Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the agricultural sector as the backbone of the country’s economy.
According to details surfaced on Friday, during a ceremony held to mark the departure of an additional 300 students to China for agricultural training, the prime minister said that students had been selected strictly on merit from all four provinces.
He said that the quota for Balochistan had been increased by 10 per cent, reflecting the government’s commitment to bringing the province on par with the rest of the country in terms of development. He pledged that Balochistan would receive a 10 per cent higher share in future laptop distribution initiatives.
The premier that that a total of 1,000 students would be sent to China for training in the agricultural sector. He emphasised the importance of benefiting from China’s experience and expressed the government's intent to prioritise the transfer of modern agricultural technology to Pakistan.
The prime minister added that the nation had fallen behind countries once less developed than Pakistan. He said that only by upholding merit as a national principle could Pakistan outpace others in development. The prime minister identified livestock as a potential area for progress and added that he would travel to China to attend the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. He underscored the need to steer Pakistan towards self-sufficiency and away from reliance on foreign loans.
He said that the key to Pakistan’s development lies in the hands of its youth. He called upon both federal and provincial governments to consider investment in youth as the highest form of national service. He also reaffirmed China’s status as Pakistan’s most reliable and sincere ally.
On the other side, addressing the ceremony, the Chinese ambassador said that the training of students in agriculture would yield long-term benefits. He praised PM Shehbaz’s leadership and said Pakistan had achieved significant milestones under his government.
He added that the country’s economy had stabilised and its foreign exchange reserves had increased. He pledged that China would continue to support Pakistan’s rapid development and expressed the desire to strengthen partnerships across various sectors.
Meanwhile, the ambassador also presented a cheque for flood relief assistance to the prime minister during the event.
