Addressing the day-long summit on Pakistan's Leaders of Tomorrow organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at President House, she said the nation could develop to its full potential and embark upon the sustained economic growth through full participation and involvement of youth in the process of policy formulation.
She said Pakistan was facing colossal challenges, including terrorism, religious extremism, threat to democracy, energy crisis, unemployment, drug trafficking and addiction, bad image in the background of 9/11 and war on terrorism.
The Information Minister said the President's initiative was aimed at seeking input of the youth in meeting these challenges.
She said the government had also embarked upon a number of programmes to harness the potential of youth for the national development. These include the National Internship Programme under which 30,000 youth have been engaged in efforts to reduce poverty and unemployment in the country, she added.
The Minister said the government was paying a monthly internship stipend of Rs 10,000 rupees to every internee.
She said other measures for the development of youth included international exchange programme, holding of youth conventions and establishment of 100 youth activity centres.
The Information Minister also dilated upon initiatives of the government for poverty alleviation and women empowerment, especially the Benazir Income Support Programme.
She said the Information Ministry had also taken initiatives to project soft image of Pakistan and in this connection held a conference of press officers.
The Minister said the young people were social actors of change and as the saying goes "youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the partners of today".
She said the scholars on the subject have preferred the view that "time is not evaluated by what has been harvested, but what has been planted".
The government and society at large have equal responsibility to provide the youth with suitable grounds, skills and capabilities that helps in bringing about a matured and responsible population committed to ensuring better life for the coming generations, she added.
The Information Minister said youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change.
She said a separate Ministry dealing with youth affairs and sports designed to encourage them to participate in healthy activities and providing them enabling environment for pursuing their careers.
The Minister said the democratic government has focused on harnessing the potential of Pakistani youth for development and prosperity.
Significant activities have been initiated for the development of young person by engaging them in useful social work by raising their teams and pools under the National Internship Programme, she added.
She said around 30,000 youth have been engaged in internship every year to reduce poverty and unemployment.
The government is paying monthly internship stipend of Rs.10,000 to every internee, she added.
Highlighting measures for the development of youth, she said those included International Youth Exchange Programme, National `See Pakistan' camps, youth conventions, mobile programme for computer literacy, youth awards, essay competitions, youth business competitions and the establishment of 100 Youth Activity Centers for sport training and recreation.
The Minister said the current initiative to be called Pakistan's Leaders of Tomorrow conceived by President Asif Ali Zardari was designed to launch a multifaceted-shared responsibility campaign to mobilize the youth in creating a culture of constructive engagement.
She said it also aimed at building public awareness focusing on the youth about key issues facing the country and encouraging them to become part of the discussion and solution to the challenges facing the country in addition to becoming a critical component for democratic security in Pakistan.
The Minister said Pakistan was passing through a very critical phase of its history and urged the youth to play their due role to face these challenges.