ISLAMABAD  - President Asif Ali Zardari Monday said the cherished goal of a progressive and modern Pakistan can be achieved by harnessing true potential of the youth as they were the future of the country.He said this while addressing the concluding session of a day-long summit on “Pakistan Leaders of Tomorrow - Youth Outreach and Mobilization Effort”, organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday .He stressed the need for concerted efforts to cope with the challenges plaguing the country.The President referred to several other countries, including Germany and Japan, which saw critical moments in history but were now powerful economic forces on the global scene because of pursuing right policies and consistency.He urged the young generation to play proactive role in national politics. Referring to the anxiety of the youth, as expressed during the summit about mounting foreign debt, President Zardari said: “The amount of 54 billion dollar external debt is not much if we look at the potential of the country to pay back it.” He said the real worry was domestic debt."Despite various odds, we are moving towards modernisation and empowerment of people," he said. About energy crisis, the President said Benazir Bhutto’s endeavours to overcome energy crisis fell prey to politically-motivated cases. He said Pakistan has enormous coal deposits in Sindh and emphasised the youth to develop the necessary skills to take advantage of the available resources.  He said he had undertaken a number of visits to China to urge Chinese companies and businessmen to invest in Pakistan. The President said he has been pleading for trade and not aid since he assumed the charge.  He said in his first interaction with the “American President (Barack Obama) he requested trade, not aid”.Highlighting the geo-strategic importance of Pakistan, President Zardari said: “We can benefit a lot through economic interaction with our neighbours, Central Asian Republics and Russia.”  He said future of the world is South Asia and Pakistan is part of South Asia.The President said during his visit to India, his message to Indian government was "we have to learn to live with each other".Speaking on the occasion, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said youth wanted to see a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Pakistan."We must demand more from our older generation. We must demand peace." Highlighting the importance of youth, Bilawal said, "We all stand united. We are the youth of Pakistan. No matter our colour, caste, creed or religion. We are Jinnah's Pakistan.”  He said the youth does not want its future mortgaged and to be burdened by debt and does not want to live in a divided Pakistan. He said that he refused to engage in such ostrich politics because unlike them he knows what it was like to be a victim of terror. The summit was also addressed by Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and Interior Minister Rehman Malik. Two hundred selected students were briefed about of the current issues. The President also distributed certificates among the participants.