KARACHI: Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan has announced an initiative aimed at creating employment opportunities for 25,000 identified young people from 12 districts of Balochistan, calling on Karachi’s business community to support its implementation.
The initiative seeks to connect young people with employment, technical training and practical experience through cooperation between the government and private sector.
Mashhood urged industrialists and business leaders to help expand economic opportunities and contribute to lasting peace and prosperity in the province.
Mashhood said the first phase would facilitate employment for approximately 6,000 to 7,000 young people.
He focused on that bringing Balochistan’s youth into productive economic activity required coordinated action from public institutions and employers.
The announcement outlines an employment target rather than confirming that all 25,000 candidates have already secured jobs.
Radio Pakistan separately reported his commitment to creating 25,000 jobs for people in Balochistan.
The programme chairman appealed to Karachi’s industrial and commercial organisations to provide jobs, vocational training and workplace experience.
He said government support and private sector participation were essential to helping young people access meaningful employment.
Such cooperation would connect candidates with businesses seeking workers while improving their readiness for available roles.
Karachi’s participation could provide an important link between the identified candidates and employers. However, the scale of placements will depend on businesses offering suitable opportunities and participating in the proposed partnerships.
Business representatives Zubair Motiwala and Jawed Bilwani highlighted the importance of reviving industrial activity and attracting investment to generate employment.
Motiwala stressed that expanding economic activity was necessary to create more opportunities. Bilwani pointed to industrial closures and declining exports as pressures contributing to unemployment, calling for stronger industrial competitiveness.
Their remarks underlined a central challenge: training programmes need businesses with the capacity to recruit. Expanding skills and increasing demand for workers must therefore progress together.
Market-Relevant Skills Remain Central
The initiative places renewed attention on matching young people’s abilities with employers’ requirements. Training linked to actual vacancies could improve the transition from learning to paid work.
For participating youth, access to practical experience and appropriate job placements will be important measures of progress.
The proposed cooperation also highlights the need for sustained coordination between government bodies, training providers and businesses as the programme moves from its announcement towards implementation across the selected districts.
