Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced that the federal government would establish a national-level plant to produce modern and effective livestock vaccines using indigenous resources.
The prime minister chaired a high-level meeting regarding ongoing reforms in the livestock sector. The prime minister also directed the restructuring of the Livestock and Dairy Development Board which was established in 2007 to promote livestock breeding, increase milk and meat production, and foster the development of the livestock sector in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the Livestock and Dairy Development Board should be transformed into an effective and functional organization by incorporating experts from the private sector.
He directed that a plan for the restructuring of the Livestock and Dairy Development Board should be presented without any delay.
The prime minister also directed that imported livestock, housed in special bonded warehouses, should be integrated into a value-addition process. He emphasized that meat and dairy products derived from imported livestock through value addition should be exported.
He also encouraged the private sector to step forward and drive the development of the livestock sector.
The prime minister directed that a strategy for establishing a livestock vaccine plant at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) be presented within one week.
During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed on the progress of reforms in the livestock sector and measures taken to increase exports related to this sector. He also briefed that the process for third-party audits of slaughterhouses has commenced.
The officials during the briefing highlighted that the vaccines currently available for livestock in Pakistan are not approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP); therefore, steps are being taken to initiate the domestic production of purified livestock vaccines. Furthermore, they said measures are underway to establish dedicated bonded warehouses for imported livestock.
Separately, Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said the government would provide all possible resources and facilities to Daanish schools, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring quality education and creating new opportunities for students, teachers and the younger generation across the country through artificial intelligence (AI).
Addressing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the Ministry of Education and Gauth AI, the prime minister termed the agreement a significant step towards expanding educational opportunities and welcomed the provision of free subscriptions by the technology company.
He said the first 4,000 subscriptions being gifted by Gauth to Pakistan would help students and teachers benefit from modern educational tools. Of these, 1,000 subscriptions would be allocated to teachers associated with the government’s Daanish schools initiative. The prime minister said the government had provided all possible facilities to students, adding that Daanish schools was a magnificent educational institution offering free education.
“There is no dearth of resources, and the government will provide all possible resources to the Daanish schools,” he said, reiterating the government’s resolve to support the institutions and their students.
Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the initiative reflected the prime minister’s vision of promoting information technology-led development and improving the education sector through modern digital solutions.
She said TikTok had made its AI technology available for Pakistan, while the paid versions of Gauth AI were being launched in Pakistan, making it the first country after the United States to receive this facility. Regional Director of Global Public Policy at ByteDance Ltd Maria Kohan, said technology had the potential to inspire creativity, unlock opportunities and transform lives, particularly in the field of education.
She said ByteDance had already been contributing to educational awareness through TikTok, adding that its dedicated STEM feed, launched in Pakistan in partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, was helping young people explore educational content in new ways.
She said the launch of Gauth in Pakistan marked another step in the company’s commitment to supporting education through technology.
Gauth is an AI-powered study platform designed to make learning easier, more interactive and accessible. It offers step-by-step explanations, personalised AI tutoring and interactive study tools to help students understand concepts rather than merely find answers.
She said Gauth was already serving more than 200 million users globally and the company was pleased to bring the platform to Pakistan’s young people.
She said the MoU with the Government of Pakistan included 4,000 free subscriptions for teachers across the country, including 1,000 for teachers associated with the Daanish schools initiative.
The subscriptions would provide access to AI-powered tools to support teaching and improve students’ learning experiences. In addition, Gauth would provide 180 free subscriptions for local students, she added.