Dr. Tariq Saleem, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab, urged the establishment of a unified education system and a single curriculum and language to strengthen nation-building, saying Pakistan cannot progress while education remains neglected. Speaking at the Banu Qabal entry test event in Gujrat organized by Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan, he warned that decades of neglect have left millions of children with uncertain futures and called for urgent reforms to restore equal access to education.
Dr. Saleem outlined how the Banu Qabal initiative will provide Free IT Training to two million young people across the country to improve their employability. Thousands of students sat the entry test in Gujrat as part of admissions for the program, which aims to combine technical skills with scholarships for various degree programs so that talented youth from underprivileged backgrounds can advance.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, he noted that roughly three crore children are out of school and only about twelve percent continue to higher education after primary level. He criticized the commercialization of education, saying rising fees have turned learning into a business and denied many families the right to education. Dr. Saleem stressed that with around sixty percent of Pakistan’s population being young, the nation cannot afford to waste this demographic advantage.
Dr. Saleem called on young people not to lose hope and urged them to attend the public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on November 21 to 23, where Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman will present a plan of action for Pakistan’s future. He appealed for collective action to transform Pakistan into a genuine Islamic welfare state and said the power of youth and their votes can change the prevailing oppressive systems.
The event in Gujrat also featured remarks by Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Gujrat Ansar Mahmood Dhoul, Advocate, and Secretary General of Al-Khidmat Foundation Waqas Anjum Jafri, who highlighted ongoing work to promote education, skill development, and youth empowerment across Pakistan. They reaffirmed that the Banu Qabal program, launched at the initiative of Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, reflects a long-term commitment to empowering the next generation through Free IT Training and targeted scholarships.
