Every year, thousands of graduates walk out of Pakistani universities holding degrees that don’t easily turn into a job offer. It’s a familiar frustration for families across the country. That’s exactly what Rana Mashhood, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), spoke about at the Health and Education Summit Pakistan (HESP) 2026 in Lahore, where he laid out the government’s plan for jobs, skills and academic ties abroad.
What Rana Mashhood Announced About Youth Employment
At Expo Centre Lahore, he shared that Pakistan now has its first National Youth Employment Policy in place, and the broader National Youth Policy has already cleared Cabinet. He mentioned a target of 35 percent women’s participation in youth employment every year, plus getting 10 percent of young people registered as owners in new companies annually. In a job market where most people still rely on personal contacts to find work, that’s a real shift.
Skills Training and the New E-Sports Policy
There’s a practical side too. Rana Mashhood talked about Pakistan drafting its first e-Sports Policy, bringing game development, IT and artificial intelligence together. Gaming is now a multi-billion-dollar global industry, and with so many young Pakistanis already comfortable on their phones and apps, this could be a real opportunity, if the training actually reaches them.
International Academic Linkages Opening Doors Abroad
Then there’s the piece on international academic linkages. Pakistan has signed on with 50 Chinese universities and over 70 Chinese technical institutes, plus 25 US universities and 17 American institutions in health and technical education. Delegations from these universities are due in Pakistan within two months to help set up joint research centres.
Health Sector and Social Protection Angle
He also noted that nurse graduates have risen to 38,000 a year, with a target of 60,000 to 100,000 next year. Through the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, he shared stories like a painter’s son from Dera Ghazi Khan now working as a surgeon, and a domestic worker’s daughter who reached LUMS on scholarship, examples that tie into the government’s wider social protection efforts for underprivileged families.
Quick Checklist for Young Pakistanis
- Track PMYP updates on the employment policy.
- Check scholarships via the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund.
- Explore IT, AI or e-sports training.
- Follow Chinese and US university scholarship news.
- Join the youth policy consultation when it opens.
Conclusion
Pakistan’s youth-heavy population makes this push significant, but the real test lies in implementation, not announcements. Young Pakistanis have to keep their eyes open, apply on time and participate when their opinion is invited.
