LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has urged the government to allocate Rs20 billion in the upcoming federal budget for a comprehensive plan aimed at developing the country’s information technology sector.
Addressing Alkhidmat Foundation’s Bano Qabil ceremony in Sialkot, he regretted that Pakistan’s IT exports had reached only around USD3.8 million during the last fiscal year. Despite the country’s potential to achieve USD20 billion in IT exports, he said exports in the current fiscal year are expected to remain between USD4.5 million and USD5 million.
“This is a matter of shame for the rulers,” he asserted, adding that if the governing elite focus on equipping young people with modern IT skills, Pakistan could be placed on the path to rapid economic progress within a few years.
Thousands of male and female students appeared in an admission test in Sialkot for enrolment in Alkhidmat Foundation’s free Bano Qabil training courses.”
Rehman praised the JI and Alkhidmat teams for successfully organizing the examination and appreciated the enthusiasm shown by participating students. He assured the youth that Alkhidmat would continue to provide modern professional and technical courses free of charge.
He said the Bano Qabil programme had now been launched in 65 cities across Pakistan, with 1.5 million young people registered and hundreds of thousands having already completed various training courses. He urged participants to pledge not only to educate them but also to spread the light of knowledge and contribute to the country’s development.
The JI chief said the country’s entrenched bureaucracy and feudal elite had deliberately deprived young people of educational opportunities and pushed them towards despair. He maintained that JI had stepped forward to support the youth and that there was no reason for them to lose hope or leave the country.
He called upon Bano Qabil graduates and JI’s youth members to raise their voices for millions of children who remain deprived of education. According to him, nearly 27.5 million children nationwide, including around 10 million in Punjab alone, are out of school. He criticised the Punjab government for selling public schools despite the education crisis and said such injustice must be stopped.
JI Central Punjab Emir Javed Kasuri and Alkhidmat Foundation Secretary General Waqas Anjum Jafri also addressed the ceremony.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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