Prime Minister Imran Khan is right to focus on providing job opportunities to the youth as he charts the country’s way forward. There is an inherent force in the nation’s youth and, if nurtured and employed productively, it has the potential to turn around not just the country but also much of the region with it. For it is a fact that Pakistan struggles with its population growth rate but all said and done we are a remarkably young country. Presently, 64 percent of the country is younger than 30 years old and 29 percent is between the ages of 15 and 29. Statistically, Pakistan now has more young people than it has ever had, and this trend is expected to strengthen till at least 2050. It is important to note that the average age in Pakistan is far below most other countries. In fact, it has been decreasing all the time that the average age in most advanced countries has been increasing. All we need to do now is understand the latent strength of the youth and harness it in a way that can help the economy grow and the country prosper. The only problem is that we, as a country, are just not in a position to empower the youth with the skills that they will need if such a turnaround is ever going to happen. Much of the country lives at or under the poverty line, which is no secret, so any hope they have of getting their children educated or even empowered enough to earn a decent wage lies with the public education system. And since it is also no secret that all public departments, education being no exception, are in such a deep state of decay that it is nothing short of a miracle that they are still functioning, whatever advantage the youth could bring us quickly turns into a big disadvantage. Because while a large number of young people is sure plus for any country, provided they can educate and equip them well enough, a big army of struggling, poor and frustrated people is just like a time bomb that is constantly ticking. So while the prime minister’s thinking and direction are both correct and deserve appreciation, he will still have to work out just how his government is going to work out a plan to really empower the country’s youth. *