AJK PM calls for youth awareness, skills development

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Tuesday said the region had abundant talent, but a lack of awareness among young people remained a serious issue that required immediate attention.

Addressing participants at a two-day Youth Leadership Workshop organised by the Department of Sports, Youth and Culture at the Kashmir Institute of Management, the prime minister said nearly 64 per cent of AJK’s population consisted of youth. He said that if this segment was given proper direction and effective guidance, the region could achieve new levels of progress and success.

He said it was a matter of pride that Kashmiri youth were serving in important positions across Pakistan on the strength of their abilities, reflecting their competence. Finance and Inland Revenue Minister Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Adviser on Sports and Youth Affairs Sardar Ahmed Sagheer, and Secretary Sports, Youth and Culture Ansar Yaqoob were also present at the event.

Mr Rathore urged young people to make use of modern technology, saying mobile phones had become a ‘university in one’s hands.’ "With a single click, you can access information from around the world, which was not possible before."

Sharing his personal experience, he said success did not come instantly and instead required patience, sincerity and continuous struggle. "My success is also the result of a long and difficult journey marked by hard work, struggle and major decisions," he said.

He said one of society’s major weaknesses was the tendency to look for faults in others, and advised participants to avoid negative habits, move beyond conventional thinking and adopt self-accountability instead of being judgmental. "Success requires a story that inspires motivation. Young people should work to improve their own life stories and accept responsibility for both success and failure," he added.

He added that while governments were responsible for providing resources, training and education, young people also had to work hard themselves.

The prime minister also stressed the need to improve the education system, saying one of its major shortcomings was assessing students only through marks, a method he said was no longer followed in most parts of the world. He said there was no alternative to skills and called for stronger emphasis on skill development in view of the shortage of skilled workers. He expressed hope that the workshop would help prepare a new generation of youth leaders.

Job festival inaugurated

Earlier, Mr Rathore inaugurated a two-day Job Festival at the New Prime Minister House, also organised by the Department of Sports, Youth and Culture, to guide young people about opportunities for education, employment and professional development abroad.

The event included stalls from various government departments, overseas employment and education consultancy firms, armed forces recruitment centres, and organisations working on self-employment and skills development. Food stalls were also set up at the venue.

A large number of students, fresh graduates and other young participants attended the festival, where experts, consultants and representatives from relevant sectors offered guidance on overseas education, employment and career planning. The prime minister visited the stalls and received briefings from officials.

Speaking to the media, he said the purpose of the festival was to showcase the potential of youth, provide them guidance and link them with better job opportunities, especially in information technology, tourism, health, hospitality and skilled trades.

He said that if the youth, who formed the majority of the population, were not engaged in productive and healthy activities, they could be drawn towards negative pursuits, which would harm the state.

Mr Rathore also said efforts were under way to improve internet services in order to create a supportive environment for freelancing among young people.