Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: September 02, 2022 | 
| 中文
Youth of Pakistan has the potential to transform the country
As Pakistan celebrates the 75th year as an independent nation, the country is also at the crossroads of its journey amongst the comity of nations. With a population of more than 220 million people, it is the fifth most populous country. Pakistan is also one of the youngest countries in the world where currently, 68% of citizens are below the age of 30, and 27% are aged between 15 and 29. This extraordinary demographic feature is an opportnutity for Pakistan offering possibility to drive much needed ideological, political, economic and social transformation. This demographic dividend, if tapped optimally and timely, can indeed be a game changer for Pakistan.
Social scientists consider youth as a critical stage during which the right social, educational, health and economic developmental frameworks not only protects a nation’s future against risks, but also propel a country on a steady trajectory of growth. An enabling environment, in which each youngster, irrespective of ethnicity, gender, and economic identities, is afforded equitable opportunities, ensures that they reach their full potential while transitioning to adulthood. In Pakistan, those responsible to provide this environment to future leaders mostly belong to the Baby Boomers generation (born before 1965) and thus do not realize the potential contained by Gen-Y (millennials) and Gen-Z. Unfortunately, lack of youth focused policies in Pakistan continues to make a sizable segment of youth frustrated, despondent, and vulnerable to violence and conflict.
Pakistan surely will rise
Luckily, youth is also the most resilient of the population segments in a society. Advancements in technology, infrastructure, telecommunication, entrepreneurship and innovation are making possibilities available to Pakistani youth; previously only reserved for young people living in developed, mostly western nations. Digital technology has turned the world into a global village and Pakistan is fast catching up. According to some estimates there are currently more than 76 million internet users in Pakistan, which is over 70 percent of the population, if one does not include the 0-14-year-olds. Digital advancement has opened up a world of possibilities in the country and tele-density is at 195 million cellular subscribers, with 119 million 3G/4G users. 65 percent (143 million) of the population are Facebook users while 10 percent (22 million) are YouTube users and over 46 million use WhatsApp. This widespread access to social media has granted unprecedented empowerment to youth, and in recent years the country has witnessed some incredible examples of corrective action against social and political ills and provided avenues for youth’s creative and artistic expression. Syed Muzammil Shah is a vlogger, broadcast journalist and anchor who enjoys a vast following on social media; his commentary on topical issues is widely shared and influences youth opinion. Still in his 20s, Muzammil’s critical thinking and intellect is reflective of the pluralistic and progressive aspirations of Pakistani youth.
Syed Muzammil Hasan Zaidi
Shae Gill is a Pakistani singer known for her song ‘Pasoori’ from Coke Studio Season 14, which made her a sensation overnight and gained instant international fame for this 23-year-old. Shae was spotted by Coke Studio through her Instagram account, where she was posting her home-made videos of acoustic covers for a few years. Her song ‘Pasoori’ is the first Coke Studio song and the first Pakistani song to feature on Spotify's "Viral 50 - Global" chart, and was also featured in episode 4 of the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel. By August 2022, the song has already reached 350 million views on YouTube.
Shae Gill
According to a UN report, around 3 out of 4 youth in the world lack skills needed for employment. Pakistan youth unemployment rate for 2021 was an alarming 9.41%, a 0.2% increase from 2020. In Pakistan, the innovative streak, and irrepressible buoyancy associated with youth population has resulted in a welcome mushrooming of youth-led micro, small and medium level entrepreneurship. E-commerce changed the landscapes of conventional markets, and innovators are continuously coming up with solutions to break barriers of brick-and-mortar models, inefficient value chains, lack of access to finance, conventional and numerical literacy, mobility.
E-commerce and entrepreneurship, in the recent years, has skyrocketed in Pakistan
Zain Ashraf graduated from University of Miami with a degree in entrepreneurship in 2011 and decided to come back to Pakistan and create mechanisms to alleviate poverty in his home country. Zain established Seed Out, a not-for-profit crowdfunding platform working to alleviate poverty by establishing micro-entrepreneurs through interest free microfinancing. He is a serial entrepreneur and has started many ventures including Ivoke (interactive digital agency), Eccountant (All in One Cloud Accounting ERP) and SAFELINE. Zain is also the first Pakistani to achieve the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Award (2018) for excellence in development work through Seed Out. He was awarded The Pakistani Poverty Alleviation Programme Award for Seed Out, besides many other laurels. Zain has been invited as a speaker at OIC (Organization of Islamic Corporations), TEDx, Islamic Micro Finance Network, LUMS, BNU and Lahore School of Economics.
Zain Ashraf
Pakistan currently has the lowest female labor force participation rate in South Asia across all age groups, but persistent equitable measures are also fast fixing this gender disparity. Many success stories of entrepreneurship and social impact ventures initiated by young girls have emerged in the recent years, and are successfully inspiring more young girls to challenge the traditional impediments and break through to claim their fair share. Iqra Bisma, an 18 years old girl from Islamabad is amongst the 10 promising young Pakistani icons who won the prestigious Diana Award 2022. She was recognized for providing mental health support by establishing a “listener’s society”. Iqra has played leading roles in more than 15 national and international organisations on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and led more than 100 youth engagement sessions, including virtual gatherings, meet-ups, events, workshops, and awareness sessions during the pandemic.
Saim Sadiq, emerging Pakistani filmmaker
Future definitely belongs to the youth, so they can influence the way Pakistan shapes up in the next decade, and the years to come after that. If the energy contained in the youth bracket of Pakistan is channelized in a proper manner, many challenges facing the country such as extremism, political and economic instability, climate change, infrastructure inadequacy, and food security can be met. To achieve the dream of a more stable and prosperous Pakistan, all investments and efforts for creating an open environment through quality education, vocational skill and entrepreneurship trainings, access to finance and infrastructure support for youth is crucial.
You may also like:
