Education a powerful weapon to fight poverty, inequality & ignorance: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has described literacy as the very soul of democracy and development, emphasizing that it is not merely the ability to read and write, but the foundation upon which nations chart their destiny.

According to the statement on International Literacy Day, Chairman PPP said his party believes education is the most powerful weapon to break the chains of poverty, inequality, and ignorance. Paying tribute to Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, he said both leaders envisioned a progressive, knowledge-based Pakistan, declaring education a fundamental right and empowering women and youth—a vision that continues to inspire us today.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stressed that Pakistan can no longer afford complacency in the face of climate change; the nation must go the extra mile to ensure education for all. He noted that floods in 2022 damaged nearly half of Sindh’s schools, and now Punjab faces a similar catastrophe, further disrupting education. Addressing the international community, he stressed that Pakistani children are being forced to endure challenges to their fundamental right to education due to climate change—a crisis for which neither they, their parents, nor their country is responsible, as its roots lie in the actions of industrialized nations.

Chairman PPP reiterated his party’s unwavering commitment to literacy and education and urged that raising Pakistan’s literacy rate requires a collective national effort—where every citizen, along with the government and civil society, must play their part. “On this World Literacy Day, let us resolve to build a Pakistan where every child learns, every dream is nurtured, and every citizen is empowered through education,” he said.