The Chief of the Muttahida Quami Movement, Altaf Hussain, has held that weakness and lack of national strength, something common to all Muslim countries, was due to a lack of commitment to the promotion of education.

He was addressing a congregation of the activists of the All-Pakistan Mohajir Students' Organisation (APMSO), which was convened at the Khursheed Memorial Hall with the aim of reorganisation of the student body.

He said that that due to this inability, no Muslim nation had dared challenge the United States when it was embarking upon its campaign to invade Iraq. He said that most of the Islamic countries were under-developed, lacking any material strength to confront the world super powers. Otherwise, he said, some other countries, especially of Arab origin, were seen with apparent prosperity and opulence but that is certainly not because of acquisition of knowledge and education but due to abundance of natural resources.

He said that it was certainly an illogical and unrealistic attitude to attempt to face the developed countries with just sentimental and emotive slogans, which proved deadly at end of the day.

Illustrating the case of Afghanistan, he said that some religious leaders in the country had claimed to make Afghanistan the graveyard of US-led forces. However, he said, all these empty slogans remained unfulfilled as the battle in Afghanistan proved actually the cemetery of those innocent volunteers who crossed the Durand Line for fighting the coalition forces under the provocation from these leaders.

The Muttahida leader said that only nation which put themselves fully on the path of acquiring education and carrying out research, could practise realism and pragmatism, dealing with other countries.

He lamented the situation that even after lapse of 56 years Pakistan had been lagging behind in the race for prosperity and was still considered a backward country. He underlined the need for dedicating maximum allocation of the federal and provincial budget to education.

He also advised the APMSO office-bearers to endeavour to attain maximum knowledge and education in their respective fields, rather than just concentrate on conferral of degrees.