FATA, Balochistan: Ahsan orders targeted youth, livelihood drives
The minister chaired the fifth meeting of the Prime Minister's Committee on the Socio-Economic Domain in Islamabad on Wednesday. The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, representatives from NACTA, finance ministers from all four provinces and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, senior officials from federal and provincial ministries, and members of provincial socio-political committees.
Member Governance Dr Adnan Rafiq presented a detailed review of the progress made by provincial governments on the committee's earlier decisions, alongside the compliance status of outcomes from the fourth meeting. Discussions centered around ensuring equitable socio-economic development in Balochistan, Newly Merged Districts (NMDs), South Punjab, and Interior Sindh.
The minister also directed vice-chancellors across Punjab and federal universities to take direct responsibility for mentoring students from Balochistan and the NMDs, suggesting biweekly career counseling sessions and a structured mentorship programme. A framework for this initiative was requested to be submitted to the ministry.
Minister for Planning Iqbal emphasised that meetings of this nature should not merely serve as discussion forums; rather, they must produce actionable outcomes with a strong focus on implementation. 'If we only take decisions without ensuring implementation, there will be no tangible results,' he stressed.
He called for a robust mechanism to evaluate performance based on implementation metrics and urged the provinces to develop and share their respective action plans and KPIs so that a consolidated report could be prepared with mutual consensus. He particularly asked Balochistan to expedite its action plan for submission to the Apex Committee.
Iqbal highlighted the need to reframe the national narrative around conflict prone areas. 'This is a fifth-generation war, the nation that produces better ideas and narratives will succeed,' he stated, underlining the importance of transforming the youth mindset in Balochistan and other vulnerable districts through positive engagement, education, and skill-building.
Special emphasis was laid on creating inclusive opportunities and removing ethnic biases, especially within universities and hostels. 'No hostels will allow allotments based on caste or ethnicity. Allotments will be mixed, and this directive must be implemented strictly,' he directed.
The minister also expressed concern about the lack of engaging mechanisms for scholarship recipients. He revealed that from 2013 to 2018, scholarships were awarded to over 5,000 students in Balochistan, but there is little to no data on their current status or contributions. 'The state must ensure that those it supports financially are given opportunities to contribute positively to society,' he remarked.
Iqbal emphasised the importance of nurturing a culture of good citizenship from the primary level to university education and called upon the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to work in this domain.
The minister also addressed religious harmony, noting that NACTA has been tasked with developing guidelines and an implementation mechanism for a teacher training module to promote interfaith harmony. He stressed the importance of cultural sensitivity in policymaking and increasing women's participation in socio-economic policies.
In a significant cultural initiative, Iqbal announced the government's plans to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal. He shared that a dedicated committee has been constituted to promote Iqbal's philosophy at all levels. The current budget includes funding for the Iqbal Cultural Institute, and the HEC has been instructed to establish Iqbal Chairs and departments across universities. The national celebrations on August 14 will also feature a dedicated session on Iqbal's concept of Khudi (selfhood), he added.
'This is our collective failure — we have forgotten AllamaIqbal, who is not just our cultural icon but a philosophical necessity. If we had followed his vision, our youth today would be united under one agenda,' the minister concluded. He directed that a joint implementation framework must be developed with all provinces to present a unified progress report to the Apex Committee.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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