BEIJING, September 1 (INP): Pakistan has set a good example utilizing its youth (Tiger force) in its efforts of successfully tackling COVID-19 epidemic, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Tuesday.    

“Pakistan was needed to utilize the resources it has as a country during the COVID-19 crisis, and one of the biggest assets was its young population,” noted Zoon Ahmed Khan, a Pakistani journalist and research fellow from the Belt and Road Strategy Institute of China's Tsinghua University.  

“We have so many energetic, passionate, and determined youths,” she said, “to train them, to educate them, to enable them to play a positive role for the society is a big responsibility and a necessity; otherwise the youth can become a burden,” she remarked. 

The report mentioned the recent study of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which states “With more than 68 percent of its population below the age of 30 years, investment in youth empowerment ought to be a top priority in Pakistan.” 

It added, Pakistan is young and will continue to remain young for at least another decade. However, unless this demographic dividend is transformed and leveraged into a positive one, Pakistan will be at risk of leaving more young people further behind and will not be able to meet the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. 

The country has already put its focus on how to improve human development outcomes by empowering young people, addressing the root causes of the obstacles they face, and by proposing innovative ways to overcome these challenges.  

According to the Gwadar Pro's report,  Pakistani youth has proved to be a rising power amid the post COVID-19 era. Recently, a three-month CPEC internship was launched. In the spirit of youth empowerment, CPEC has offered the youth of Pakistan an opportunity to develop skills and experiences that would allow Pakistan to grow and prosper in the future.  

In late July, the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) has requested the government of Pakistan to share operational details of the Prime Minister’s Corona Relief Tiger Force (CRTF). 

The Chinese youths are very interested in it and hope to learn from it in order to enhance voluntary service targeting to the pandemic fighting and economy recovery,” it stated in a letter forwarded by the Chinese youth federation to Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Usman Dar. 

In the report, Usman Dar was quoted as having said, Pakistani youth will now be able to represent their country at SCO Youth Council meetings and its exchange programmes and will also take part in the skill development programs of the SCO Youth Council, the report added. 

INP/javed