MUZAFFARABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s youth were the country’s greatest strength and that investing in their education and skills was an investment in the future.
Addressing the ceremony when he formally launched the distribution of laptops under the Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop Program in Azad Jammu and Kashmir at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK), the Prime Minister said the laptops were not just machines but a means of connecting young people with the world, knowledge and opportunities.
He cited success stories of students who, he said, had used earlier laptops to build careers and overcome social and economic barriers.
“Our youth, especially Gen Z, are more aware, more skilled and better equipped to use technology than previous generations,” the Prime Minister said.
He urged the students to play a positive role in the digital and social media sphere and warned against the spread of misinformation and fake news. “Truth and lies today are often shaped by narratives. Our educated youth must stand for facts and responsibility,” he said.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to merit, the prime minister said laptops had also been distributed purely on merit under earlier programmes, rejecting criticism that such initiatives were political handouts.
He said the continuation of education during the Covid-19 pandemic through laptops was proof of their value.
The Prime Minister also announced major educational initiatives for Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including the approval of four Danish schools, a planned technical-focused Danish university, and the revival of the Prime Minister’s Education Fund to provide scholarships to talented but underprivileged students from AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and other parts of the country, including studies in a country.
Regarding Kashmir, he said that the people of Kashmir had made enormous sacrifices and their emotional bond with Pakistan was unbreakable.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris and called for unity, hard work and faith to achieve national goals.
The Prime Minister concluded by saying that disciplined effort, unity and faith were essential to make Pakistan strong and prosperous. “Our youth is our future,” he said, expressing confidence that those with opportunities and merits would bring Pakistan and Kashmir further on the world map.
Ports
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting on the task force set up for reforms in Pakistani ports.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday emphasized the importance of ports, which played an extremely important role in boosting business activity and economic growth, and directed various steps to accelerate trade, connectivity and economic activity.
Chairing a meeting on the working group set up for reforms in the country’s ports, he directed that various departments associated with ports should further strengthen mutual coordination to facilitate business so that the dwell time of cargo could be reduced to a minimum.
He also directed that various types of port charges should be further reduced.
The Prime Minister was presented with recommendations regarding facilities and reforms in ports for business, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
The meeting was attended by Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Musadik Malik, Foreign Minister Bilal Azhar Kiyani, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar and senior relevant officials.
The Prime Minister emphasized that a transparent system should be introduced for the auction of abandoned goods lying in ports. Separate yards should be established at various ports across the country for the cargo left behind and services of internationally recognized companies should be engaged for this purpose, he added.
He further asked that initial testing laboratories for cargo inspection be established in the ports and that unnecessary laboratory testing of cargo be abolished.
The prime minister ordered that the dredging and expansion work at all ports should be accelerated so that large vessels could berth.
He also emphasized the improvement of rail links from ports to inland freight transport.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of the working group led by Ziad Bashir to present concrete proposals.
Ziad Bashir believed that the transparent privatization of PIA had significantly increased confidence in Pakistani business.
During the briefing, it was informed that the work on the national harbor master plan was progressing quickly. The port community system has recently been put into operation.
While various charges in the country’s ports were reduced and recently more than a 50 percent reduction in bulk berth charges had been made in Port Qasim.
New investments in various ports in Pakistan improved their performance, it further added.
The Prime Minister was informed that an e-bidding system for auctioning of abandoned goods would soon be introduced, enabling anyone across the country to participate in it remotely.
While tenders for expansion and deepening of Karachi ports had already been awarded and work would begin soon, it added.
PIA privatization
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday appreciated the government team involved in the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and said the successful completion of the process marked a major milestone achieved in the larger national interest.
He directed that all the loss-making State-Owned Entities (SOEs) should be relieved immediately in a transparent manner to avoid annual losses and the funds should be used for the country’s development and prosperity.
Addressing the government team members on the privatization process, the Prime Minister said that the PIA privatization was completed a day earlier with full transparency, professionalism and teamwork. He recalled that several attempts had been made in the past to privatize the airlines, but these efforts could not succeed for some reasons. A similar attempt last year also failed, he added.
The Prime Minister said the government did not lose heart and decided to move forward again on a fast-track basis, despite the complexity and difficulty of the task. He said the process was completed through close coordination, consultation and teamwork involving legal, financial and technical experts, as well as relevant ministries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier this month he personally met potential bidders, discussed their concerns in detail and addressed their reservations. With their consent, December 23 was fixed as the date for divestment, he added.
He said the bidding mechanism was finalized through mutual consultation to ensure complete transparency. The Cabinet Committee approved a reference price of Rs 100 billion as recommended by the Privatization Commission.
The prime minister said the bidding process was telecast live and the final bid was set at Rs 135 billion. Including the remaining 25 percent government stake, he said the total valuation reached Rs 180 billion.
He said the government learned from past failures and ensured that the mistakes were not repeated, adding that the entire process was conducted in a transparent and professional manner.
Congratulating the nation, the Prime Minister said the successful completion of the process was made possible with the prayers and support of the people.
He expressed hope that the new management would bring in new investments, modern equipment and new aircraft so that PIA can develop further in the coming days. He also congratulated the investors who bought the airline.
The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the government team, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Privatization Commission Chairman Muhammad Ali, Usman Akhtar Bajwa, Asad Hussain and Zeeshan Hussain.
He described Privatization Commission Chairman Muhammad Ali as the team’s “star performer” and announced that he would be honored on March 23 in recognition of his services.
The Prime Minister noted that PIA had incurred annual losses of around Rs 35 billion due to poor practices, inefficiency and lack of commitment. He said officers working day and night for national development, poverty alleviation and economic stability were the real heroes.
The Prime Minister also presented awards to the members of the government team who played a key role in the successful completion of the PIA privatization process at the ceremony.
