ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms on Friday asked the youth to play pivotal role in boosting socio economic development of the country by innovating new ideas for this purpose.
“Youth are the real asset and they are good planner too, so their participation in such debates would help in formulating growth oriented policies”, Ahsan Iqbal said while addressing the opening ceremony of a four-day debate contest which would last till September 5.
The debate contest was organized by ministry of Planning, Development and Reform in Collaboration with Higher Education Commission (HEC).
A number of students from various universities of the country are participating in the four-day debate contest.
The planning minister said the purpose behind the event was to initiate a debate among youth of the country on Pakistan Vision 2025 to evolve the socio-economic thought process which could steer Pakistan towards greater development and growth.
He said Pakistan was rich in huge natural resources which could be explored and by proper planning and positive thinking.
He said the target of bringing Pakistan among the top 25 economies of the world by 2025 was possible but only through political stability and hard work.
He said the past five years plans were also based upon the best efforts put in by the top intellectuals of the country but they failed due to inconsistency of policies.
He added that all political parties must have common goals and shared policies so that every new government could own the policies of the previous governments.
He added that Pakistan Vision 2025 Debate was set up to provide a platform to rational minds of the country in order to engage them in a constructive debate on how “we can harness our efforts as a nation to overcome the socioeconomic and political challenges faced by our country”.
The contest, he said was also aimed to initiate a debate on how internalizing a vision can help give clarity and direction to a nation.
Pakistan Vision 2025 Debate, he said had been shaped in a manner to bring meaning out of the war of arguments which would be waged throughout the competition, logic of the debates would be translated into policy recommendations on different pillars of Pakistan Vision and would be incorporated in the future plans.
President Islamic International University Ahmad Yousuf and Executive Director HEC Professor Dr Ghulam Raza also spoke on the occasion.
Source: APP
