Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood has been unanimously elected as President of UNESCO’s prestigious Education Commission in Paris.
The Minister was recently in Paris for the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference which he also addressed.
Speaking at the event, Mahmood said that at least 1.5 million Kashmiri students were not able to attend schools since the “unilateral and illegal revocation” of Kashmir’s autonomy by India on 5th August.
Mahmood called upon UNESCO to use its moral authority to persuade the Indian government to lift restrictions and restore the fundamental rights of the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He also expressed his dismay at the decision of the Babri Masjid.
More so, the minister also shared that Pakistan is taking concrete steps to deliver universal quality education in the country.
Speaking after the election, the Minister termed it as an honour for Pakistan and an acknowledgment of its commitment to UNESCO’s work in the field of education.
The Minister said being the President of UNESCO’s Education Commission, he would work closely with all delegations in a constructive manner in pursuance of UNESCO’s objectives.
Meanwhile, when a Twitter user commented that Mahmood will now direct all his energies towards working for UNESCO, the Minister told him that the position was “voluntary” and without any salary or any other perk.
