Lahore, May 31 -- When Fahad Shahbaz founded the Youth General Assembly in 2015, he was eighteen years old and working with a simple but powerful idea: that young Pakistanis deserved a real seat in the conversations that shaped their country.

A decade later, Forbes has recognised him on its 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list in the Social Impact category, placing him among the most influential young leaders across Asia.

The Youth General Assembly, which Fahad built from the ground up, now runs as a national platform modelled on Pakistan's National Assembly and the UK Parliament. Each year, a 96-member assembly of young Pakistanis comes together to debate public policy and produce concrete recommendations for the government. It is not symbolic p...