Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in reference to the recent staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), acknowledged that while the IMF programme has brought stability to Pakistan, it is a loan the country must eventually move away from. He expressed hope that this would be the last such programme and urged the youth to work hard, emphasizing their role in achieving long-term economic self-sufficiency.
Addressing a launching ceremony of PM Digital Youth Hub, the prime minister said that as a Chief Minister Punjab, he disbursed 400,000 laptops among the students who were high achievers in their schools and colleges. “This was the vision for which he worked hard,” he remarked.
He reaffirmed his commitment to equip the country’s youth with advanced technological skills, emphasizing the importance of their role in driving the nation’s development and prosperity.
He assured that all necessary resources will be allocated to provide the best training opportunities, enabling young people to become productive contributors to the society.
The prime minister emphasized that the youth of Pakistan was a challenge as well as a great opportunity. “If we provide training in Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) led modern technology, they can contribute a lot for the development and prosperity of Pakistan.”
He said if the youth were provided with the right opportunity, they could play a positive role in making the country one of the leading economies of the world.
Expressing his resolve to provide the best training to the youth, he said the government will ensure all possible resources for their training by cutting down other expenditures. “Youth are the biggest assets of Pakistan, and we can serve this great asset by equipping them with the best state-of-the-art technologies.”
He highlighted that during the last three weeks, the national exchequer received Rs 34 billion due to the government’s efforts to speed up the tax cases pending in the tribunals for several years.
On this occasion, Chairman Prime Minister Youth Programme Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan said that the government was opening up new opportunities to empower youth of the country.
He said through the PM Digital Hub, the youth would benefit in various sectors including sports, tourism, sports, IT, green economy and others.
United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Officer In-charge Sharmeela Rasool said this was a platform of opportunity and hope. She said this programme was aimed at making the youth stronger and productive people of the country.
Chairman Semiconductor Group Naveed Sherwani said private sector and public sector should put full energy in provision of training to the youth to enable them play a role for the development of the country.
UN Resident Coordinator Muhammad Yahya said the Digital Youth Hub was prepared to make youth capable of exploring their capabilities. This is the start of the journey of development and prosperity for Pakistan, he added.
