KABUL - President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has asked the members of youth parliament to join hands together and become a pressure group against corruption in the country, the Presidential Palace said on Friday.
The president expressed the view during his address to the members of youth parliament, a statement from the palace said.
“You have trust on each other and optimistic about future. The potential among youth to perform greater tasks was admirable and key to your strength was your unity,” the president said.
He asked the youth to make Afghanistan a united country and remove elements that spread differences because the strength of Afghanistan was unity and the history proved that.
He said huge ability and capacity of innovation existed among the Afghan youth. “I am committed to serve you and be your ambassador with proud and dignity,” believed Ghani.
The president said: “We should take full charge or our geography as Allah bestowed us with immense amount of natural resources and treasury which should be exploited for the benefits and comfort of the people of Afghanistan.”
He said the next year would be the year of youth and efforts were underway to stop youth from fleeing the country and taking asylum in other countries.
“We should join hand together and work for the elimination of corruption and be a pressure group against this menace as a result our revenue will increase and it was in the interest of youth than anyone else in the country,” said Ghani.
The president asked youth to prepare themselves for future leadership. He said war was imposed on Afghanistan, but nobody could impose defeat on Afghanistan.
Mohammad Qurishi, head of the youth parliament, said the unity government should prove the claims in practice that they were investing on youth and were trying to build their capacities on different levels.
The youth parliament, an initiative of the youth affairs department at the Ministry of Information and Culture, was financially supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Based on the innovative programme, 122 youth from across the country, including 33 girls, have found their way to the youth parliament with a two-year term. 
Members of the parliament would hold a 4-day-session after every six months and pretending democracy is one of the objectives of the parliament.
The first youth session, launched on Sunday, was inaugurated by President Ashraf Ghani.(Pajhwok)