“Giving modern education especially to girls was an impossible and a risky task about 30 years ago when I started my journey towards equipping my children with the best education in North Waziristan Agency,” said Mrs Farzand Ali Khan, hailing from Miramshah, at a function held on Sunday to honour exemplary mothers on the occasion of International Mother’s Day at the University of Peshawar. According to a UoP press release, Mrs Khan said that she joined an ordinary job in Miramshah, the agency headquarters, and was thus able to educate her children and was glad that today one of her daughters was a gynaecologist and her son a group captain in Pakistan Air force. The Mother’s Day function was held under the aegis of the UoP, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and South Asian Centre for International and Regional Studies. Secretary higher education Mrs Farah Hamid was chief guest of the ceremony. UoP vice-chancellor Prof Rasul Jan and chief organizer Dr Hussain Shaheed Soherwerdi were also present on the occasion besides mothers and a good number of students. Exemplary mothers, who were presented special awards, included Dr Mrs Minhas Majeed and mothers of the martyred police personnel Khaista Gul, Fazle Rahim, Saeedul Amin, Khaista Gul and Shahid. The speakers reiterated the importance of mother in the life of an individual and the resolve to change the socially constructed identity of mothers in Pakistan. Songs in praise of mothers were presented by singer Karan Khan and Humayun Khan. Besides, a documentary on the resilience of Pakistani mothers and a video message from Maulana Tariq Jameel on the stature of mother in Islam were also shown at the ceremony. Farah Hamid said that the most unbearable thing for a mother was when her children were in trouble. “Mothers of martyrs should have a special place in our society,” she said. “The University of Peshawar is playing its due role in giving educated mothers to the country, especially the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said Dr Rasul Jan in his address. He said the notion of Mother’s Day as a western event was not true. He said that positives of both the East and West could be adopted while negatives should be thrown away to bring improvement in the society.
Source : Dawn.
