Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, patron-in-chief of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, has said that darkness of the world can be eliminated with the candle of knowledge. He said that no nation could make progress, achieve prosperity and become stable without education as the latter was the pivot upon which the future of peoples was based. He said that the challenges Pakistan was confronted with at multiple levels and decline its every sector faced owed itself to lack of knowledge-friendly culture and enabling environment in which the youth could not only quench their thirst of knowledge but also put the country on the trajectory of socio-economic growth.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the responsibility of this criminal neglect lay on the shoulders of the political leadership that failed to discharge this fundamental task of promoting productive and purposeful education. He said that education was a matter of life and death for the nations and those who did not pay attention to it would be decimated.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while addressing a ceremony in Birmingham the other day which was held under the banner of MQI (UK). Lord Nazir Ahmad, Pir Syed Zahid Hussain Shah Rizvi, Allama Sahibzada Ahmad Nisar Baig, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Mufti Abdur Rasool Mansoor, Zahoor Ahmad Niazi, Muhammad Khalid, Zahid Iqbal, Ijaz Ch, Haji Muhammad Riaz, Allama Ashfaq Ahmad Qadri, Hafiz Abdul Qadir Noshahi, Allama Niaz Ahmad Siddiqi, and Sahibzada Lakht-e-Husnain also spoke on the occasion.

While dilating upon MQI’s distinguished and unique services in the field of education, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri spelled out a blueprint for the establishment of Minhaj Education City, which would be a combination of various colleges, and universities engaged in teaching of various disciplines. The quality of education imparted at this City would not be less than that imparted at internationally known prestigious educational institutions.

In his fiery speech, Lord Nazir Ahmad paid a glowing tribute to the services of Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. He said that contributions of Dr Qadri in social, welfare, political, and intellectual fields beggar description. He said that the historic and valiant struggle he launched for establishment of real democracy in Pakistan a few months ago would be chronicled in golden letter in the annals of history.

Addressing those who taunted Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri as dual national, Lord Nazir said that the so-called people who wore the mantle of patriots on their heads were the ones who plundered national wealth and laundered it in overseas accounts. He said that Pakistani expatriate community was patriotic to the core that worked hard to earn their living and sent precious foreign exchange to their mother country in the form of remittances. He said that he was greatly saddened by the judiciary’s treatment towards dual nationals. He said that if he, having both Pakistani and UK nationalities, could sit in the House of Lords, why could he not become a Member of Parliament in Pakistan.

Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi apprised the audience about the detailed sketch of Minhaj Education City including expenditure estimates to be incurred on its construction. Adnan Aslam presented the introduction of the mega project in English. He asked the youth to come forward and play their role in making this project a success. Muhammad Afzal Saeedi conducted the proceedings of the programme.