Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to empowering its youth through transformative initiatives, emphasising their role as the nation’s future. Addressing the inaugural session of the Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance (CAYA) Summit in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said, “The government is fully committed to empowering youth through initiatives like our flagship ‘Youth Programme,’ which has benefited millions across Pakistan.” The PM highlighted that over 60% of the Commonwealth population comprises young people. “Through vigorous training and equipping these hands with modern technology and techniques, they must become great hands,” he stated, stressing the importance of preparing youth to create a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous future. He lauded the Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance as a vital platform for fostering partnerships amid global challenges. “As a founding member, Pakistan attaches great importance to the Commonwealth and its institutions,” he noted. PM Shehbaz underlined Pakistan’s youth bulge, emphasising the need to provide platforms and opportunities that enable young people to actively contribute to nation-building and policymaking. Highlighting past achievements, the PM cited programmes such as the “Punjab Education Endowment Fund,” which provided stipends for high achievers to pursue quality education. He also mentioned the expansion of Daanish Schools to Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, and remote areas of Azad Kashmir. Under the Youth Programme, nearly 600,000 laptops were distributed to high-achieving students. In his concluding remarks, the PM urged the youth to “dream boldly, act with courage, work relentlessly, and have faith in the spirit of conviction.” He described them as pioneers who would unlock opportunities for Pakistan’s future prosperity. During the event, PM Shehbaz also administered the oath to the newly elected National Youth Council and distributed awards to high achievers from various fields. Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Ministry of National Health Services to modernize the healthcare institutions under the federal government’s purview and make Islamabad a model for healthcare facilities for the entire country. Chairing a meeting to review the matters about the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination in Islamabad on Tuesday, PM Shehbaz Sharif said the government was prioritizing to ensure access to healthcare facilities across the country, a PM Office press release said. The prime minister asked the health ministry to expedite the work on Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Center and start the pre-qualification process for timely procuring the facility’s medical and surgical machinery and equipment. He said the pre-qualification process should be completed under the supervision of an expert consultant, besides conducting a third-party audit of the construction work and the procurement of machinery and equipment. Shehbaz Sharif also directed the initiation of the process of approving the charter for the university associated with Jinnah Medical Complex. During the briefing on the healthcare facilities in Islamabad, it was told that Jinnah Medical Complex had been established as a company under Section 42 of the Companies Act. The relevant steering committee has approved the master plan for Jinnah Medical Complex. It was briefed that the recruitment process for the Project Management Unit and Project Implementation Unit of Jinnah Medical Complex has been initiated. The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Prime Minister’s Coordinator for National Health Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed, and other relevant senior government officials.