ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday instructed officials to establish a comprehensive database identifying skills required to strengthen local industries and enhance opportunities for Pakistani workers abroad, while chairing a meeting that approved the National Youth Employment Plan.
Last month, Sharif directed his administration to prioritize youth skill development for global employment as part of efforts to increase remittances. The government is striving to train young people in sectors with high employment potential, aiming to curb rising discontent in a country still grappling with the aftermath of a prolonged economic crisis, despite gradual improvement in macroeconomic indicators.
“The prime minister has approved a plan to equip youth with training programs aligned with industry demands and labor market needs,” the PM Office said in a statement.
“The prime minister directed continuous engagement with local industries for training young people in various sectors while considering the demand of international labor markets,” it continued. “He also instructed the establishment of a comprehensive database outlining the skills required by local industries.”
Sharif called Pakistan’s youth the country’s most valuable asset, adding that empowering them through professional training and equipping them with essential skills was important to help them secure employment.
During the meeting, officials briefed him on the four-year plan, outlining strategies to create employment opportunities for youth across various institutions.
According to the plan, between 2.4 million and 6 million young people will receive vocational training annually over the next four years, increasing their chances of securing jobs locally and abroad.
Officials said training programs are being designed with input from domestic industries and international labor demand assessments.
Sharif was also informed that the Digital Youth Hub, aimed at providing online learning and employment resources, is in its final stages and will be launched later this month.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has become the second-most affected country in the world by “terrorist” violence, with deaths rising 45 percent to 1,081 in 2024, primarily due to attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 released this week.
The 12th annual GTI report, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an Australian-based global think tank, ranked 163 countries in 2024, covering 99.7 percent of the world’s population and analyzing the impact of militant activities worldwide.
Pakistan has witnessed a massive surge in militant violence, including deadly suicide attacks, in its two western provinces bordering Afghanistan. Officials in Islamabad have accused Afghan authorities in Kabul of harboring anti-Pakistan groups and “facilitating” cross-border attacks, an allegation denied by the Afghan government.
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been mostly targeted by the TTP, while Balochistan remains in the crosshairs of BLA separatists.
“Burkina Faso remains the country most impacted by terrorism this year [2024], despite attacks and deaths falling by 57 and 21 percent respectively,” the report said on Wednesday. “A fifth of all terrorism deaths globally were in Burkina Faso, followed by Pakistan and Syria.”
“Niger and Pakistan had the largest increases in deaths from terrorism, with increases of 94 and 45 percent respectively,” it added.
The report noted the impact of militant violence had increased significantly in Pakistan, with the number of deaths rising by 45 percent over the past year to 1,081.
It said the TTP was responsible for 52 percent of deaths in the country in 2024, carrying out 482 attacks, which resulted in 558 casualties.
Attacks by Baloch militant groups, including the BLA, also increased sharply, rising from 116 in 2023 to 504 in 2024. Deaths surged more than fourfold to 388, from 88 in the previous year.
Pakistan has continued its fight against militant factions, with the government saying it has lost over 80,000 civilians and security personnel in the post-9/11 militant wave.
The GTI also noted that Daesh’s Khorasan chapter was evolving into one of the most active militant groups globally, expanding its operations beyond Afghanistan into Pakistan, Iran, Russia and Central Asia.
“It carries out more deadly attacks outside of Afghanistan than within, highlighting its growing transnational threat,” it said.