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ISLAMABAD: Acting President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Chaudhry Muhammad Irfan has stressed the need to equip Pakistan’s youth with practical knowledge of governance, institutional procedures, communication skills and political leadership so that they can play a more effective role in the country’s socio-economic development.
Speaking at an interactive session with a delegation of Youth Parliament Pakistan ( YPP), led by Osama Nadeem Qureshi, Chairman Youth Parliament, at Chamber House on Tuesday, Chaudhry Muhammad Irfan said that young people could not be expected to contribute effectively to national development unless they were familiar with the working of public institutions and equipped with the skills required to communicate, engage and resolve issues through proper channels. He appreciated the Youth Parliament initiative aimed at developing informed, confident and responsible future leaders and assured that ICCI would extend its support to such constructive youth-oriented initiatives.
Chairman Youth Parliament Pakistan Osama Nadeem Qureshi said that Youth Parliament Pakistan, a project of the Institute of Political Trainings Pakistan, was working to promote political awareness, leadership development and practical training among young people with a focus on communication skills, departmental visits, and political and leadership training to bridge the gap between academic education and practical understanding of governance and institutions. He emphasised that young people must understand how government departments function, what procedures they follow and how citizens can approach them through the proper channels.
ICCI Executive Member Muhammad Zulqurnain Abbasi appreciated the initiative and emphasised the importance of connecting young people with institutions and business organisations. He said that sustained interaction between Youth Parliament and ICCI could provide participants with valuable exposure to economic institutions, the business environment and the practical aspects of Pakistan’s development process. He stressed that greater awareness of institutional mechanisms would enable youth to engage more confidently with public and private sector organisations.
It was proposed that an inauguration ceremony for the political training programme be organised within the next three to four weeks, bringing together around 100 to 150 young participants from across Pakistan and inviting a senior political personality as chief guest. The participants also discussed establishing a structured mechanism for quarterly awareness and practical training sessions for successive Youth Parliament batches in collaboration with ICCI, ensuring continuity and long-term impact of the initiative.
ICCI Executive Member Chaudhry Mohammad Waseem also shared his views on strengthening youth engagement and institutional learning. He said that youth development initiatives should focus on practical capacity-building so that young people could translate their education and ideas into meaningful contributions to society and the national economy.
Chairman ICCI Standing Committee on ASEAN Chaudhry Muhammad Ali expressed the hope that sustained collaboration between ICCI and Youth Parliament Pakistan would help develop a generation of young Pakistanis equipped with communication skills, institutional awareness, leadership capabilities and a stronger understanding of democratic and governance processes.
An impressive question-and-answer session was also held in which members of Youth Parliament raised questions and shared their views on governance, institutional procedures, leadership development and youth engagement. The ICCI leadership assured the Youth Parliament Pakistan of its fullest cooperation and support in organising future training, awareness and institutional exposure programmes.
