Pakistan to be a competitive market: Imran

PM chairs meetings on youth programme, education policy framework

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said Pakistan aims to be more competitive and welcoming market for businesses around the globe.

The prime minister was addressing the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo as the keynote speaker.

“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will cut costs and distances and make the markets more competitive,” said Imran during his speech.

He reiterated that CPEC will open up new outlooks for growth and investment.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said ensuring the provision of education, health and employment opportunities to the country's youth as well as their inclusion in every sector was the foremost priority of the PTI government.

The 130 million of population below the age of 35 years was the most precious asset which could change the country's destiny, he added.

The prime minister expressed these views while chairing a meeting on the Prime Minister's Youth Programme at the PM Office.

The meeting was attended by Chairman PM's Youth Programme Muhammad Usman Dar, Special Assistants to PM Naeem-ul-Haq and Iftikhar Durrani, Secretary to PM Azam Khan and other officers.

The prime minister said by benefiting from the experience of various youth-oriented programmes initiated by the previous Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, a comprehensive and countrywide youth programme should be formulated.

The programme should not only ensure the provision of quality healthcare, education and employment opportunities for the youth, but also focus on help retrieving the youth of poor families from poverty and providing them respectable jobs, he added.

The prime minister said by utilising modern technology a special portal for youth should also be established so that they could directly send their opinions, suggestions and complaints to the government to enable it to formulate future policies in the light of those proposals.

During the briefing, the prime minister was told that the utility of worth billions of rupees' youth programmes, launched during the previous government, could be gauged well from the fact that according to the Commonwealth Youth Global Development Index Ranking, Pakistan came down to 154th position as against 89th in 2013.

Also, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the National Education Policy Framework was being devised to bring uniformity in existing fragmented and apartheid system of education.

Chaired a briefing on National Education Policy Framework at Prime Minister's Office, he said that objective of the policy was to create a nation and to put a fair system.

The prime minister emphasised that skill development of the youth should be especially focused so that the immense potential of the youth could be effectively utilised.

The briefing was attended by Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood, Punjab Education Minister Murad Rass, Adviser Education KP Zia Ullah Bangash, federal and provincial secretaries for education and senior officers.

The prime minister also chaired a meeting on PM's Inspection Commission (PMIC).

PMIC Chairman Ahmed Yar Hiraj briefed the prime minister about the matters relating to Inspection Commission, PM office media wing in a press release said. APP