PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday approved the draft Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Policy, 2026, in principle and ordered legislation for the protection and promotion of youth’s interests.

The policy will now be submitted to the provincial cabinet for approval.

Its approval came during a meeting of the sports and youth affairs department at the Chief Minister’s House.

The CM emphasised that with young people constituting a significant proportion of the province’s population, safeguarding their interests and investing in their development is both a strategic necessity and a moral imperative, according to an official statement issued from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

Approves youth policy draft

“The next provincial budget will be a youth-focused budget,” he said, adding that the provincial government was investing in human capital in line with the vision of founder Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan.

The chief minister directed the quarters concerned to ensure establishment of Jawan Markaz facilities in every district of the province and instructed that empowered local governing bodies be constituted to ensure their effective management and sustainability.

He emphasised the need to prioritise the provision of digital skills training to equip young people for emerging economic opportunities.

Officials told the meeting that more than Rs7 billion would be invested in youth development initiatives over the next two years under the proposed youth policy framework.

They said the policy was built around four core pillars, including education, employment, environment and youth engagement, in social and civic affairs.

The officials said key policy objectives included universalising secondary education, particularly for females, and expanding access to higher education.

They said the initiative also envisaged scholarships and training opportunities for females, the establishment of Jawan Markaz facilities and mobile outreach services in rural and newly merged districts.

The meeting was informed that the policy incorporated measures to

promote inclusion and equitable access to opportunities including assistive facilities for young persons with disabilities, livelihood support for transgender youth and dedicated quotas for minority youth across various programmes.

“The policy also seeks to align technical education curricula with market requirements while expanding access to digital skills training and future-ready competencies,” read the statement.

It added that the proposed framework also included interventions aimed at creating employment opportunities across multiple sectors, introducing youth internship programmes in both the public and private sectors and providing entrepreneurship support to aspiring young people.

The policy envisaged the establishment of youth councils at both provincial and district levels, as well as volunteer groups to promote community service and civic engagement among young people.

Officials said digital transformation, youth-friendly governance, youth health and social well-being constituted important components of the policy framework.

They also briefed participants on proposals to activate the KP Youth Development Commission and establish a dedicated Youth Development Fund to support the implementation of youth-focused initiatives across the province.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026