‘Baloch youth are key to its success’

Prime Minister Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad said on Monday that the government was providing platforms and opportunities to the youth to exhibit their abilities and play a pivotal role in the prosperity of the country.

Addressing a ceremony organised by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) to award certificates through the Chamalang Education Project to students of Loralai and Kohlu districts at Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), he said that the condition of the province would improve thanks to its talented and motivated youth. He urged the youngsters to continue their efforts towards a prosperous and stable Pakistan.

He also urged them to work diligently and create a scope in society. “You are not just making your future. It will be a success to your family, region, province and the country at large." He also lauded the Chamalang Education Project that provided free education to the underprivileged students of Loralai and Kohlu districts.

Mashhood Ahmed Khan said then Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had initiated the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund to provide scholarships to talented students. He assured the project would expand across the country and be renamed as the Pakistan Educational Endowment Fund. He said Shehbaz, who is now the prime minister of Pakistan, had a vision to empower the youth to make them productive citizens.

“The government has established the Danish School Authority and four related schools would be set up in Balochistan. He added that funds had been allocated in the recent budget. He lauded the efforts of the Pakistan Army to provide education in remote areas of Balochistan.

Balochistan Education Minister Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani said she was happy to see an increasing number of students from the area competing with those of other provinces. She appreciated PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, saying he always launched youth programmes to empower students. “He allocated seats for the students of Balochistan in the educational institutes of Punjab. Raheela Durrani believed that the visit of Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan was evidence of the federal government's thriving support to the province.

PPAF Chief Executive Officer Nadir Gul expressed his commitment to extend the Chamalang Education Project and said required funds would be provided to out-of-school children in Loralai and Kohlu districts. He reaffirmed his resolve to collaborate with the federal and provincial governments to bring children back to school and strengthen educational institutions across the country.