ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) has allocated 25pc quota for women in its loan scheme.

This was stated by the programme’s chairman, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, while speaking at the ‘Women Entrepreneurship Conference – Wecon Masawaat 2025’ held at Pak-China Centre.

The event was organised through a collaboration between the British Council and Change Mechanics, which brought together distinguished guests, partners, supporters of women’s economic inclusion, and an inspiring gathering of women entrepreneurs from across Pakistan.

The chairman emphasised the vision of the prime minister, under whose leadership the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme is dedicated to empowering Pakistan’s youth - nearly 70pc of the country’s population under the age of 30.

The PMYP continues to work through its unified 4Es framework: Education, Employment, Engagement, and Environment.

Through this framework, the programme is facilitating equal opportunities for young people across the nation, including the provision of scholarships, laptops, business loans, internships, innovation awards and leadership platforms, aimed at enabling broad-based societal participation.

He emphasised that the government’s responsibility was to positively engage young people, provide opportunities and ensure access to the resources needed for advancement across all fields - including education, technical training, information technology, science and

technology, arts and culture, sports and the rapidly expanding environment and climate sectors.

Special attention was drawn to women’s empowerment initiatives, including the work undertaken in Punjab to address years of neglect regarding women’s right to property.

The implementation of a 33pc quota for women in public-sector employment further strengthened opportunities for women to enter and advance within the workforce.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2025