A simple yet impressive ceremony was held on 25th February 2021 to formally launch the “Institute of Nation Building” under the auspices of the newly constituted Board of Management (BOM) of the Joint Venture between Jinnah Society and Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR). Located in the center of Karachi at Quaid-e-Azam House Museum was formerly known as the Flagstaff House. Commodore (Retd) Sadeed A. Malik, CEO KCFR informed the participants about the approach to be adopted in the development of the institute based on the teachings of the Quaid. He highlighted that the MOU signed on February 8th with the Government of Sindh (GoS) envisages a project cost of Rs. 1 billion and requested all participants to come forward with their suggestions.
Mr. Ghulam Akbar Laghari Secretary Culture, Tourism & Antiquities Department GoS stated that with the signing of the MOU, the dream of developing the Quaid institute will now be realized with the support of the private sector. He emphasized that the Government of Sindh is fully committed and would ensure facilitation at the highest levels besides participation in the endowment fund.
In his address Liaquat Merchant stated the efforts of the Chief Minister Sindh are commendable and the future development will now be carried forward by the private sector. This will include establishment a world class auditorium, an audio/visual within a public library to specially enlighten our youth about Quaid’s struggle, the Pakistan Movement and other leaders of the movement. In addition, the expansion of the museum shall include the Quaid’s house relics, personal belongings, besides the establishment of an auditorium with all facilities to be developed.
He mentioned that Quaid’s teachings and principles shall be at the forefront for the development plan for the “Institute of Nation Building” and would appreciate the co-operation and support from the society. He invited participants who shared the Quaid’s ideology and wanted to make a difference by their contributions for the development of the Institute to participate.
In his concluding remarks Ikram Sehgal thanked the invitees for their energetic participation in today’s event and positively noted that there is no dearth of donors for the development of the Institute to house in future the state of the art audio-visual library and world class auditorium. He stated frankly that this would not have been positive without the efforts of the former Corps Comd. 5 Corps now retired Lt Gen Humayun Aziz. He thanked the Government of Sindh, in particular the CM Sindh Mr. Murad Ali Shah, for their unbelievable efforts to speed-up the journey that was envisaged a few years ago and has now resulted in the signing of the MoU. A solemn approach has been adopted based on the Quaid’s vision without the need for any photo ops, as this is a sacred cause and matters need to be simplified. He added that we have a vibrant society with our youth who have to have engaged based on Quaid’s principles for Pakistan’s future. Having the Institute of Nation Building enhances the role of the Quaid’s city which is pivotal for the North South corridor i.e. the real corridor from Eurasia to the Arabian Sea.
The participants who included Amin Hashwani, Shahid Firoz, Mrs. Irfan Siddiqui, Haji Rafiq Pardesi, Zeeshan Afzal, Habib Piracha were quite enthusiastic and stated that they wish to contribute for this noble cause not only financially, but also well as in terms of providing guidance as well as highlighting and promoting the Institute locally and globally. One of the most important need for our youth is to create a true Pakistani identity and mindset based on the principles and teachings of our Quaid. The youth need to be engaged at an early age through the modern internet tools/ social media so that it attractive and close to their lifestyle.
