ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday urged provincial governments to implement special measures ensuring access to primary and secondary education for orphaned children across the country. Emphasizing active participation in their education, he stressed that supporting and educating orphans is a collective responsibility.
The president made these remarks during an iftar dinner he hosted for orphaned children at the President House on Orphans Day, celebrated annually on the 15th of Ramazan on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) call.
Expressing delight in meeting the innocent children, President Zardari was joined by Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, who also interacted with orphans from various cities in Pakistan.
Air Marshal (retd) Farooq Habib, Chairman of the Pakistan Orphan Care Forum (POCF), highlighted the POCF’s efforts in nurturing and caring for orphans, emphasizing that robust societies prioritize the development and education of vulnerable groups like orphans.
Habib noted that Pakistan has approximately 4.6 million orphans, with the POCF currently supporting around 100,000 orphaned children. He expressed gratitude to President Zardari for inviting the children to the presidency, citing it as a confidence and motivation booster for them.
