In a strategic move to avoid the pitfalls of addressing the youth in an uncontrolled environment, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif engaged with a seemingly carefully selected group of beneficiaries from his government's youth programs.
Shehbaz Sharif, addressing the youth, said there is a need to identify the challenges facing the youth of today. He said there was a need to bridge the gap between education imparted by universities and education and skill sets required by industries and jobs providers.
The first question was posed by the director of a USA-based IT company, who had benefited from the E-Rozgar scheme. He discussed the gap between skills taught by universities and those required by job providers.
The setting resembled a studio, with black curtains draped on the walls of the central party secretariat in Lahore. The PML-N media team, which seemingly lacks the finesse needed in this time and age to effectively convey their message, had their party president address selected youth from across the province at the central party secretariat on Monday. However, the event appeared to lack a clear purpose.
Shehbaz lamented that despite Pakistan possessing great IT talent, yet the country’s total IT export was only Rs2.5 billion. He attributed this to policy failures, citing the absence of a proper incentive structure. He said IT export growth can massively contribute to Pakistan.
The former prime minister stated that on February 8, whichever government comes to power should prioritise the empowerment of youth, a goal achievable only through educational policies.
He pointed out that the major challenge in that regard is to ensure job opportunities, allowing those with a degree to become the primary breadwinners for their families.
“Not only that, but they can also secure jobs abroad and in sports. Our youngsters have great potential in sports, including fields like hockey and cricket.”
However, he lamented that due to the absence of a mechanism to hunt talent, much of this potential goes untapped.
He expressed that while the nation may lack oil and gas, “we possess a valuable resource in our youth. If we provide them with the right training, our sufferings and sorrows can transform into joy and prosperity”.
Encircled by beneficiaries of PML-N programs, the questions asked by attendees at the event were, in contrast to typical organic youth interactions, leaned towards a more issue-centric focus.
Almost all questions were framed in a structured pattern – opening with accolades for the programs they reaped benefits of and followed by queries related to their relevant fields.
The overall seating arrangement itself raised eyebrows and made little sense, with half of the students consistently facing Shehbaz's back, a peculiar layout around a small, round podium where he stood to address the audience.
The primary focus of his media team appeared to be videography. The recorded session was subsequently broadcast on Wednesday.
The apparent aim was to showcase PML-N's popularity among the youth, particularly in light of the results of student interactions with the acting prime minister and the interactive sessions conducted by media outlets, where students posed challenging and somewhat bitter questions.
A recurring theme in these sessions was a strong dislike for the current status quo embodied by PML-N.
Later, a graduate from the Danish School, another alumnus from the same institution and the PEEF program, and a beneficiary of the Balochistan student initiative also asked questions in sequence.
Likewise, others who were granted the opportunity included beneficiaries of the youth leadership program, Chinese language learning program, and similar initiatives. All opened their questions by expressing praise for their respective programs.
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