GUJRAT: The Jamaat-i-Islami is empowering the youth through free-of-cost training in information technology courses.

Speaking to a large gathering of youth organised by the Alkhidmat Foundation in connection with its Bano Qabil programme here on Saturday, JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said around 130 million people in the country were living below the poverty line.

“These people cannot afford to educate their children since the per semester fee of IT programmes even in public sector universities is around Rs 100,000 whereas the country’s ruling elite’s children are getting education abroad,” he said.

Some 20,000 male and female students from across Gujrat district attended the entry test for admission to various IT- based short courses of three to nine months under the programme. The event was held at the abandoned old air strip near Bhimbher road on Saturday.

The JI chief pledged that his party would strive to educate the children of poor through scholarships up to the university level. Initially, he said, students were being equipped with short IT course.

He vowed to enhance the country’s IT exports up to 30 to 40 billion dollars in the next few years through launching such IT courses whereas the country’s rulers were begging for aid.

He said the programme would be a game changed and expressed gratitude on participation of a huge number of female students in the programme which was an encouraging factor.

Launched from Karachi, he said the next programme would be held in Islamabad and Rawalpindi within the current month .

Punjab JI emir Dr Tariq Saleem, Gujrat district emir Ansar Dhool advocate, president of Alkhidmat Foundation Raja Sajid Sharif and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025