LAHORE: Punjab is going to launch the Youth Volunteer Force and Neighbourhood Watch Programme as part of the counter-terrorism strategy.

This was stated by Punjab Minister for Education and Youth Affairs Rana Mashhood while introducing the first elected body of the Youth Caucus of the Punjab Assembly at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The office-bearers of the caucus are: PML-Q’s Sardar Vickas Hassan Mokal, chairman; PML-N’s Mary Gill, vice-chairperson; Irfan Daultana, secretary; and PTI’s Nabeela Hakim Ali Khan, treasurer. An 11-member executive committee has also been elected.

Responding to a question, Mr Mashhood said action would be taken against the schools and colleges who would charge their students for expenses on extra security measures. He said the public and private institutes failing to complete security arrangements in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the home department on Jan 12 would be taken to task.

Introduces office-bearers of PA youth caucus

The youth would be given an active role in the Youth Volunteer Force and Neighbourhood Watch programme, Mashhood said while responding to a query regarding security affairs of educational institutes in the province when they would open on Jan 12.

The volunteer force would comprise 500,000 youth to work at the union council level as students of 9th and 10th class willing to work would be registered while core groups, comprising 20 students of each college, would be set up within a week.

Mr Mashhood said civil defence modules had been prepared for the basic training of the youth force for peace in form of district groups.

Work on the Youth Caucus, comprising 86 members of the Punjab Assembly aging less than 45 years, had started eight months, Mashhood said, adding that the caucus would work on the issues specifically related to the young generation, he maintained. Starting from inter-provincial harmony, it would work with international youth groups to identify and solve the problems of the youth bulge here, he added.

Rana Mashhood said the caucus had decided to highlight more than 34 issues of young generation, including unemployment and underage marriage, and resolving these problems with a collective approach. He said the participation of young MPAs of the opposition as well as of minorities in the body reflected democratic approach.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2015

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