Strive to become entrepreneurs rather than jobseekers, says AJK president

The youth of AJK and Pakistan has immense entrepreneurial potential, President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Sardar Masood Khan stated during his visit to the federal capital on Thursday.

“Our youth must be encouraged to acquire the necessary skills to become successful entrepreneurs to create more jobs in the country for themselves and others instead of seeking jobs.” 

Incubation centres such as the National Incubation Centre (NIC) are playing an important role in accelerating an entrepreneurial environment by bringing academia and industries closer to start-ups, said President Khan.

The AJK president further acknowledged the very conducive and enabling environment provided at NIC and also praised the leadership, who hold national and international exposure, for creating an inclusive eco-system.

“In AJK we are waking up to the opportunities being provided because of new technologies. The AJK public-sector universities are providing degrees in emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, to name a few”, the president stated.

“A business incubation centre has been established in Mirpur with the help of the business and the diaspora community” he also revealed, further adding, “In AJK we need new technologies and innovations in agriculture, waste management and tourism."

He also welcomed the inauguration of a new incubation centre in Mirpur by NIC and also urged them to plan another incubation centre in Kotli as the University of Kotli specialises in Information Technology.

President Khan further asserted, “We have many challenges: first, create literacy about new technologies and their implications; second is that we must transform these technologies into a tangible product. We need to understand how to create mass awareness and harness these technologies for the prosperity of Pakistan”.

Adding on, he declared, “Today we are in the era of new technology and we must realise that communication with the general public is very important so as to inspire and motivate students all over the country and help translate our efforts into results. We have a huge reservoir of young population which is an asset. We must mobilise them”.

The AJK president addedwe would welcome NIC to AJK. The AJK IT Board along with the public sector universities are willing to collaborate to make this programme a success in AJK.