Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi stressed the need for greater investment in the information technology and artificial intelligence sectors, saying the future belongs to these fields, while addressing a ceremony at the National Incubation Centre Peshawar. Kundi said the province’s youth possessed immense talent but had not received the level of investment they deserved, calling on all stakeholders to work together to ensure the development and prosperity of young people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The ceremony was attended by NIC Project Director Asim Ishaq Khan, along with entrepreneurs, youth, and representatives from the business community, according to a statement issued from the governor’s office. During his address, Kundi proposed that national incubation centres also be established in the southern and northern districts of the province, aiming to expand opportunities for young innovators beyond the areas currently served by existing centres such as NIC Peshawar. He additionally proposed the development of a digital application designed to connect youth with companies and employment opportunities across the province, offering a technology-driven approach to addressing the disconnect between available talent and available jobs.
Kundi noted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the largest youth population among Pakistan’s four provinces, adding that stronger coordination between the provincial government and banks was necessary to facilitate investment in youth-led initiatives. He emphasised the need for establishing modern IT laboratories and providing advanced training in IT to equip young people with future-ready skills, framing this as a foundational requirement for the province to actually capitalise on its demographic advantage rather than simply possessing a large youth population without the infrastructure to develop its potential.
Speaking to media later, the governor addressed a separate matter regarding the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, saying that while every political party had the democratic right to hold public gatherings within the framework of the law, the stadium should be reserved exclusively for sporting activities rather than political rallies, noting that alternative venues were available for political meetings. On governance matters, he said he did not support the outsourcing of public institutions, though he added that proposals could be considered if a competent company was capable of improving an institution’s performance, and also commented that recent rainfall had exposed administrative shortcomings in both Lahore and Peshawar, while affirming that the opposition had every right to criticise government decisions.
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