MIRPUR (AJK)-Amidst the worsening crises and problems of the AJK people, a report urged the political parties to enhance the participation of youth in the political process.
The report was published by the British Council in the AJK capital. It was launched by AJK-based NGO Center for Peace, Development and Reforms (CPDR). Nearly 150 young people including lawyers, academicians, political parties representatives, students, civil society activists and media personnel political leadership of AJK attended the launching ceremony.
Former prime minister of AJK and PML-N AJK President Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Finance Minister Chaudhary Latif Akbar, PTI AJK (Women Wing) President Gulzar Fatima, Fiza Inayat, and Ershad Mahmud, Executive Director of CPDR, addressed the ceremony.
While engaging nearly eight hundred young people from all three divisions of AJ&K in the research process, the report highlights the unemployment as one of the major issue of youth besides poor infrastructure, and other governance issues. The report also underlines the lack of opportunities and spaces in political parties, unemployment, socio- economic inequality, scanty means of recreation, social service deficits as well as identity crises as the main issues faced by the young people in AJK. Almost 49 % young people in survey favoured Sharia. The report recommends more spaces for young people in politics, activation of student unions, promote merit and justice and improve institutional capacities.
Moreover, the research report also stresses the need to create different means of entertainment for the youth which will tackle their increasing health and psychological issues. Referring to public infrastructure and healthcare services the research recommends for paying greater attention on these two.
Raja Farooq Haider Khan, while addressing the ceremony, stated that youth deserve more representation and opportunities in the current political, social and economic system as it make of 65 % of the total local population. He pledged that if PML-N gets power in the upcoming elections he would immediately announce local bodies’ elections with 20% quota for young people and hold student unions elections which according to him are nurseries of politics.
On governance, he said, “If my party comes to power, we would seek expert advice from Pakistan on issues like economy and governance.” He said that almost all the sectors of government are over-employed and are least productive. He stressed the need to introduce performance based management in all the sectors of government to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. While criticising Bradarism, he said jobs should not be given on the basis of fraternities, tribalism or regionalism, which is another leading cause of anxiety and frustration among the youth.
Chaudhary Latif Akbar said that his government set up a number of higher educational institutions and medical colleges in the AJK. He stated that Kashmir Council remained key impediment in development of AJK during their government and demanded for more proportionate representation in the migrants seats in coming elections. He believed that these 12 seats of migrants in Pakistan remained always decisive but remained heavily under influence of governments over there. He also criticised bureaucracy for not only fomenting favoritism in departments but also for deliberate negligence in performing their routine work.
PTI AJK (Women Wing) President Gulzar Fatima said that her party provides equal opportunities to young people both male and female and majority of leadership comes at a grassroots level. She underlined the need of sustained dialogue between youth and political parties to bridge the perception gap. She also urged all political parties to ensure intra party elections and capacity building of the youth on regular basis to nurture new leadership. Ershad Mahmud thanked all the participants and said that such reports would add to existing literature and help guide young scholars to further build on these sources. He said that such reports would help new government make decision for the youth.