Punjab Assembly selects 40 years old members for “Youth Caucus”

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Education Rana Mashud Ahmad Khan has said that “Youth Caucus” comprising 86 Members of Punjab Assembly aging less than 40 has started working.

He announced the office-bearers of Punjab Youth Parliamentary Caucus during a special meeting with journalists at Lahore Press Club today.  PML-Q Member Punjab Assembly Sardar Vickas Hassan Mokal has been elected first Chairman of Youth Caucus while PML-N MPA Mrs. Mary Gill as Vice Chairperson, Mian Irfan Daultana as Secretary and PTI MPA Mrs. Nabeela Hakim Ali Khan as Treasurer.

PTI MPA Asif Mehmood, PPP MPA Faiza Ahmed Malik and the youngest independent MPA Ahsan Riaz Fatyana have also been elected members of 11-member Executive Committee of this Youth Caucus while remaining 8 members of Executive Committee belong to PML-N which included Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, Umer Jaffar, Haji Imran Zafar, Mannan Khan, Rafaqat Hussain Chaudhry, Mrs. Iram Hassan Bajwa, Mrs. Farah Manzoor Baloch and Sardar Ramaish Singh Arora.

Rana Mashud told that the Youth Caucus has decided to make struggle at parliamentary level for highlighting more than 34 issues of young generation including unemployment and early age marriage and resolving these problems under a collective approach. He said that participation of young MPAs of opposition in Youth Caucus and their election at various offices reflects democratic approach.

It was told that orientation sessions have also been held by UNFP and a social organization Bargad for creating awareness among 86 members of Punjab Youth Caucus.

Meanwhile, Provincial Minister for Education, Rana Mashud Ahmad Khan has said that youth force for peace comprising five lakh youth for coping with terrorists is being constituted at union council level throughout the province. The students of 9^th and 10^th class willing to work will be registered while core groups comprising 20 students of each college will be set up during one week.

He stated this during a consultative meeting with office-bearers of non-governmental organizations of youth in the constitution of Punjab Youth Volunteer Force for peace. The Minister said that the struggle against terrorism is a continuous war and the living nations fight such wars bravely. He said time has come that the nation should take its decisions and any compromise will tantamount to wasting the sacrifices of our children.

Rana Mashud Ahmad Khan said that civil defense modules have been prepared for the basic training of youth force for peace in the shape of district groups. He said that deadline of January 9 still exists for completing security arrangements in educational institutions against possible attacks of terrorists. He said that action will be taken against public and private educational institutions failing to complete security arrangements in accordance with SOPs of Home Department on January 12. He informed that out of 86 thousand public and private educational institutions, security arrangements in 750 schools are still incomplete. He said that these schools will also be brought to the security standards within next three days.