‘Youth key to nation-building’

LAHORE: People are quick to criticise steps taken for people’s welfare, but when it comes to raising voice against people who robbed the Bank of Punjab or those who looted national wealth, Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday.

He said that no one was criticising those who had loans worth billions of rupees written off.

Addressing the concluding session of the two-day Punjab Youth Conference, the chief minister said that the country depended on its youth to bring it out of crisis.

Sharif announced the setting up of the Punjab Youth Commission and said a considerable amount would be set aside in the provincial budget for the establishment of the Youth Employment Fund. Terming the youth conference unique in the country’s history, Sharif said members of the Punjab Youth Commission had highlighted national problems in an effective manner.

He said that proposals presented by students for resolving national problems indicated that Pakistan ‘will definitely benefit from their positive approach and fresh outlook’. The chief minister said that Pakistan was facing a number of problems.

“We depend upon others to bail us out of tough situations and taking dictation from superpowers has become the norm.”

“If this country is to progress, we will have to ensure the provision of education, health and other facilities to all citizens, from Khyber to Karachi. This will be possible only when experienced people and the youth work together,” he said.

The chief minister said that the previous government had spent billions of rupees on the Parha Likha Punjab programme but educational institutions still lacked basic facilities which negated tall claims made by people who conceived and executed the project.

Sharif said that fake degrees of politicians were an embarrassment but those who caused to disintegrate the country.

“The transparent recruitment of 38,000 teachers and 12,000 police constables proves that this government is committed to merit,” he said, adding that the establishment of a Punjab Educational Endowment Fund was a milestone. He said that its funding would be increased to Rs6 billion in the coming financial year.

“This will enable five students to be sent to Ivy League universities for higher education,” he said.

“The Danish Schools project has started in southern Punjab. Three schools will be completed in the first phase in the Bahawalpur division within the next 4-5 months,” he said, adding that the project would be expanded to include Dera Ghazi Khan.

Sharif also said that the Sasti Roti scheme was being criticised only because it had been started for the poor.

He admitted that there were flaws in the scheme and steps were being taken to improve it.

The chief minister said there had been some exaggerations regard the expenses pertaining to the Sasti Roti scheme. “Only Rs5.5 billion had been spent on the scheme this year.”

He said he was committed to projects which would help the masses.

Sharif appealed to the participants of the youth conference to come forward and play their part in resolving the nation’s problems.

“I will work with you, shoulder to shoulder,” he promised.

The ceremony was attended by several of provincial ministers, parliamentarians, vice-chancellors, principals, headmasters, teachers, intellectuals and 360 members of the Punjab Youth Commission belonging to 36 districts.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2010.