ISLAMABAD - Reiterating that encouragement of start-ups culture in youth is the vision of Naya Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday advised the youth not to shy away from taking bigger challenges to become more successful in life.

Addressing a ceremony of National Incubation Center Startups here, the prime minister said that youth are the most precious asset of Pakistan and they will be provided full opportunities to harness their potential for national development.

He urged youth to follow an independent approach with a free thinking mind to work on new ideas saying that start-up is the translation of reality into an idea.

The prime minister said that the success stories in the world can be traced back to brilliant ideas of a few dedicated individuals. He said that a successful person pursues the idea with full struggle without caring for the consequences.

“People become successful only after getting through testing times and those who dare to burn bridges and learn from past experiences come out dominating the world,” he added.

The prime minister further advised them not to take failures to heart saying, “When you critically analyse your mistakes and then retry, it only makes you stronger,” he emphasised.

“People try to belittle Imran Khan on television news shows every day, but nobody except Allah has the power to degrade any person and only He provides livelihood to all,” he remarked.

The prime minister said that people approach him seeking government jobs for a secure career with pension. “But, this is how they kill their potential. Success kisses your feet only when you accept challenges in life,” he added.

Prime Minister Imran has recently launched the ‘Digital Pakistan’ initiative aimed at introducing modern technology for public welfare.

The key objective of the startups program is to facilitate talented entrepreneurs and provide them all necessary support for transformation of their innovative ideas into a sustainable business.

“We have the second youngest youth population in the world. With the direction the world is taking with artificial intelligence and block chain technology, all we have to do is encourage our youth,” said the prime minister. The prime minister was given a detailed briefing on various startup ideas on the occasion. The Prime Minister evinced keen interest in new ideas and interacted with the participants.

National Incubation Centers facilitate and provide all key support required by startups to succeed including mentorship and networking by leading entrepreneurs, top professionals, investors and meet-ups.

The PTI government has outlined a vision of accelerated digitisation and transformation of Pakistan into a knowledge-based economy to spur economic growth through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Keeping in view the critical role played by startups in economic growth, job creation, financial inclusion, reducing the income divide, and building a knowledge economy, Ignite, under the auspices of Ministry of IT and Telecom, launched a program to build a network of National Incubation Centers in the federal capital and all provincial capitals.

The programme’s primary objective is to help aspiring startups become sustainable businesses by providing them with support and mentorship.