Daily Times

BERLIN: A Pakistani youth emerging on European political horizon after serving as honorary Member of German National Assembly (Bundestag) will soon be serving as honorary member of European Parliament in Strasbourg, France and is expected to speak during the session while representing Germany in June this year. Kashif Kazmi, 21, from Kurram Agency would be the youngest Pakistani in history to be given the honour to address such prestigious democratic institutions on behalf of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

Kashif is currently working in the office of SPD chief Martin Schulz who leads the second biggest party of the country while also having served as President of European Union. SPD had adopted Kashif for his potential talent after the youth had to flee Pakistan for Germany in 2015.

The Pakistani ace picked up German language and democratic culture within no time and has already earned the highest language course certificate C1, which enables him to study or work at higher level of universities or institutions yet he is being taught the diplomatic German language to take on the future political role(s) that might be given to him by his party (SPD).

Kashif is also fluent in English, Persian and Urdu while Pashto being his mother tongue. He is fond of poetry and Sufis of the region such as Rehman Baba, Jalaluddin Rumi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Iqbal. He told Daily Times that Pakistan would be a true democracy the day child of a poor Christians, Hindus and Sikhs would be able to join the parliament and would be seated on the highest offices of the country without discrimination.

He said that Pakistan was facing the curse of letting the injustice rule the country where mystics like Mashal Khan could be lynched by a savage mob.

“I am still in awe by the talent and humanist thought of Mashal Khan and it is a pity that assets like Mashal and Malala Yousafzai were brutalized in the country instead of being honoured for their overwhelming potential,” Kashif stated, while adding that he had writing a poem in memory of Mashal and also organised a protest against his brutal murder.

Kashif Kazmi belongs to Parachinar Kurram Agency and is ardent supporter of Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) into the constitutional framework of Pakistan so that citizens of those areas could also exercise and enjoy their democratic rights.

He said that he aimed to highlight the problem of third world countries and move European nations to boost their international role in order to counter the violence, extremism, economic disparities and disease across the world during his speech in EU parliament.

Kashif who underwent an eight month long Political Internship in German Parliament in the Office of Federal Minister for Economics and Energy Frau Brigitte Zypries before being given the dice in the Parliament believes that Pakistan needs a major overhaul in the system to earn respect and prosperity across the globe.

“Pakistan is in dire need to reform human resource management, education and diplomacy. Lack of patriotism is our biggest problem. Although we give our self interests a façade of patriotism claiming that we love our country. But patriotism doesn’t mean committing violence or hatred for your country, that means learning and striving for winning respect for your country, and that’s a difficult thing to do,” Kashif stated.

He said that he wishes to make Pakistan a liberal state on footprints of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He added that state of Pakistan needs to start immediately de-radicalising its youth and encourage them to get world-class education in order to step foot in global arena with dignity.

Kashif is also undergoing a three year long training at SPD Party House and was also part of the election campaign for Martin Schulz in states of Sachsen, Thürigen and Berlin during the last elections in Germany.

Published in Daily Times, January 5^th 2018.