PM Shehbaz Announces Pakistan’s First National Youth Policy, 35% Women’s Quota

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced Pakistan’s first National Youth Policy, featuring a mandatory 35 percent quota for women in the labour force and financial support for young people seeking to launch startups.

Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on World Youth Day, the prime minister said the policy was aimed at empowering young people through education, employment, entrepreneurship and modern skills.

He said Pakistan had millions of talented young people who could outperform others if provided with quality education and equal opportunities. However, he regretted that wealthy families could afford education at leading institutions around the world, while many poor parents struggled to educate their children.

“An underprivileged child cannot even enter Aitchison College,” he said, adding that Daanish Schools had been established to bridge this educational gap.

Shehbaz said the Daanish School network had been expanded across Punjab and was now being established in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Balochistan, where students would receive free education.

He said the quality of education at Daanish Schools would not be inferior to that of Aitchison College, stressing that equal educational opportunities for rich and poor were essential for building the Pakistan envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam.

1,000 Students to Be Sent to China for IT and AI Education

The prime minister announced that 1,000 students from across Pakistan would be sent to China at government expense to receive education and training in information technology and artificial intelligence.

He said sufficient funds had been allocated for education in the federal budget. Last year, students from across Pakistan had been sent to China on merit and at government expense to receive modern agricultural education, he added.

Daanish University in Islamabad to Begin Classes Next Year

Shehbaz Sharif announced that Daanish University in Islamabad would be established next year, with classes also expected to begin during the same year.

The university will focus on technical and modern education, particularly emerging and technological disciplines. Admissions will be based on merit, regardless of a student’s financial background, he said.

250,000 More Chromebooks to Be Distributed

The prime minister said seven million laptops had so far been distributed among students purely on merit, with no recommendations involved.

He announced that another 250,000 children across the country would receive Chromebooks this year. Students from private schools would not be included in the scheme.

Responding to criticism that laptops were being distributed as political rewards, Shehbaz defended the initiative, saying the devices had provided young people with opportunities to earn respectable livelihoods and enter the modern digital world.

“I consider the laptop not a machine but a mission,” he said, pledging to expand the initiative further.

35% Women’s Quota and 10% Startup Quota

Announcing the National Youth Policy, Shehbaz Sharif said a mandatory 35 percent quota for women would be allocated across the labour force.

He also announced a 10 percent quota for young people seeking support to establish startups, saying the government wanted to encourage youth to become entrepreneurs rather than remain solely dependent on traditional employment.

The prime minister said Pakistan was created by its elders in 1947, but the Pakistan of 2047 would be shaped according to the aspirations and vision of its youth.