SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES PAKISTAN. JANUARY 01, 2025 (2025-1)

INTRODUCTION:- SOS Children's Villages Pakistan is a private social welfare organization dedicated to providing homes for orphans and abandoned children. It is registered with the Directorate General of Social Welfare, Government of the Punjab, Lahore vide Registration No. DSW (Pb) 75-812 dated September 10, 1975.

The special feature of SOS Children Villages is that these are not traditional orphanages: they provide children with a warm, family-type environment. Every effort is made to enrich children with strong moral values, sound education, and skills that will enable them to become productive and  dependable citizens.

OBJECTIVES:- The primary need of children deprived of their natural parents is to be placed in a situation that is as close as possible to a natural home.

SOS Children's Villages meet this need by providing them with security and loving care. They are enabled to live normal lives and be instilled with a sense of confidence so that they can develop  to  their  ful l potential.

SOS Children’s villages play the role of their family and provide them with higher education or job training according to their aptitude. SOS Children's villages are working towards the day when it will be able to provide shelter to every deserving child in the country. SOS Childern's villages consider this a realistic target as it admit only those children who are either complete orphans or, those we categorize as 'social' orphans, i.e. those whose mothers cannot keep them because they have remarried or they have an incurable disease such as cancer or mental illness.

AFFILIATION:- SOS Children's Villages of Pakistan is affiliated with SOS International, which is the umbrella organization, with its head office in Innsbruck, Austria. It is one of 130 member associations in different countries, many of them being in Asia, Africa, and South America. SOS International is the largest child welfare organization in the world and has so far established over 2800 projects.

PHILOSOPHY:- The philosophy of SOS Children’s villages is simple and very basic. Every child has the right to good nurturing. To provide the children with a normal environment, four principles are adhered to, and form the basis of all the work of the organization.

These are:

•             A Mother

•             Brothers and Sisters

•             A Home

•             The Village

The Mother is the person with whom the ultimate responsibility rests for meeting the child's physical and emotional needs, and for providing essential love and care. In the final analysis, the quality of care provided by the mother determines the success of our efforts. The SOS 'mothers' are selected with great care. They are usually single women, often widows without their own families, and are thus able to commit themselves completely to the responsibility of being in an SOS Village.

Brothers and Sisters are essential in any family pattern. Boys and girls of various ages grow up together as brothers and sisters. Real brothers and sisters are not separated and are always accommodated in the same house. On reaching adolescence the boys are shifted to a Youth Home.

The Home is the focal point of the Village. Here the children find security, a feeling of 'belonging' and having their place in the world. An SOS home is a self-contained unit and is as close as possible to a normal home in all respects. Every house consists of a living area, kitchen, separate bedrooms for girls and boys, and a small room for the mother. A kitchen garden is maintained by the family.

The Village is the community in which the child lives and finds shelter and support from other members of this 'family'.

An SOS Village is generally comprised of 15 family homes, a community hall, an administration office, a mosque, a director's residence, a grocery shop, a workshop, a  dispensary , essential  staff  residences,  and  adequate  playgrounds.

Religious instruction is an integral part of the children's routine. Extracurricular activities are also organized in which the children enthusiastically participate. Scouting, Girl Guides, games, cooking classes, art classes, and sewing are some of the many diverse activities available to them.

A special feature of SOS Children's Villages is that the organization takes responsibility for the children in its care till they can support themselves. After matriculation, both boys and girls receive career counseling. Higher education is provided to those with merit and, otherwise, technical education. The boys remain in our care till they are capable of earning their livelihood and the girls till such time as they are married. The marriages of the girls are arranged by the organization.

SOS PAKISTAN PROJECTS:- SOS Children's Villages of Pakistan was founded in 1975. The first project to be opened was the SOS Children's Village in Lahore and since then over 64 projects have been established nationwide, of which 35 are exclusively for orphans.

SCHOOLS:- SOS Children’s villages consider that a good education is the greatest gift we can give to our children and for this purpose schools are established in conjunction with every SOS Children's Village. These schools provide quality education, not only to our children but also to other underprivileged children. Outside children far outnumber the SOS children and thus these schools serve a dual purpose - they enable our children to integrate with the community and also contribute to the vital sector of education.

SOS YOUTH HOMES:- SOS Youth Homes are opened wherever we have SOS Children's Villages and boys are shifted there upon reaching adolescence. They do not leave the care of SOS Childern's  villages  till  such time  as  they  are  able to  earn their  livelihood.

AFTER LEAVING SOS:- The ultimate proof of our success is the assimilation of our children into the mainstream. So far, several hundred children have passed through our hands and are generally well-settled in life.

They are working in diverse fields such as banking, computer companies, teaching, industry, the armed forces, and private enterprise.The girls are also encouraged to train for careers and their marriages are also arranged by us.

They return once a year for a reunion and, otherwise too, keep in touch. We are always available to applaud their success or lend a helping hand.

On the SOS Children's Villages Pakistan, the commemorative postage stamp is being issued by Pakistan Post of the value of Rs.50/- each denomination on 1st January, 2025.

50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE COUNCIL OF ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY. DECEMBER 30th, 2024 (2024-16)

The Council of Islamic Ideology was established under the Constitution of 1973, and the concept of its creation is primarily derived from Allama Muhammad Iqbal's idea of parliamentary ijtihad. In his lectures, Allama Muhammad Iqbal proposed collective ijtihad through the parliament, instead of individual ijtihad, for the modern era. As envisaged , this process shall involve the significant role of Islamic scholars alongside the elected representatives of the people. Based on these ideas and concepts, the following institutions for reconstruction of religious thought were established after the creation of Pakistan:

In October 1947, an institution named as the Department of Islamic Reconstruction was established. Its mandate was to highlight and present the Islamic ideological concepts of state-building and societal development, which would serve as the foundational framework for the newly established political administration.

Subsequently, when the formal process of drafting of constitution commenced, Pakistan's first Constituent Assembly presented the Objectives Resolution on March 12, 1949. The Objective Resolution determined the fundamental framework for drafting an Islamic constitution for the state of Pakistan.

In light of the Objectives Resolution, a committee formed to chalk out basic principles for drafting the fundamental structure of the Constitution. To provide guidelines to this committee on the Objectives Resolution and to address, queries, a five-member Board named as the Board of Talimat-e-lslamia was formed under the chairmanship of Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi. Additionally, on February 15, 1951, a Law Commission was constituted, tasked with reviewing the existing laws, in effect, at that time and bringing them in conformity with the Objectives Resolution.

In 1956, when the first constitution of Pakistan was promulgated, Article 197 thereof provided for the establishment of an Institute for Islamic Research and Instructions. The primary objective of this institution was to assist in the process of reconstruction of Muslim society on ideal basis through research and education. Additionally, Article 198 of the same Constitution provided for the creation of an Islamic Commission. The primary functions of this Commission included to ensure that no law shall be enacted which is repugnant to the Injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, and that existing laws shall be brought into conformity with Islamic Injunctions.

In the Constitution of March 1962, it was envisaged to establish the Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology. The functions of this Advisory Council included providing recommendations to the central and provincial governments to enable the Muslims of Pakistan to order their lives, in all respects, in accordance with the Islamic principles. During this period, the Council submitted reports spanning ten years of time containing recommendations on significant social issues and proposals for bringing existing laws in conformity with the injunctions of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Council of Islamic Ideology:- In the Constitution of 1973, the Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology was renamed as the Council of Islamic Ideology. The provisions of Articles 227 to 231 of the Constitution outlined the obligation to bring legislation in conformity with Islamic principles, as well as the composition of the Council of Islamic Ideology and its functions.

According to Article 230 of the Constitution of Pakistan, one of the obligations of the Council was to submit a final report on review of laws after seven years of its establishment. Clause (4) of this article also mandated that the Council's annual interim report or its final report shall be laid down before the Majlis-e-Shura (Parliament).

In 1996, the Council submitted a final report to Parliament, which reviewed, all laws up to 1973, in light of Islamic principles. Furthermore, under its constitutional obligations, the Council regularly submits its annual report to Parliament and the provincial assemblies every year. Since its inception the total number of the Council's publications exceeds 100, including both annual and thematic reports. In addition, the Council annually publishes a reputable academic and research journal titled "ljtihad."

On the occasion of the completion of 50 years of operations by the Islamic Ideology Council and in recognition of its excellence, a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs. 30/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on 301h December, 2024.

148th Birth Anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. (2024-15)

Founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah called by the Nation Quaid-i-Azam - Great Leader was born in Karachi on 25th December 1876. He got his early education in Karachi. Since boyhood, he was brilliant and promising, zealously devoted to his studies and fired with the ambition to grow up to be a great man. No wonder he did achieve greatness by his extraordinary qualities of mind and determination.

After passing the matriculation examination at the age of 16, he left for England where in 1896 he qualified himself as Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln's Inn. Back in India he started practicing as a lawyer in Karachi at the age of 20. Later he moved to Bombay where he established a very successful practice. He began taking part in the country's freedom movement since the early nineties. In 1910, he was elected to the Imperial Legislative Council. He remained associated with the Council and its successor, the Central Assembly, for over 30 years. In 1913, he joined the Muslim League, an organization formed in 1906, to safeguard the legitimate interest of the Indian Muslims, who numbered about one third of the country's population. He became president of the All India Muslim League in 1916. Throughout his subsequent political career, he fought fervently for the just interests of the Indian Muslims, and championed their cause with devotion and courage.

Convinced by the past experience that as a minority community, the political interests of Muslims and their distinct cultural identity could never remain safe after the withdrawal of British rule from the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent, he put forward the plan envisaging the establishment of a separate home land - Pakistan in the areas where the Muslims were in majority. In 1940, the famous Pakistan Resolution was passed at Lahore demanding the creation of Pakistan as an independent, sovereign country. Thereafter, the achievement of Pakistan as a separate homeland became Jinnah's dominant aim which he stead fastly pursued, and by dint of his exceptional statesmanship, constitutional acumen, and intelligent advocacy, he ultimately succeeded in getting the Pakistan idea accepted by the Indian National Congress a predominantly Hindu political organization - as well as the British Government.

Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah became the first Governor-General of Pakistan after its emergence as a new country on the 14th August 1947. He died in Karachi on 11th September, 1948.

CHILD ART COMPETITION NATIONAL STAMP EXHIBITION 'KURRACHEE-2024' December 13, 2024 (2024-14)

The basic concept behind 'Child art' is to bring out the creativity in the young and express their ideas to the world. To encourage and promote this art on-spot painting/drawing competition in 2 hours during Stamp Exhibition, and to achieve a milestone in the world of Philately, Pakistan Post is issuing a special sheet of postage stamp depicting "Art Work" by the children, designs of which are taken from the "Stamp Drawing competitions" held by Pakistan Stamp Society (formerly Stamp Society of Pakistan)/ Pakistan Post as a live event during the annual National Stamp Exhibition at Karachi.

The Pakistan Stamp Society (formerly Stamp Society of Pakistan) has organized various National Stamp Exhibitions and Stamp Drawing Competitions jointly sponsored by Dawn Media Group, the Philatelic Federation of Pakistan, and the Pakistan Post Office based on FIAP rules at Expo Centre, Karachi. During the last nine years, this was held under the banner of the "Life Style Exhibition" organized by Dawn Media Group.

The Pakistan Stamp Society (formerly Stamp Society of Pakistan) is among the pioneering Stamp Society with over 150 members and has been proactive in disseminating knowledge and awareness through regular exhibitions. In collaboration with the Dawn Lifestyle and the patronage of the Philatelic Federation of Pakistan, the exhibitions have been popular. Some new stamp collectors rejuvenated as collectors and some also participated in the Asian and International exhibitions after due accreditation and judging at Expo Centre, Karachi over the last two decades.

The Pakistan Post, Dawn Media Group, Pakistan Stamp Society (formerly Stamp Society of Pakistan), and Philatelic Federation of Pakistan made it possible to print the country's first-ever stamp design which was selected through the LIVE Stamp Drawing competition in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 in Sheet of Eight. These stamps depict drawings of the previous year's young winners and were issued on the First Day of the Exhibition.

This Youth Painting Competition is divided into two age groups. Group "A" for children from 4 to 10 years old and group "B" from 11 to 17 years. The competition is announced in the newspapers, and many children from all major schools of Karachi / Sindh participate in the competition alongwith their teachers and parents. Participation and interest of children has increased each year and we have now seen entries from all over Pakistan.

The children have portrayed the given topics in their paintings in a very creative manner which are judged by Mr. Adil Salahuddin (Late), Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Senior Officials of Pakistan Post, every year, and four awards are given in each age group.

Children draw from life and portray what is happening around them. They also become more aware of the country's current situations, which they try to depict in their paintings.

It's a real treat to see the excitement and interest of the children and a strong desire to draw and paint better than other participants in just two hours.

This is the fifth time the paintings selected from Live Stamp Drawing Competitions are depicted on stamps and the sixth time for Child Art. This effort by the organizers and Pakistan Post has encouraged the youth and opened the doorway to young artists in the country. One day they will also become serious Philatelists and Stamp Designers.

Below are the names of the selected paintings by the following young artists for the Child Art Competition eight stamps with two labels in the center issued on the day of the exhibition:

Aysha Zafar Age: 9 Years	Hammad Umer Age: 8 Years	PAK POST LOGO	Aliza Sajid Age: 14 Years	Marium Bano Age: 14 Years
Zaina Fatima Age: 5 Years	Rumausa Imran Age: 7 Years	KURRACHEE 2024	Nabia Zehra Age: 14 Years	Yashfeeb Ayub Age: 15 Years

 These drawings have been taken from past competitions.

This is a combined teamwork of Pakistan Post, Mr. Adil Salahuddin (Late), the Organizers Mr. Iqbal Nanjee (Chairman of Organizing Committee & President), Engr. Afzal Nanjee, Mr. Usman Tahir of the Pakistan Stamp Society (formerly Stamp Society of Pakistan), and the officials of the Philatelic Federation took a keen interest in organizing the events for the Philatelic World.

Pakistan Post is issuing a set of 8 Special Stamps Sheet in the form of Stamp Sheet at the eve of National Stamp Exhibition KURRACHEE - 2024 being held at Karachi on December 13, 2024.

INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY 2024, DECEMBER 11th, 2024 (2024-13)

International Mountain Day is observed annually on December 11th, and in 2024, this significant day will be celebrated with renewed emphasis on the importance of mountains to life. Mountains are the cradles of rivers, the sources of freshwater, and the homes of a rich array of flora and fauna. However, they are facing unprecedented threats from climate change, deforestation, and unsustainable land use. On International Mountain Day 2024, the global community will come together to raise awareness about the crucial role mountains play in supporting biodiversity, regulating the climate, and providing livelihoods for millions of people. The day will be marked by events, campaigns, and initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable mountain development, protecting mountain ecosystems, and preserving the cultural heritage of mountain communities.

The theme for International Mountain Day 2024 is "Mountain solutions for a sustainable future innovation, adaptation, and youth". This year's theme focuses on empowering mountain communities through innovation, adaptation, and engaging the youth, recognizing their pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future.

K-2:- K-2, also known as Mount Godwin-Austen or Chhogori is the second highest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest, at 8,611 metres (28251 ft) above sea level. It is located on the China-Pakistan border in the Gilgit- Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. K-2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the extreme difficulty of ascent. It has the second-highest fatality rate among the eight thousanders. with around 800 successful summits and 100 fatalities, about one person dies on the mountain for every four who summit. It is more difficult and hazardous to reach the peak of K-2 from the Chinese side, thus it is usually climed from Pakistan side.

Nanga Parbat :- Nanga Parbat (literally, Naked Mountain) is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 meters (26,660 ft) above sea level. It is the western anchor of the Himalayas around which the Indus river skirts into the plains of Pakistan. It is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and is locally known as 'Deo Mir', 'Deo' meaning 'huge' 'Mir' meaning 'mountain". Nanga Parbat one of the eight-thousanders, is an immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, Nanga Parbat is also a notoriously difficult climb. Numerous mountaineering deaths in the mid and early 20th century lent it the nickname "killer mountain". Nanga Parbat forms the western anchor of the Himalayan range and is the westernmost eight-thousander. It lies just south of the Indus River in the Diamer District of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. Not far to the north is the western end of the Karakoram range.

Gasherbrum-l:- Gasherbrum-I also known as Hidden Peak or K-5, is the 11th highest mountain in the world at 8,080 metres (26,510 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Pakistan-Chinese borderin Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum-l is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya. Gasherbrum is often claimed to mean "Shining Wall", presumably a reference to the highly visible face of the neighboring peak Gasherbrum IV, but in fact it comes from "rgasha" (beautiful) + "brum" (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means "beautiful mountain". There are six Gasherbrum peaks and Gasherbrum-I is Highest of them.

Broad Peak:- Board peak is the 12th highest mountain in the world at 8,051 meters (26414 ft) above sea level. Broad peak is part of the Gasherbrum massif in Baltistan on the border of Pakistan and China. It is located in the Karakoram mountain rage about 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) from K-2. It has a summit over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long. The mountain has several summits: Broad Peak, Rocky Summit, Broad Peak Central, Broad Peak North, and Kharut Kangri. The first ascent of Broad Peak was made between June 8 and 9, 1957 by Fritz wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl of an Austrian expedition led by Marcus Schmuck. A first attempt by the team was made on May 29, 1957 where Fritz winteresteller and Kurt Diemberger reached the forepeak (8,030 m). This was also accomplished without the aid of supplemental oxygen, high altitude porters nor base camp support. In July 2013, a group of five Iranian climbers attempted to ascend through a new route from the southwestern face. Three of them-Aidin Bozorgi, Pouya Keivan, and Mojtaba Jarahi ascended successfully but during descent all three of them were lost and declared dead.

Muhammad Ali Sadpara was a renowned Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer. Born on February 2, 1976, in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sadpara made history by becoming the first Pakistani to climb all 14 eight- thousanders, including Mount Everest, K2, and Nanga Parbat. His remarkable achievements and fearless spirit earned him international recognition and accolades. Tragically, Sadpara went missing on February 5, 2021, during a winter expedition to K2, leaving behind a legacy of courage and determination that continues to inspire generations of mountaineers and adventure-seekers.

On the occasion of International Mountain Day 2024, Pakistan Post is proud to introduce a unique commemorative triangle-shaped souvenir sheet, a first-of-its-kind innovation in Pakistan's philatelic history with denomination Rs. 270/- is being issued by Pakistan post on December 11th, 2024,