young blood of pakistan

Pakistan along with its envious strategic location and a plethora of natural resources possesses another exceedingly important resource, a resource that is oozing with power and determination and overflowing with ambitions to make Pakistan a better place to breathe in. The human resource of Pakistan.

Now let’s take a brief trip to the past. Over the last 64 years of independence, Pakistan has duly witnessed the results of young blood boiling within its youth. With worth appreciating youngsters who have succeeded in taking Pakistan to a newer level altogether, victories were made.

Battles conquered. Dreams fulfilled. Stars touched. Skies reached.

Given the fragile state of the nation today, one wonders if the Pakistani youth is doing enough for their mother country. Are they fulfilling the responsibility of taking Pakistan forward?

With this question in mind, I researched for a couple of days, emailed tens of people, particularly youth icons and university students, interviewed some and finally came across some inspiring individuals with admirable endeavors to steer their home country onto the way of advancement.

Keeping in mind the dire need of education, we have the Sooch Welfare Organization, which educates and grooms underprivileged children and provides them with an environment that could mould them into enhanced citizens.

The Sooch team at work – Photo courtesy Sooch Welfare Organization

When the president of Sooch, Rabbiya Abdullah was questioned about how Sooch came into existence, she said that they always noticed people who didn’t even have the basics around themselves and became drawn towards helping the less privileged. However, they desired to do something more permanent than giving a beggar a few rupees and sending him away.

Initially they started with raising money to feed people on a daily basis but then decided that instead of giving a man a fish a day and creating more dependency, “we should teach them how to fish which led us into focusing more on education and teaching the children that lived in the squatter camps around our campus.”

Moreover, she stated that, “what we are aiming at, is to help those around us develop an ability to think independently.”

Apart from Sooch, Pakistan is proud to have college students such as Mohsin Rasheed Memon whose brainchild is Nixor Hospital. The hospital’s vision is to positively change the healthcare infrastructure of Pakistan while its mission is to provide medical assistance to more than 15,000 patients each year.

Volunteers of Nixor Hospital cater to the patients in their clinic in Gizri, Karachi. – Photo courtesy Nixor Hospital

In the course of the last two years, the students have raised more than two million rupees and have given medical assistance to more than 6,000 patients with the help of eight medical camps in Sindh and a clinic at Gizri in Karachi.

Mohsin said, “I am very proud of not only telling the figures and the number of camps, but of saying that everything is done by the youth of Pakistan.”

Providing healthcare services is just one aspect of this NGO that they are accomplishing, but there is a hidden achievement too that nobody actually notices; it is the ray of hope shining on the faces of these underprivileged people who were once devoid of hope.

At the moment, the social project is led by Muhammed Kabeer Jadoon who is working hard to enhance the health conditions of his fellow Pakistanis.

Moreover, Justuju Welfare Organization is another youth led NGO which deals with the education system of Pakistan and plans to revolutionize the education in the country by bringing all the schools to an equal platform, changing the ideology that has dwelt in the minds of people regarding education and providing equal opportunities for quality education to all strata of the society along with uplifting the government schools to the level of the private schools.

“If there is a will, there is a way.” The Justuju team has made this ideology their mission.

Mohsin Rasheed along with the students taught by the Justuju Welfare Organisation.

Currently Justuju has adopted some schools in Gizri, Karachi. It is providing training to the existing teachers and also bringing in new instructors.

Furthermore, when the prominent anchor Faisal Qureshi was asked about his thoughts on how Pakistan can be a successful state, he only believed in one philosophy – better yourself and Pakistan will be a better place. Be morally and socially alive and Pakistan’s condition would improve within “less than 24 hours.”

In his exact words, he said “Haq baat bolo, Haq baat karo!”

Moving on, the renowned band, Strings’ member Bilal Maqsood opined that the youth’s potential is gigantic and that the youth needed to make the most out of their opportunities. Moreover, he urged the young blood of Pakistan to develop “a positive attitude, cling on to the strong thread of hope and to rise against the tide.”

Moving on, he also advised the youth to stay out of politics and instead channel their energy into effectively utilizing their education for Pakistan’s progress.

Interestingly, singer, philanthropist and the President of Zindagi Trust Shehzad Roy had the opposing viewpoint. Roy believes that the state can be recovered if, “the youth gets involved in politics as it is the youth only which can truly bring about a positive change in the society.”

With massive talent sprouting out of the Pakistani soil and uncountable potential-fountains streaming from every nook and corner of Pakistan, how can Pakistan possibly not reach out for the epitome of accomplishment?

Nixor Hospital’s motto is “Our People, Our Responsibility!” If today, each and every Pakistani youngster gradually transitions from “My Neighborhood, My Responsibility!” to “My City, My Responsibility!” to “My Country, My Responsibility!”, then how can Pakistan possibly not be one of the most developed countries in the world?

youth challenges and opportunities

It is not rare to hear the phrase; “Pakistan’s future is very bright, because we have a seven crore youth population.” Most don’t even know whether the exact number is six, seven or eight! Yet, this has become part of the most widely used rhetoric about our country’s future and this rhetoric is even more prevalent on our national days. But, the problem with this assertion is quite simple, an army can have the best weapons in the world, but if it doesn't use them properly and effectively it still loses the war.

The same is true for our youth; I would be stupid to deny the fact that our youth in a large percentage of our population (66% in fact) and that it is full of talented people who have great potential.

Yet, the problem remains the same if they and their potential isn't used and channelized effectively there won’t not only be anything to gain but also there would be much to lose.

We must remember that, it is misguided youth caught in empty rhetoric that is donning suicide jackets, turning to crime, committing fraud and killing in places like Karachi. So what does this “proper and effective” using of their potential mean and what challenges stand in the way of doing so?

The first challenge is the education emergency that Pakistan is facing. Seven million children are missing out on primary education in Pakistan, enrollment in secondary schools stands at a mere 23% and only a mere 5% of Pakistanis make it to university. 25 million children are being denied their basic constitutional right to a free and compulsory education.

Furthermore, those who are being educated face the issue of attaining a quality education. According to the Education Emergency report, 50% of rural school children cannot read a sentence and only 35% can read a story compared to 25% of school children.

The second challenge is that of employment and economic prospects. According to the Next Generation Report, Pakistan will need 36 million more jobs in the next 10 years with our population increasing by 44% over the next 20! Our current unemployment rate stands in excess of 20%. This also partly contributes to the much talked about brain drain, because there simply isn’t enough room to accommodate a large part of our youth and what is more unfortunate that most of our talented students end up doing menial jobs abroad.

The third challenge is one that became more apparent to me over the past two weeks. Through interactions over Facebook emails, twitter and sms the level of depression, confusion, differing perspectives and the degrees of these segmentations became hauntingly clear. It is also not the varied opinions that are the challenge. Varying opinions and different beliefs are healthy and encourage diversity; however, it is the extent of blind faith and a lack of willingness to engage in dialogue, which is alarming. There seems to be no consensus on even the most basic of issues ranging from systems of governance, education and to some extent even terrorism.

The responsibility for creating and now meeting these challenges of course primarily lies with the state and its leadership, where leadership does not just mean the government, but it also includes: politicians, civil society, and the media. However, it is unfortunate that many a times the youth has just been reduced to a brand name that has been exploited by the same. The government holds one event a year, and then dismisses the youth until the next. Political parties only use young people for their street power and rallies, never including them in the decision making process. The media tries to use the youth for ratings; it calls them but by engaging them in rhetorical and conclusion-less debates only

These rhetorics lead to the hopelessness or the false hope that the youth are engulfed in today. The government needs to work on education with a solid political will and create economic opportunities. Political parties need to listen to the youth and not just exploit them, and the media needs to engage the youth in more productive debates. But what about the youth’s own role?

It is time that the youth realizes its own role and tries to mark out its own path. The time for waiting for messiahs, leaders or anyone for that matter is over and we have to start addressing our issues ourselves in whatever capacity we can.

Depression in a way is a sign of good, because it shows love and a strong connection to and concern for the country.

However, at the same time depression coupled with hopelessness and very strong opinions becomes an impediment to the successful resolution of issues. Opinions are good and we hold them because they are a means to an end. We all are working towards the same end, a prosperous Pakistan, then our opinions should be formed after dialogue and though not inherited or accepted blindly.

The youth needs to come out of this endless cycle, and act. This action doesn't mean coming out on the streets, protesting and falling prey to empty rhetorics, but on the contrary it means developing capability, capacity and competence.

If Jinnah wasn't a lawyer, if Iqbal wasn't a philosopher and poet, if Dr Abdul Qadeer, Dr Abdus Salam, Dr Samar Mubarak and Dr Umar Saif weren't scientists and Babar Iqbal, Ibrahim Shahid and Zohaib Asad weren't good students could they have done what they did for Pakistan? Education needs to be the top priority for all those who are luck enough to receive it. Only after developing themselves will the youth will be able to develop Pakistan. I am not suggesting a total disconnect from politics or the ongoing situation of the country but the right priorities, where “jalsas”, talk shows, protests and political “chaskey” come only after educational responsibilities. Those lucky enough to receive an education must not waste it and they should also encourage and follow the work of people like Master Auyb (who has been teaching children free for the past twenty years in a park).

Action for young professionals can mean trying to excel in their respective fields, to become entrepreneurs and create jobs and economic opportunities for others as well. There are so many start up companies doing well in Pakistan and there is room for a lot more. The journey isn't going to be easy. A lot of people talk about the fact that conditions aren't welcoming or fruitful for their purposes, but this is more or less true for everyone.

No one has ever had everything handed to him or her on a silver platter. Neither did the Prophet Muhammad SAW have the ideal conditions in Mecca to spread Islam nor did Muhammad Ali Jinnah had the ideal conditions to form Pakistan, yet they like so many others persevered and succeeded in time. Change is never overnight and it takes time, but is a worthwhile endeavor to work for.

There are many countries, which are going through or have gone through times similar to the one Pakistan is going through; Singapore, India and even the United States all come to mind.

There is light at the end of the tunnel but only if we have the will and patience to pass through. The youth of this country is undoubtedly its biggest asset and it is up to all of us to make sure it serve its purpose in the best way possible. The purpose of writing this is to not spread despair but to highlight the challenges that lie ahead and to resolve our capability of meeting those challenges, a capability, which is more than adequate only when combined with hard work and patience.