Role of youth in politics

By Muhammad Amin Baloch Youth play an important role in the political development of any country. It is the youth who in the future manage the whole political systems locally, regionally and globally. Therefore it becomes necessary to train the youth politically, so that they will become a useful citizens of the society and will render their services in a better manner in the socio-political development of the society. Politics is a science to manage the country or state. Youths have active blood and are builders of the nation. Therefore, they should be given ample opportunity to take all the responsibility for managing the country or state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, had realized the importance of youths in the democratic struggle for the creation of Pakistan and emphasized the youths to continue their role in a positive manner in the state. He believed that youth was essential ingredient to take the nation forward. Quaid e Azam said “Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students who have always been in the forefront in the hours of trial and need. Your are the nation`s leaders tomorrow and must fully equip yourself with discipline, education and training for the arduous task lying before of you. You should realize the magnitude of your responsibility and be ready to bear it’. This saying of the Quaid reflects that he saw the young men and women as the leaders of the future. Any male or women between the ages of 18 to 35 is a youth and youth are major component of our population. The youth will pump new blood into the political processes of the country discouraging the ongoing traditional system, which is mainly dominated by feudal class and industrialists. They will give new direction to the state machinery to make it a welfare state. In Pakistan, unfortunately Youth have been used as political weapon to gain political benefits. They have always been in the forefront during elections campaigns and attaching and counter attacking the political opponents. It was the youth who have been responsible for making any political movement successful in Pakistan. After Jinnah it was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (shaheed) who had well realized the vital role of youth in the political development of the country. He activated the youth and sensitized them about their political roles and responsibilities in the state of Pakistan. He had realized that without youth pro-active participation in politics (in positive manner), a sustainable socio-politico-economic development cannot be achieved. Since her very youth age Benazir Bhutto Shaheed as a youth had played a very important political role after her father. She also was one of the youngest prime ministers of the Muslim world. During her premiership she had introduced many pro-youth programmes to encourage them actively participate in political arena as well providing them job security. After her death BBYDP (Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme) was launched by the PPP government in the light of her dedication to the youth.Imran Khan of PTI had made his election campaign as youth oriented as to empower the youth, give them representation in the government, providing them with employment etc.But after assuming power not a single step has been taken by the PTI government in the KPK to address the most crucial issues of the youth. Again the credit goes to the PPP that its current chairman is himself a youth.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the son of the shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He has the guts and potentialities of his great mother. He is an embodiment of political tolerance, firm believer in democracy and forgiveness which he has inherited from his charismatic maternal grandfather, his iconic mother and father. A good news is that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is planning to form a political pool of graduates in PPP.This means empowering and organizing youth in the political decision making of PPP plus giving them more active role .This is a good step for encouraging the youth to take more active part in the political systems of the country. They should be given representation in the party hierarchy from Central Executive Committee (CEC) to the Union Council at the primary levels.PYO should be strengthened and memberszi should be initiated to introduce new faces in the PYO.In the forthcoming local bodies elections PPP must award tickets to the youth on the basis of merit and party devotion. There may be resistance for the chairman, PPP, by some elements inside party who will not like to empower the youth, as they are more educated and new faces. Apart from graduate, post graduate youth should also be included in the assemblies of graduate youth. Member ship should be initiated at the UC level .Here the members shall select/elect their office bearers, in the same format of PPP party structure, and these office bearers will represent at the tehsil level (in case of Chitral etc.).The tehsil cabinet should be given representation at the district level and will select/ elect district cabinet.Likewise, the district cabinet will make provincial graduate assembly with its cabinet and then at the top a central cabinet should be established with the party chairman its head. It must be taken into consideration that in the selection/election process a complete transparency be ensured without any interference from the party representatives. The graduate assembly should also be given representation in the district, provincial and even central decision making entities.]]>