Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan has announced that more than 50 million young Pakistanis are associated with Esports.
“We are establishing the country’s first esports federation and a game development center,” he said on Wednesday.
He revealed the plan while presenting the annual performance report of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme on Wednesday, highlighting that the government is working to empower youth in multiple areas including education, sports, technology, and employment.
He said, “The Youth Programme is following a policy based on engagement, employment, environment, and education. We are providing scholarships and platforms for young people to present their ideas, and we have launched National Innovation Awards.”
Talking about climate change, he said, “It is a major challenge. We have set up Green Youth Clubs in universities to raise awareness among the youth.”
He stressed the importance of volunteerism and capacity building. “We had initially planned to train two hundred thousand young people in disaster risk management, but now we will train two million in the next three years,” he said.
Rana Mashhood added, “Across the world, young volunteers are the first to step forward in times of natural disasters. We are focusing on technical education in fields like hospitality, health, and information technology. A modern software is being developed to prepare our youth in these areas.”
Sharing details about digital initiatives, he said, “We have established a Digital Youth Hub where six hundred thousand young people have registered. More than three thousand national and international companies, including federal, provincial, and private institutions, are also on board. At present, there are one hundred thousand job opportunities available on this hub.”
He explained that the platform also features opportunities in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other technologies. “We are giving our youth merit-based opportunities in education, sports, and other sectors without discrimination,” he said.
The chairman revealed that the government consulted more than two hundred thousand young people while drafting the country’s first National Youth and Adolescent Policy. “The government is working day and night to empower the youth, and this will give them the chance to move forward,” he stated.
The Youth Programme’s Talent Hunt Sports included twenty-three games. “We want as many young athletes as possible to step forward. We are establishing sports academies and sports technology labs in the country,” Rana remarked.