PESHAWAR, June 26: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was planning to create employment opportunities, impart vocational training and give soft loans to the youth in the province, said Minister for Youth Affairs Syed Aqil Shah here on Tuesday.

He told a press conference that government would prepare a draft policy within two months to set guidelines for solving the problems faced by the youth.

He said that they had engaged a non-governmental organisation Burgad, which had carried out a similar exercise for Punjab government, to hold consultations with youth and prepare the draft of the policy.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will provide technical and financial assistance to the provincial government in the process.

Mr Shah said that provinces were empowered to devise policies after passage of 18th Amendment and devolution of various departments. He said that they held consultations with the youth but could not prepare draft of policy. That’s why they engaged Bargad, he added.

The minister said that situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was different from that of other provinces as people were culture sensitive so the organisation should keep the cultural sensitivities in view while holding consultations with youth in various districts.

He said that government wanted to set up a youth directorate but owing to financial constraints it set up a youth wing under the provincial department.

“The only thing we can do for youth at the moment is to financially support them in recreational and healthy activities and this wing is meant for it,” the minister said.

He said that government was planning to create employment opportunities, impart vocational training and give soft term loans to youth. He said that his ministry would build five youth hostels -- one each in Naran, Khanispur, Chitral and two in Swat.

Sabiha Shaheen, executive director of Bargad, said that they would hold consultation in 10 districts with youth from different backgrounds so that their needs were addressed in the youth policy. The policy would give the youth a vision to go forward and make progress in various fields.

The youth and other stakeholders could directly participate in the consultation process for policy formulation through accessing website www.kpyouthpolicy.pk.

Syed Jamaluddin Shah, the secretary of sports, youth affairs and tourism, on the occasion highlighted purpose of the youth policy and the efforts so far made in that regard.