Islamabad: On International Youth Day, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have pledged to create a nurturing environment for the youth of Pakistan, recognizing them as crucial to the nation’s future.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, both leaders released statements emphasizing the importance of the youth in driving Pakistan forward. President Zardari highlighted the government’s duty to equip young people with the necessary resources and opportunities to reach their potential and contribute to a thriving Pakistan. He pointed to the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme as a key initiative demonstrating the government’s dedication to youth empowerment.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif elaborated on the demographic potential of Pakistan, where over sixty percent of the population is under thirty. He described the Youth Loan and Agricultural Scheme, initiated in 2013, as a successful venture that has already benefited over two hundred and eighty thousand young entrepreneurs with approximately one hundred eighty-six billion rupees.

He announced plans to expand the program significantly, aiming to distribute an additional one hundred billion rupees this financial year to about three hundred thousand more young entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister encouraged young Pakistanis to leverage opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, and social activism to become agents of positive change.