Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized on Saturday that girls’ education is worth fighting for, worth committing resources to and worth advocating for.

Earlier, he opened the two-day International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities, in Islamabad today.

Addressing the event, the PM called for collective efforts to develop scalable and sustainable solutions for girls’ education.

‘‘Millions of young girls over the next decade will enter the job market,’’ the PM said, emphasizing that they have the potential not just to lift themselves, their families and nations out of poverty ‘‘but also to enrich the global economy’’.

‘‘We owe it to our mothers, sisters, and daughters to ensure that their rights are respected, their ambitions are fulfilled, and that no cultural inhibitions stand in the way of achieving their dreams.’’

The premier noted that denying education to girls is tantamount to denying them their voice and the choice while depriving them of their right to a bright future.

Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “overwhelmed” to be back in Pakistan, as she arrived for a global summit on girls’ education in the country.

“I’m truly honoured, overwhelmed and happy to be back in Pakistan,” she told AFP as she arrived at the conference in the capital Islamabad with her parents.