Mirpur: Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, has said that Kashmir is Pakistan’s lifeline and safeguarding it is synonymous with Pakistan’s development. He stressed that the Government of Pakistan is committed to providing every facility, incentive and opportunity for the welfare and progress of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at a ceremony organised by the AJK Chamber of Commerce and Industry to showcase the handwritten Quran by Allama Pir Imtiaz Haider Shah, Rana Mashhood said Pakistan would continue its diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiri people. He noted that the local resources of Azad Kashmir, including hydropower, tourism and minerals, were receiving special attention, which would transform the region into an example of progress. He announced that next month the Government of Pakistan, the Government of Azad Kashmir and the state’s industrial and commercial institutions would jointly hold a mega event to highlight the region’s development potential to the world.
Paying tribute to the Armed Forces, Rana Mashhood said that in the successful “Operation Bunyān Mursūs” and “Battle of Truth,” Pakistan’s armed forces, government and state institutions together defeated an enemy many times larger in size, which enhanced Pakistan’s prestige globally. He also termed the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence agreement a historic step that was opening doors for economic growth.
He highlighted the government’s achievements in creating employment abroad for more than 1.5 million people and praised Pir Imtiaz Haider Shah for his religious service in hand-writing the Holy Quran. He said efforts would be made to have this contribution recognised with a Presidential Award.
Rana Mashhood also underlined that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had saved Pakistan from default through tireless efforts, strengthened the country’s borders, curbed internal chaos and restored Pakistan’s credibility on the world stage. “We have broken the begging bowl; now the world deals with Pakistan on equal footing in business and development,” he stated, adding that international investors were preparing to bring industries and investment to Pakistan, which would also benefit Azad Kashmir.
Addressing a separate meeting of PML-N and Muslim Youth Wing office-bearers, he announced that in October, Azad Kashmir would host a Trade and Tourism Expo and Water Sports Festival in Mirpur to showcase its history, culture and potential. He further announced the relaunch of the laptop scheme under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme on October 13, extending its scope to Azad Kashmir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself would distribute laptops in Kashmir and inaugurate a Danish School in Neelum Valley.
He said the Punjab Education Endowment Fund had now been transformed into the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund, under which talented students from Azad Kashmir would be registered in the Digital Youth Programme and their educational expenses inside and outside Pakistan would be borne by the Prime Minister. He directed the programme’s focal person Raja Fateh Mahmood Kayani to ensure registration of Kashmiri students for scholarships, free online courses and overseas job opportunities under the Digital Youth Hub.
Rana Mashhood added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s target was to free the country from IMF restrictions next year and that Pakistan’s brave forces, institutions and people had together defended the country’s borders and its interests against hostile elements. He urged all segments of society, including traders, industrialists, lawyers, students and religious scholars, to play a frontline role in protecting Pakistan and Azad Kashmir’s hard-won gains. “The next election belongs to the PML-N and those conspiring against it will get a fitting reply,” he concluded.
