Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, Saira Afzal Tarrar on Wednesday said the government would not allow any body to lockdown the Islamabad for their vested interest. "Those who are planning to shut down Islamabad on November 02, want to impose their own agenda," Saira said while talking to media here at a local hotel on Wednesday where Nestle Pakistan marked the annual "Nestlé Healthy Kids (NHK) Day."
Answering a question, Saira said the government was preparing a strategy to tackle the situation on November 02. She further said that those engaged in sit-ins, protests and lockdown of cities are trying to hamper the process of national development and prosperity. To another query, Saira said holding a peaceful protest is democratic right, but the government cannot allow anybody to lockdown the country and push it towards destruction. Those who are announcing to shut down Islamabad on November 02 are not well wishers of the country as well as countrymen, she said.
While addressing the function, Saira Afzal Tarrar congratulated Nestle on the successful initiative saying this was an "excellent example of how multiple stakeholders can help in addressing malnutrition." She termed malnutrition the "biggest challenge" that the children of Pakistan face. "The government remains committed to addressing this problem. The Nestle Healthy Kids Programme is great example of the role the food industry can play in helping the government address this issue," she added.
She further said the government is taking steps to raise awareness among people about healthy lifestyle for which everyone would have to play its role. It may be noted that the NHK programme is a global initiative by Nestle to introduce healthy lifestyle lessons to children from 6 to 16 years of age. The curriculum-based programme, which is completely non-branded, covers topics of healthy eating, nutrition, hygiene and physical activity.
The programme has reached out to more than 100,000 children in Pakistan and trained 427 teachers since its launch in 2010. Nestle Pakistan is collaborating with 10 partners in Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. Commenting on the success of the Nestle Healthy Kids Programme, Nestle Pakistan's Managing Director, Bruno Olierhoek said, "I am glad to see the NHK Programme grow because nutrition is one of the most impressing issues for our country right now. Two years ago when we celebrated NHK Day, we wanted to double our outreach and make the programme national and here we are now, celebrating doing just that. As nutrition experts, we will continue to play our part in tackling malnutrition by educating children about healthy lifestyles."
The Director General of Federal Directorate of Education Dr Shahnaz Riaz said, "Our partnership with Nestle Pakistan is symbolic of the commitment we both share of improving the health status of our children. We look forward to a continued partnership with Nestle and reaching out to more children."