The only National Youth Policy of Pakistan was born after sixteen years of gestation. It was perhaps, the longest period in the life of policy making. The year 2008, marks the beginning of a new era in the political development of Pakistan. After a lapse of eleven years, democracy was returned to the country through popular representation. The political atmosphere was charged with the desire to bring Pakistan its lost democratic glory and political stability by defeating terrorism and through institution building. Though, in the course of time, none of these could be achieved, and the situation on economic front moved from bad to worse. The last nail in the coffin was hammered by the devastating flood of 2010 that gobbled billion of rupees worth of agricultural assets- the lifeline of Pakistan. The military operation of 2009 in Swat is another saga that rendered a wide majority of our population especially the youth helpless and directionless. In addition to these, the war on terrorism at different levels and parts of Pakistan had disarrayed the nation in many respects. Amidst this chaotic situation, somewhere in 2008, the Youth Policy was laid on the table. It was as messy as the leadership could possibly make it look so.
Wrong solutions to right problems: The policy talks about everything that one could think of, it appeals to one’s emotions through words like awareness, patriotism, good citizenship, skilled labour, scholarships, intellectual development, micro financing so on and so forth. The policy, however, fails to define or perhaps, infuse any life into these words. The funniest part is that without having any archaeological support, since we are dismantling whatever we have in the name of archaeology, without any economic provision since a lot of our fund is funnelled in things other than infrastructure and without any reference to the education budget that lingers at 2 per cent of the GDP, and without considering that almost 80 per cent of this country’s youth lives in the rural setting who may not even be knowing what it means to have a disciplined education system, the policy goes on suggesting vocational and academic trips across the country, and educating youth through video conferencing, seminars and by interacting with noble laureates. The policy talks about National Youth Fund, not a single reference is made to the indigenous fund raising methodology, it is again left to the donors, philanthropists and banks to provide for the funds. In short the policy is not specific in actions and clear about its achievement objectives.
Lack of interconnectivity in policy formulation: In theory, no policy can deliver unless all the stakeholders are taken on board to the aims and objectives of the policy. Putting things in black and white rarely serve the purpose of facilitating the target group of the policy. Lack of interconnectivity emerges when one sees disconnect in reality and in the implementation strategies of the policy.
Skill development: A good level of thrust is laid on skill development through need assessment but there is no reference to Research and Development. If one is to prepare the youth for the modern 21 century how could it be possible without the provision of Research and Development facilities. Science, research, and technology are the prerequisites for the youth to join the global scientific revolution.
Hazy employment strategy: As far as employment is concerned, the mention of internship could be a good proposal for the fresh graduates, but there is no reference to the provision of employment opportunities and labour market information by the government to the youth. Training and preparing youth for the job market is missing. Provision of skills does not ensure job opportunities (as suggested in the report) it can only raise the chances of getting a job. In the absence of a job market, no skill set can be helpful in making the ends meet.
Revival of international sport neglected: Sports activates are reduced to parks and street games, the matter of fact is that Pakistan has been systematically driven out of sports arena, squash is the right example. No solution is sought on its revival. What would all those patrons do to sport is also left to guess.
Youth in jails: The youth in jail needs to be rehabilitated through counselling, that is the only way to helps them relate back to a normal life. There are references of skill development and creative activities in the policy for youths in jail but the psychological part is not mentioned which would eventually help them become non violent in the future.
No reference of art and culture: The policy is silent over art and culture and its utility in developing self-respect and sense of identity in the youth. The idea of journeying around the country to get a sense of history and heritage makes little sense, unless people are engaged in cultural activities applying arts and crafts.
The radicalisation of youth: The year 1979 and the decade following it gave Pakistan a new identity- incubator of Mujahedeen, with its periphery loaded with people who could be used to combat war on the strength of Islam against the proposed and at times designed enemies. All through those years, the young lot of this country, in the absence of any direction, flew into the ranks of those who could afford them not only direction, but board and lodging as well, minimising the burden of poverty laid on the parents of these youth by the misplaced financial priorities of the government of Pakistan. The aim of life designed for these young recruits was simple: Obeying the decree of Allah, which actually meant standing against any force that could be a threat to Islam. The definition of threat was defined by the providers. On the same tone in the urban setting; in the absence of government intervention, the universities like Punjab, Karachi and Peshawar became heavily radicalised. Punjab University got into the tangles of Islamisation, while Karachi and Peshawar varsities brewed ethnicity. Schools in Baluchistan had banned the singing of Pakistan anthem. This disconnect within the society further exacerbated through different education systems that were allowed to operate within Pakistan without any check and balance. We have had public schools, private schools, madrassaa and GCSE or IB certification systems. The mix is not as disturbing as the syllabus and curriculum followed by these systems of education. No coherence, no linkages and no coordination. A school can choose to teach all that it wants to teach to its students. The famous Oxford school books developed time and again under different agenda had their own bidding to make.
Ways to go forward: From the discourse above, one could only deduce that this Youth Policy needs a complete over haul. One of the major flaws in the policy is its inability to envision the outcome it expects from different actions it desires to take. The National Youth Policy of Ghana 2010, a far less developed country than us has managed to do so, though there is some similarity in the National Youth Policy of Pakistan and that of India but, Indian Youth Policy has very clearly stated the responsibilities of youth and state, since both the entities have stakes in the peace and neutrality of a society. India’s Youth Policy has also very clearly stated the definition of youth, making easier for policy makers to determine need specific programmes and projects. In the same lieu, Australian government have established a “Youth Monitoring Grant programme” to de radicalise its society. The way forward designed by the Australian policy maker in the context is to engage youth in community development by making them the ambassador of peace, i.e. giving them the responsibilities to eradicate radicalisation from the society. We need to define what we expect from the actions given in the policy.
Let Education Policy be the lynchpin: Youth Policy should intersect at some point with the Education Policy. As has been envisaged in the National Education Policy of Pakistan (2009), the education budget awaits revision from 2 to 7 per cent of the GDP. Policymakers, both inside and outside Pakistan, should give careful consideration to whether and how education investments can promote peace and stability, taking into account what we now know about the state of education sector and the roots of militancy.
Defining obligations: The obligations of different groups should be made part of the policy so that it becomes clear as to who is responsible of what. The obligations of state, family, teachers, youth and private sector should be discussed in the policy. Then there is a clear need of inculcating the ideas of democracy, governance and leadership in the youth. Good governance and civic responsibilities are the recipes to development. Interestingly, there is no reference in the policy about transparency, accountability, protection of rights, obedience to rule of law, etc. The development of these key principles is necessary for the development of what is called a patriotic citizen, which the policy claims to achieve. The issue of moral values is left to the ministry of religious affairs. This is bound to make the society more conservative and myopic; having multiple religious sects and extreme religious views.