LAHORE, Aug 29 (APP):Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan has said the government was pursuing a comprehensive youth-focused agenda aimed at creating employment opportunities,developing skills, promoting entrepreneurship and connecting Pakistani youth with international education and research networks. Addressing the Health and Education Summit Pakistan (HESP) 2026 at Expo Centre,here on Saturday,he said Pakistan’s first National Youth Employment Policy had already been launched, while the first National …
Govt focusing on youth employment, skills and international academic linkages:Rana Mashhood
LAHORE, Aug 29 (APP):Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan has said the government was pursuing a comprehensive youth-focused agenda aimed at creating employment opportunities,developing skills, promoting entrepreneurship and connecting Pakistani youth with international education and research networks.
Addressing the Health and Education Summit Pakistan (HESP) 2026 at Expo Centre,here on Saturday,he said Pakistan’s first National Youth Employment Policy had already been launched, while the first National Youth Policy had received Cabinet approval.
He said the government was also working on the country’s first e-Sports Policy,which would cover game development, information technology and artificial intelligence.
Rana Mashhood said the government was striving to create an enabling environment for young people to enter the job market and set a target of ensuring 35 per cent participation of women in youth employment every year. He said efforts were also underway to ensure registration of 10 per cent youth in new companies annually.
He said game development and related sectors had emerged as a multi-billion-dollar global industry and Pakistan’s youth could benefit significantly from opportunities in IT,AI and e-sports.
The chairman said Prime Minister’s Vision 2047 envisaged placing youth at the centre of national development and, for the first time, young people would be directly involved in policy-making.
Suggestions and ideas would be sought from youth and relevant institutions across the country over the next six months, he added.
He said the government’s objective was not merely to formulate policies but to ensure their practical implementation and tangible benefits for the people.
Rana Mashhood highlighted the importance of international academic cooperation,saying agreements had been signed with 50 Chinese universities and more than 70 Chinese technical education institutions.
Similarly,educational cooperation agreements had been concluded with 25 US universities and 17 institutions in the US health and technical education sectors.
He said these partnerships would help bring modern research and expertise to Pakistan and facilitate the establishment of research centres in collaboration with international universities.
Representatives of foreign universities would visit Pakistan within the next two months,he added.
The chairman said Pakistani doctors and nurses were recognized globally for their professional capabilities.
The annual production of nurses had been increased to 38,000 while the Prime Minister had set a target of raising the number to between 60,000 and 100,000 next year with emphasis on maintaining quality alongside expansion of the workforce.
Practical measures were also being taken to promote health tourism in the country,he said.
Rana Mashhood said Pakistan had continued its development journey despite difficult circumstances and urged society to highlight the country’s achievements rather than focusing disproportionately on its shortcomings.
Recalling the challenges faced at the time of Pakistan’s creation,he said the country had been established with limited resources but its founding generation confronted the difficulties and defeated the designs of those who wanted Pakistan to fail.
He said Pakistan had made significant progress through continuous struggle, citing the expansion of fibre-optic technology and modern communication facilities as examples.
The country’s nuclear capability had also strengthened its sovereignty and defence,he added.
The chairman said a fifth-generation war was being waged against Pakistan to create frustration and hopelessness among its youth, stressing that the younger generation needed to be equipped with education, skills and opportunities to counter such challenges.
He said interest-free loans, scholarships and educational initiatives were helping talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds realize their potential.
Referring to the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, he said children from underprivileged families had secured scholarships and gone on to become doctors and engineers.
He cited the examples of a painter’s son from Dera Ghazi Khan who became a surgeon and was now in the United States,a girl from Yazman whose mother worked in homes and who reached LUMS through a scholarship, and Shamoon Masih,whose father worked as a cleaner while his son became an engineer and later an officer in the same office.
Rana Mashhood said Pakistan’s future should not be limited to the privileged class and every talented young person deserved an opportunity to progress.
He said institutions across the country,including Rashid Latif Khan University, were providing avenues for youth development.
He stressed that Pakistan now needed long-term planning and sustainable policies as the country would complete 100 years of its establishment in 2047.“Political differences have their own place, but Pakistan’s future is linked with its youth,”he added.
