KARACHI: Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail said on Saturday that around 60 per cent of the total population of Pakistan was youth, which was an asset and future of the country. It was imperative to encourage the students, and the Kamyab Naujawan Programme of the prime minister would help them in their growth.

He expressed these views while speaking at the National Project Competition at Dawood University of Engineering and Technology (DUET).

DUET Vice Chancellor Prof Faizullah Abbasi, Dawood Foundation’s chief executive officer Sabrina Dawood, faculty members, alumni and a large number of students attended the event.

Around 120 projects prepared by 35 universities and educational institutions participated in the national competition.

120 projects prepared by 35 educational institutions participate in national competition

The governor said that a large number of graduating professionals were eager to go abroad and try their luck as they had misconception about non-availability of opportunities in Pakistan.

Imran Ismail said the impression about lack of opportunities in Pakistan was not true, especially since Prime Minister Imran Khan had assumed the government.

The youths were being provided opportunities to exhibit their potential and move forward in the field of their choice, he added.

The federal government’s successful youth programme was a testament of this fact through which youth were being given loans from Rs1 million to Rs5m, he added.

He asked the participants in the National Project Competition to further polish their ideas and make progress professionally by taking maximum benefits from the prime minister’s programme.

The governor said the DUET was emerging as a prominent educational institution due to valuable contribution of the VC, faculty and students.

He added that the country could achieve new destinations of progress and prosperity only through promotion of technical education.

He said the new graduates from the Dawood Engineering University had been performing admirably in many fields and their presence in the event and the contribution to the university was highly commendable.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Abbasi said that all credit went to the students who had worked day and night for six months to make this event successful.

The VC said the university had undergone significant changes in the last seven years.

Later, the governor formally inaugurated the National Project Competition and visited different stalls of various universities to find out about their projects.

Meanwhile, talking to the media on the occasion, the governor said that the chief justice’s orders regarding the Karachi Circular Railway would be complied with in every possible way.

The governor told a questioner that the projects of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation were being finalised which would be inaugurated soon.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2020