Daily Times

It is said that the worst sufferers of wars and epidemics are the women and the kids. These days, political turmoil should be added to it, especially among the youth. The youth of the 21st century is not as passive and inactive as the past few generations. They are millennials and have a deep eye on the world rapidly changing and molding around them. They think the next world will be safer and more developed for them, or it will be detrimental to their progress. The evidence lies in Pakistan’s rapid and heavy brain drain that almost every intelligent and qualified individual has migrated to settle in the greener and more peaceful pastures of the world, or at least they are planning to do so. Many youths have begun to believe that their future cannot be ensured in Pakistan.

The main reason behind the whole scenario is the political upheavals that have taken place in recent years. Half of the politicians believe that another party is always wrong, so they project their view onto the youth. The opponent parties do the same. The result is the confused and insecure minds of the youth. In fact, youth look to politicians as their leaders and hope they will lead their country toward prosperity and progress, which would afford them future opportunities. The last few years have practically proved that politicians have got just one engagement; they keep blaming one another for the economic downfall of their country, and yet no one comes up with practical plans to uplift the situation. The youth pin their hopes on one party and then on another, but no one realizes where they are leading their nation. The frequent political gatherings, rallies, and processions urge the students and young people to join these, some time for fun and some time to show their political loyalties. The result is their long absence from their educational and training institutions. This is causing the loss of money and the valuable training they would otherwise receive.

The western and American democracies are ensuring a peacefully conducive environment for the development of the youth so that the affairs of the state must be in well-trained hands.

The youth can find, at first, good education, training, and skill only in a peaceful society because it guarantees peace and prosperity. At the same time, in a politically upset country, the resources and attention are mainly diverted to other areas rather than youth training. The same happens in the case of the job market. If the economy is expanding and working, jobs and employment is created by it, and so freshly trained people are hired and engaged. But the falling Rupee-dollar ratio is rapidly disturbing the whole economy, and everyone is looking at the future as bleak. The youth is worried about its feature. The crime rate is increasing because of the declining job and business ratio.

This is thwarting progress regarding women’s rights, employment, and well-being because of the seething political environment. The number of women who have started businesses and jobs is also decreasing, and as a result, the future of women is gradually leading toward decline. So, the social setup conducive to development and progress is also depleting rapidly. The facility level for the security and well-being of the old and elderly is also decreasing because of the upheavals in the political arena.

Now, the time is ripe enough that our elderly generation at the helm of the affairs must take note of the increasing quality and problems of the youth and make concerted efforts to bring a peaceful and non-hostile environment to ensure the environment in which every individual, especially the young may be able to thrive. Not only this but the economy must also be strengthened to provide the necessary funding to equip our youth with the skills needed to survive and progress. The world has become a global village, and so, on the one hand, one may benefit from this; on the other hand, it ensures a competitive environment with the youth of other countries. The western and American democracies are ensuring a peacefully conducive environment for the development of the youth so that the affairs of the state must be in the hands of the well-trained and well-equipped youth. In such a situation, if we do not take heed, our youth may not be able to compete with the world.

The intellectuals, the statesmen, the technocrats, and the establishment must come forward to restore the youth’s confidence in themselves, help the economy grow faster, and set the stage for the future of the youth. Besides, our scientific community must come forward to establish research and development plans to enhance our production in almost all areas of the Pakistani economy and to curtail the wastage of resources by controlling the rapidly increasing population. The world is entering the technical digital world. If we don’t act now, our youth will be left behind because the menial jobs will soon give ground to the digitally controlled world.

The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson University, Multan. He can be reached at zeadogar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @Profzee