Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan faced serious development challenges due to weak social indicators and that, despite various schemes and initiatives in the past, the country had yet to achieve a decisive breakthrough in improving key social outcomes.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of the Overseas Summer Scholar Internship and YPDC Residential Fellowship here on Tuesday, the Minister said the Ministry of Planning was developing a one-of-its-kind national youth mobilization initiative under which one million young Pakistanis would be engaged as social mobilizers to bring meaningful and sustainable change its social indicators through community mobilization at the grassroots level.
He said the initiative would focus on addressing some of Pakistan’s most pressing social challenges, including approximately 25 million out-of-school children, low literacy levels and the high prevalence of stunting and malnutrition, with around 40 percent of children affected by stunting. The youth would also be mobilized to promote healthy lifestyles, discourage drug and tobacco use, raise awareness about health and nutrition, and contribute to environmental sustainability through large-scale plantation drives.
Ahsan Iqbal said the youth volunteers would work within their respective communities to promote positive behavioural change and connect national development priorities with people at the grassroots level. The initiative would be formally launched on November 9, with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expected to launch the programme.
He said nearly 60 percent of Pakistan’s population comprised young people. Youth of Pakistan have to be make partner in enhancing national development goals. He described the initiative as an unprecedented effort to harness Pakistan’s youth as ambassadors of positive social change.
“Pakistan’s journey of development cannot be confined to government offices notifies. The real key to our progress lies in the hands of our youth,” the Minister said, adding that the Ministry of Planning, in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision, was promoting a participatory model of development in which citizens, particularly young people, would become active partners in national progress.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan had demonstrated its ability to make rapid through progress whenever political stability, policy continuity and effective decision-making were ensured. Referring to the energy crisis, terrorism and instability faced by the country in 2013, he said decisive measures had helped add more than 11,000 megawatts to national power generation capacity by 2017 and substantially address the energy crisis leading international institutions had projected Pakistan to become one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2030.
He said CPEC brought around $25 billion in investment and opened new opportunities in infrastructure, energy and economic development unfortunately the change brought out the country in 2018 derailed the journey. He added that Pakistan’s long-term objective was not merely economic stability but to transform the country into a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
Emphasizing youth leadership, the Minister said Pakistan’s young generation must be provided opportunities to “reach for the stars.” Referring to Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s concept of the Shaheen, he said the youth represented aspiration, courage, self-respect, knowledge and action.
“The youth of Pakistan are the Shaheens of Iqbal. They must use knowledge, character and action to restore Pakistan to the position of intellectual and scientific leadership,” he said.
He said the YPDC programme had deliberately been kept above political divisions and was aimed at promoting a shared national identity among young Pakistanis. “We may belong to different languages, cultures, ethnicities and tribes, but our foremost identity is Pakistani,” he said.
The Minister said Pakistan had made significant achievements since independence despite limited resources and difficult circumstances, but national progress required honest self-assessment and collective efforts to address weaknesses, particularly in education, health and human development.
He said Pakistan’s literacy rate needed to be raised substantially and universal primary school enrolment must be ensured. He also highlighted the challenge of childhood stunting and malnutrition, stressing that improving human capital was essential for winning the “marathon of development.”
Ahsan Iqbal said the youth mobilization initiative would support efforts to bring out-of-school children into education, promote awareness about health and nutrition, discourage drug and tobacco use, encourage healthier lifestyles and contribute to environmental protection through plantation campaigns.
Referring to Pakistan’s recent defence and diplomatic achievements, the Minister said the country had demonstrated its strength and resilience during Marka-e-Haq, with the armed forces successfully defending the country under the leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said Pakistan had also played a constructive role in diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire during the Iran-US conflict, while the Makkah Defence Agreement had further strengthened Pakistan’s position as an important and responsible country in the region.
“Having achieved significant successes in the fields of defence and diplomacy, we must now transform the success of Marka-e-Haq into a Marka-e-Taraqqi—the battle for development,” Ahsan Iqbal said.
He stressed that economic progress could only be sustained through political and social stability, peace and continuity of policies. Pakistan’s response to emerging challenges, he said, must be based on unity, national cohesion, peace and development.
“A country consumed by internal discord cannot achieve development. Every young Pakistani must become a guardian of peace and play a role in protecting the country’s stability, unity and security,” the Minister concluded.
