Pakistan is one of very few countries in the world which doesn’t have an aging population, but an increasingly young mass that has the potential to fuel increasing business & economic activities and government should take measures for utilizing talent of youth in order to make the country self-reliant in all fields.

This was said by Zahid Maqbool, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) while presiding over a meeting of ICCI Youth Affairs Committee. He said out of 170 million people, 60 percent of our population is reportedly under 25-years of age, which if developed properly, provides the country with an energetic segment to spearhead the economy out of trouble waters.

He said setting up of Youth Parks will offer a good platform to harness the talent of youth for the economic development of the country. He said in these parks, youth should be engaged in different activities and competitions in the fields of business, entrepreneurship, science & technology, IT & telecom and other productive areas.

Zahid Maqbool said these parks will offer our youth windows of opportunities to excel in a wide variety of fields and develop their business acumen. It will also boost their confidence, innovative nature, competitive spirit and polish their hidden skills which otherwise go waste or remain hidden. He said these competitions will help youngsters to become more dependable, respectable, technically developed and self-sufficient nation of the 21st century.

He said that history is replete with examples where youth has played a pivotal role in nation building in many countries from Germany to Africa and China to Cuba. He said that our youth can also do wonders for the economy and make the country self-reliant provided its potential is honed and utilized optimally.

ICCI President said Pakistan’s youth is second to none, but they need a conducive environment to develop and unleash their talent for the development of the country and establishment of Youth Parks could be a right step to that direction.