ISLAMABAD (APP) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said the federal government will provide one million smartphones to top-performing students across the country, including those from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and remote areas of Balochistan.
He made the announcement while addressing an event marking the International Day of Youth, organized by the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme. He said each province has its separate programs to support students.
He pledged to allocate ample resources to the nation’s youth to help transform the country into a thriving, developed nation. He recalled his service as chief minister of Punjab under the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Nawaz Sharif. He aimed to provide opportunities for the youth to change the country’s destiny as prime minister.
“The country’s youth have the potential to elevate the nation to new heights, if given access to modern education and resources,” he added.
He expressed his vision of equipping talented youth with modern education, Information Technology, and Artificial Intelligence to spark a revolution in the country, similar to the progress seen in China. He highlighted his previous efforts in providing modern facilities to students at Danish Schools.
Shehbaz Sharif also lamented that, despite having abundant resources and 77 years of independence, the country remains heavily burdened by debt. He noted that extreme poverty prevents many from affording basic needs, such as arranging marriages for their daughters, while the country’s elite class enjoys significant privileges.
Additionally, the prime minister announced that he will personally fund the education of 1,000 agricultural graduates in China, aiming to equip them with modern technology to boost agri production. Huawei has also committed to sending 200,000 youth for IT training and advanced education, he said adding that he will unveil a comprehensive development plan for the country on August 14.
The prime minister stated that nothing was impossible in this world and emphasized the need to progress by learning from past mistakes. He assured that the country’s hockey will be revived. Praising javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, he noted that Nadeem had won a gold medal for the country after a drought of over 40 years.
At the beginning of the event, the prime minister officially launched several key initiatives, including the Commonwealth Youth Alliance Secretariat in Islamabad, the Digital Learning Portal, the PM Green Youth Movement, and the AI for Youth Programme, which offers Intel-certified skills to young people. Other initiatives included Smart Youth, Smart Pakistan, and the distribution of one million tablets and mobile phones to high-achieving intermediate students. He also announced the registration of the National Volunteer Corps.
Later, the prime minister presented awards to successful young entrepreneurs.