The Nazriya Pakistan Council marked World Teachers Day with a ceremony at Aiwan-e-Quaid in Islamabad under its Education Network project, celebrating the dedication of teachers from the federal capital and surrounding areas. Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University Professor Dr. Nasir Mahmood praised teachers as torchbearers whose names and work live on after they are gone, and stressed that respect for educators remains integral to society and religion.
NPC chairman Mian Muhammad Javed used the occasion to call on the government to take urgent steps to bring over two crore out-of-school children into the education system. He acknowledged the financial scale of this goal and urged philanthropists and private institutions to partner in expanding educational access through targeted projects and funding.
Guest of honour Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi reflected on religious and moral foundations for learning, noting scriptural exhortations to read, think and act, and highlighted the exalted status of those who spread knowledge. Former senator and Chairperson of Education Network Pakistan Rezina Alam Khan described it as a privilege that Professor Dr. Nasir Mahmood was present to present certificates and books to teachers who have shown notable performance in schools and madrassas.
Senior members of the NPC executive council, including former ambassador Salahuddin Chaudhry, education specialists Dr. Muhammad Saleem, Dr. Muhammad Afzal Babar, Nargis Nasir, Nabgha Najeeb, Mirza Wajahat Baig and Hamid Qaiser, also addressed the gathering and paid tribute to the selfless services of educators. The ceremony concluded with the distribution of recognition certificates and books to standout teachers from formal and informal schools as well as religious seminaries.
The event drew a wide cross section of stakeholders from the education sector, among them former Finance Secretary Abdullah Yusuf, former Election Commission Secretary Kunwar Muhammad Dilshad, writer Afshan Abbasi, members of the NPC executive committee and a large number of teachers from government and private institutions. The emphasis throughout was on sustaining respect for teachers and turning the call of World Teachers Day into concrete measures to expand access to education.
