PESHAWAR: The Information Technology Board of Pakistan’s northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has launched a project titled Durshal to help youths set up their own businesses.
Provincial authorities say it is the first project of its kind in KP. Durshal, Pashto for “gateway,” is aimed at the digital transformation of KP via a network of community spaces to enable youths to launch start-ups, said provincial government officials.
Durshal Project Manager Ismail Shah said it was launched initially in Mardan district and will be extended to six others: Peshawar, Swat, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad and Swabi.
“These centers will hopefully prove to be a gateway to knowledge and information technology (IT) skills,” he told Arab News.
It is not possible for the government to provide jobs to all youths completing their university education, but the project will help those with a workable business proposal, he said.
“This will generate employment opportunities for many others if the business idea becomes successful,” Shah added.
The first community innovation lab under the project was launched in Mardan on Feb. 8. The inaugural ceremony was attended by KP’s Education Minister Muhammad Atif and Health and IT Minister Shahram Khan, among others.
Hudaibia Iftikhar, a student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, said she believes Durshal will promote self-employment in society.
“I wish to launch a news website soon after graduating from the university, because this is an age of online media that can be accessed from any part of the world,” she told Arab News.
Assistant director of projects at the Information Technology Board, Zia-ur-Rehman, said any young graduates with basic IT skills can apply to the project.
“In addition to Durshal, the board also runs the Digital Internship Program, a six-month program for IT students offering a monthly stipend of 14,000 Pakistani rupees ($126.42) to trainees, and a Youth Employment Program for IT professionals, offering further guidance on IT-related tasks and digital skills,” Zia-ur-Rehman told Arab News.
Project launched to boost youth self-employment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Project launched to boost youth self-employment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Pakistan air chief highlights modernization as PAF marks seven years since India aerial clash
- Swift Retort was launched in 2019 after India attempted airstrikes following a Kashmir suicide bombing
- Air chief’s remarks come amid fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border militancy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s air chief said on Friday the country’s air force had undertaken “comprehensive modernization and indigenization” in recent years, as he addressed a ceremony at Air Headquarters to mark seven years since an aerial confrontation with India.
Operation Swift Retort was launched on Feb. 27, 2019, a day after India attempted airstrikes inside Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary troops.
Pakistan responded with aerial strikes across the Line of Control and shot down an Indian fighter jet in a subsequent dogfight, capturing one pilot who was later returned in what Islamabad called a gesture of de-escalation.
“PAF has pursued comprehensive modernization and indigenization to transition into a Next Generation Air Force,” Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu said, according to a statement circulated by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations.
He added that the force had recalibrated its operational doctrine and rapidly inducted advanced combat and support capabilities, including indigenously developed unmanned systems, electronic warfare, space and cyber assets, establishing what he described as a “home-grown multi-domain kill chain.”
Sidhu said Pakistan remained committed to peace but would respond decisively to violations of its sovereignty.
“Pakistan is a responsible country which desires peace with honor,” he continued.
The remarks come amid renewed security tensions on Pakistan’s western frontier.
Islamabad earlier this week launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting what it described as hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militants. Afghan authorities condemned the strikes and subsequently launched their own military response that led to fierce clashes between the two sides overnight.
Pakistan has frequently accused Kabul of allowing militant groups to use Afghan territory to carry out cross-border attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces, an allegation denied by Afghan officials.
Pakistani authorities said earlier in the day small drones launched from the Afghan side were intercepted and brought down by the country’s air defense systems.
Sidhu said the PAF would continue to maintain a vigilant yet responsible defense posture to safeguard national sovereignty.
