Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
It is time for leaders to speak directly to the next generation, bring them to the polls, and convince young people that they can provide them with the opportunity and security they need to build a better future for Pakistan.
Following is the gist of a recent BBC survey which highlights that the youth of Pakistan prefers shariah to rule their lives:
1. Young people are losing confidence in the democratic system. Leaders of all political persuasions have a duty to convince the youth that they remain committed to ‘undiluted democracy’ for Pakistan.
2. Young voters could have a pivotal influence on the election. There are 25 million registered next generation voters, many of whom will go the polls for the first time. Around 60% of young people plan to vote, while another 10% say they could still be persuaded to turn out on election day. Political parties must, therefore, fight hard to win over the next generation voter.
3. Four groups of young voters are pivotal. Urban middle class and rural lower class voters come from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum, but both groups need to be inspired to play a full political role. Conservative young men, meanwhile, yearn for someone who meets their aspirations while expressing core values. Any party that can bring more housewives to vote is certain to prosper at the polls.
4. Young women face very high levels of exclusion. Women are much less educated than men and many of them spend most of their time at home. They are less politically engaged and fewer than half of them currently expect to vote, even though nearly three quarters are registered to vote. Some may be registered without knowing due to Pakistan’s new computerised electoral roll.
5. A small set of issues will influence the way young people vote. They are most likely to judge leaders on their policies for tackling inflation, creating employment, improving education and healthcare, and ending poverty. Corruption, terrorism, energy and water are also important to some groups of voters.
6. Rising prices are the biggest concern for young people. When asked to identify Pakistan’s greatest challenge, inflation is the dominant issue. The next generation has been shaped by its experience of increasingly expensive food, energy and other commodities. An overwhelming majority report pressure on the living standards of themselves and their families.
7. Young people are starved of opportunities. Just one in ten young people are in stable employment, while over a third are either still students, working for themselves or working as day labourers. Half of the next generation is not working ‘mostly women who classify themselves as ‘homemakers’. As a result, a lot of young talent is going to waste.
8. Insecurity hits young people hard. When asked which events have influenced them most, young people talk about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the recent devastating earthquake and floods, and a host of other violent episodes. Nearly a quarter of all young people, have been directly affected by violence or have been witness to a serious violent event.
9. Pakistan’s politics adds to this turbulence. Young people have very low levels of confidence in the institutions ‘government, parliament, political parties’ most responsible for setting the country’s direction. In contrast, the justice system and the media have higher approval ratings, as does Pakistan’s armed forces.
10. Young people are now deeply pessimistic. In our last report, we warned of high levels of pessimism among young people. Since then the situation has got worse. Very few young people believe Pakistan is heading in the right direction. The young fear for their own future as well as for that of their country.
11. The next generation has growing social and cultural influence. Young people are an economic force, but they will have a broader impact on Pakistan. The country is becoming more urban, family sizes are shrinking, and the role of women is changing. Young people are also naturally driven to experimentation and questioning authority. The result will be a very different Pakistan.
12. Across Pakistan, the generation speaks with one voice. There are important geographical differences in youth opinion, in particular between the more and less developed parts of the country. But differences should not be overplayed’ young people express broadly similar views on many issues, wherever they live in Pakistan.
13. This is a deeply conservative generation. Three quarters of women describe themselves as religious or conservative and nearly two thirds of men, dwarfing the numbers of moderates and liberals. Young people have a craving for greater stability and this has influenced their political opinions. Even in urban areas, only a third of young people say they are moderate or liberal.
14. Young urbanites have a strong generational identity. In towns and cities, young people are more likely to believe they are different from their parents, although this has not yet translated into political pressure. Only a quarter of urban youth are interested in politics and only a third are excited to vote at the election.
15. A next generation middle class is emerging in Pakistan. Young people from the middle class are especially important drivers of change. There are now nearly 12 million young people in this class in Pakistan ‘young people who are more educated than their parents, marry later, live in better housing, earn incomes that have raised them above subsistence, and are connected by the media to each other and the rest of the world.
16. Pakistan is transforming. In the first fifty years of its existence, the country struggled to feed, clothe, and educate very large numbers of children. But now the demographic tide has turned, as large numbers of young people enter their prime productive years. For better or for worse, they will affect Pakistan.
17. It currently enjoys massive demographic opportunities. When a country has large numbers of young people, it enjoys a historic opportunity. If its youth are educated and healthy, and if they can find employment opportunities, then living standards are likely to be transformed within a generation.
18. But demography is not destiny. The costs of failing to harness the energies of youth are high. If young people are starved of opportunities, they can wreak havoc on any society, turning a demographic dividend into a demographic disaster. Sadly, Pakistan has progressed further down the wrong path since the first Next Generation report.
19. Pakistan risks growing old before it gets rich. The demographic window will not be open for much longer. By mid-century, the proportion of workers in the population will be falling and the country will be ageing fast, making it harder to care for growing numbers of the elderly. Pakistan could be one of the first countries ever to grow old before it has grown rich.
20. The youth of Pakistan have a pessimistic outlook today, but it is important to remember their fervour for the country is unbridled and passionate. A substantial majority of the youth still believe that they will have a role in changing the country for the better, and policy makers need to address their needs to accrue the benefits of their patriotism.
