On 29 January 2026 in Islamabad, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, President of the Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF), led a delegation to meet Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Minister for Education and Literacy Sindh, at the Minister’s Office to discuss advancing youth leadership, drug abuse prevention, and environmental education across Sindh.
The participants highlighted the growing vulnerability of students and out-of-school youth to drug abuse, bullying, mental health challenges and unsafe online practices, noting that early prevention must start in schools and communities. They called for awareness-focused curricula, effective counselling services, and strong inter-ministerial coordination with the Health Ministry and the Anti-Narcotics Force to make drug prevention work at scale.
Deliberations stressed that meaningful youth participation requires more than symbolic roles; the meeting recommended structured civic education and leadership development through mentorship, policy labs and simulation exercises to strengthen Youth Leadership in civic and legislative processes. The Youth Ambassador Programme, a flagship YPF initiative, was presented as a practical mechanism to connect students with parliamentarians and provincial authorities and to cultivate constitutionally aware, socially responsible youth.
Environmental priorities were also central to the talks, with proposals to embed eco-literacy and sustainable practices into school and college programmes, encourage student-led climate action, and empower young people as advocates for environmental stewardship across Sindh.
A collaborative framework for YPF and the Sindh Education Department was proposed to deliver seminars, advocacy campaigns and youth conventions modeled on the Khuli Kachehri format to enhance direct youth–legislator dialogue and ensure sustained, measurable outcomes in areas such as drug prevention and green initiatives.
The YPF delegation included Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani (MNA and General Secretary YPF), Muhammad Iqbal Khan (MNA and Information Secretary YPF), Awais Haider Jhakhar (MNA and Member YPF), Shaista Khan (MNA and Member YPF), Raja Muhammad Ali (Manager YPF) and Raja Shoaib Akbar (Executive Director, SFEA). Members of the YPF Sindh Provincial Chapter in attendance included Khurram Karim Soomro (Additional Joint Secretary), Shariq Jamal (Vice President), Mohammad Daniyal (Joint Secretary), Bilal Jadoon (Finance Secretary) and Mohammad Amir, alongside officials from the Ministry of Health and the Anti-Narcotics Force.
Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar thanked the Minister for his support and facilitation and underscored that the engagement will be translated into concrete, youth-focused actions in Sindh, with drug abuse prevention and environmental stewardship identified as immediate priorities for follow-up.
