President Dr Arif Alvi here Wednesday said that promotion of technical, IT and virtual online education was imperative for sustainable economic growth and development besides taking full advantage of abundant employment opportunities in local markets and abroad. Addressing as Chief Guest at the 35th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics titled ‘Opportunities to Excel-Now and the Future,’ here at Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) Hayatabad, he said that the existing scenarios of international, regional and local markets demanded speedy progress in fields of IT, Science and Technology and contemporary Virtual Online Education. “We have to focus on development of human resource and equip our youth with required skills to fully explore domestic and international markets,” he said, adding international companies were keen to invest in different sectors including IT in Pakistan and we needed skillful human resource to cater investors’ demands. The president said the country had all the potential to achieve all economic goals by adopting innovative approach and broadening of vision besides a paradigm shift in educational system. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s acumen and farsightedness during COVID-19 pandemic had globally been appreciated, adding government’s policy of smart lockdown had not only protected millions of poor people from hunger and starvation but significantly reduced the impact of Coronavirus on the country’s economy. “Despite criticism, we did not close mosques and allowed worshipers to fulfill their religious obligations during COVID-19,” he said, adding SOP’s policy of government was proved effective and highly productive. The president said that monetary gains should not be prioritized in each and every situation rather humanitarians aspects of life should also be considered to help out poor people. He said socioeconomic imbalances and unjust distribution of wealth were one of the major reasons of poverty in developing countries that could be addressed by promoting equality, justice and merit in the society. “We need to identify the global and regional markets’ trends and invest accordingly for maximum capital,” the president said and urged the entrepreneurs and businessmen of the country including KP to utilize IT platforms for exploring new markets worldwide. He said cyber security had emerged as a new challenge that could be tackled by imparting the youth with modern IT education.