed world over the barbarism in Gaza and said the world was in dire need of an order anchored on morality which legacy of the Muslims. He said, unfortunately, the vested interests had overpowered the humanitarianism in world affairs. President Alvi, who earlier awarded certificates to the new graduates and medals to the council members, said that around 28 million Pakistani children were out of school and needed support to brighten their future. He said the country faced a shortage of professional graduates so the approach of encouraging them to go abroad and send remittances was unjustified. The president said after joining the practical life, they should strive to provide a secure working environment to the women in their businesses as well as their respective fields besides creating opportunities for the differently-abled women. Earlier, in his welcome address, ICMA President Shahzad Ahmed Malik said the Institute was committed to imparting quality education as it had constantly been improving its standards by adopting the best global practices. He said ICMA was one of the oldest institutions in the region with 8,000 qualified members and 18,000 active students. The institute is also affiliated with the world’s renowned professional bodies and committed to fulfilling the emerging needs of industries and businesses, he added. The ICMA president said that by adopting the best global practices, on President Alvi’s advice, the ICMA had remarkably improved its results which was also later lauded by the president. The convocation ceremony was attended by diplomats, presidents of chambers of commerce and industries of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and corporate leaders, besides the students and the parents of graduating students.