ON Pakistan Day, March 23, a full-fledged military parade took place in Islamabad in which the prime minister, the president and the COAS participated. The military showed its jet fighters, tanks, weapons, etc.

No doubt, such days promote national integration and nationalism but balance should be maintained among different institutions of the state. For instance, we spendjust2 percentofourtotalbudgeton education. Thus, our literacy rate in 2014 was estimated to be 58pc, which is highly exaggerated. In India it was 74pc, in Japan it was 98pc, in the US it was 99pc and in the UK also 99pc. This shows how much they are economically developed and prosperous.

But the budget we spend on defence is more than that of any other state in the region.

However, we have yet to defeat terrorism, extremism and militancy because we have never tried to change the mindset of potential terrorists which can only be done by providing people quality education.

The history of prosperous nations shows how much they spend on education.

It is time the federal government started thinking seriously and increased the budget for education in the coming year.

Spending more on education will promote national integration and enhance prosperity, leading to a good image in the international arena.

Musa Khan Nangialey Bannu distict Khyber Pakhtunkhwa