ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the youth are the drivers of change and the guarantee of a prosperous future, they must be included in policy-making.
Addressing the Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance Conference, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the youth as the harbinger of change and said that there is an urgent need to increase the role of youth in national development and policy-making. Youth can be empowered by promoting education, because youth are the guarantee of a peaceful and prosperous future.
Addressing the conference, the Prime Minister said that this is an excellent platform for partnership among Commonwealth member countries. He described the Prime Minister Youth Program as a flagship program for the development and well-being of youth and said that Pakistan is a founding member of the Commonwealth, which considers this platform an important source of partnership and consensus.
Shehbaz Sharif said that 60 percent of the Commonwealth’s population consists of people under the age of 30, who need to be equipped with modern technology and technical education. 70 percent of Pakistan’s population is also under the age of 30, who can play a key role in the country’s development.
The Prime Minister said that youth are the drivers of change in today’s era and their participation in nation-building efforts must be ensured. Under the Prime Minister Youth Program, laptops were provided to 600,000 deserving students, which became a source of education during the Corona pandemic.
He said that with the help of Danish Schools, quality education is being provided to students with less resources, the scope of which is being extended to remote areas of the country including Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan. Similarly, scholarships have been provided to students with less financial resources through the Punjab Education Endowment Fund.
The Prime Minister welcomed the establishment of the Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance Secretariat and said that it is an effective platform to strengthen the role of youth leadership, which will help in promoting dialogue among the younger generation. The Prime Minister administered the oath to the members of the National Youth Council and distributed awards among the youth who have shown outstanding performance.
