By Nawaf Al-Deqbasi
DOHA, Dec 17 (KUNA) -- The State of Qatar celebrates on Friday the National Day amid official and public celebrations to mark the occasion as well as the mounting civil and economic accomplishments that have been made throughout the years.
Celebrations are being held in all towns under a theme extracted from a poem by the state founder, Sheikh Jassem Bin Mohammad Al-Thani, basically calling for solidarity and compassion with the oppressed and those in dire need for help, locally known as "Al-Fezaa." The occasion brings to memory the historic date, 1878, when Sheikh Jassem succeeded his father, Sheikh Mohammad, as leader of the country, and had held the helm of power till the process of establishing Qatar's state institutions and fostering national unity gained steam years later.
The national celebrations are held for the second time under sponsorship of the current Amir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who took power from his father, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa, on June 25, 2014, following his steps in developing and modernizing the country.
Qatar marks the occasion on December 18th since issuance of the law 11/2007. The Qataris regard this day as a date of solidarity and faithfulness to the first founder of the state, Sheikh Jassem, renowned for piety, courage and wisdom.
Nowadays, the state adopts a development policy based on scientific planning for employment of human resources, maximum utilization of these resources, national and foreign.
Politically, the state has keenly sought to maintain close bonds with other GCC and Arab countries and has taken constructive stances at crises times.
At the economic level, it had hammered out a strategy expiring in 2030; aimed at diversifying economic resources without dependence on oil and gas, developing various sectors such as financial services, health care, education, sports. Enormous proceeds from investments in the oil and gas sectors have resulted in record growth and have encouraged the government to spend generously on developing the infrastructure, the energy and housing sectors.
At the cultural level, authorities regularly organize festivals, seminars, exhibitions, in addition to the publishing of diverse newspapers, magazines, books and other releases.
In the educational sector, many schools and universities have been built as part of the policy to enhance citizens' knowledge and education and put the country in the rank among the advanced nations.
Moreover, the Qataris dedicate special attention to sports. The country is scheduled to host the 2022 world cup. (end) nd.rk