The youth is an integral section of any society as it plays a pivotal role in the economy for sustainable growth and development of a nation. Youth, being 60 percent of Pakistan’s population, are a hope for rapid socio-economic growth and development for a better life.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs and Punjab People’s Youth Organisation (PYO) President Mian Muhammad Ayub, in an exclusive interview to Pakistan Today, said that the youth in Pakistan was brimming with ambition, enthusiasm, dynamism and commitment to rise. However, Pakistan does not have hitherto, any comprehensive National Youth Policy though the subject has been pondered over since 1989. “The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government has already done a lot in the current tenure for the youth of this country, formulating the first youth policy – 2008 in the history of this country to expose the youth to works in various walks of life and to instill a passion to excel,” he said.
He said, “It is in my wish list to have a separate television channel for the youth of this country to engage the youth in positive activities rather than to hand them over to extremists to prepare them for suicide attacks.” He said that he also wished for a FM radio channel to be launched in all colleges and universities in the country. “Besides, I also wished to establish a ‘Youth Bank’ to provide Rs 500,000-1000,000 in loans to the youth and a ‘Youth University’ to impart free and quality education to the youth of the under-privileged areas as I want to force them to come out of their house to take active part in making the nation prosperous rather than to sit at home, using internet and watching cable television all the time,” Mian Ayub said further.
He said he wants to see the vigour of Quaid-e-Azam, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Faryal Talpur in the youth of this country. As the ministry of youth affairs has been devolved under the 18th amendment, the adviser said that the provincial governments have to show extra responsibility to provide the means and environment in which the invaluable human resource could attain the optimal growth potential.
He said government should reconsider the step of devolution of the youth ministry, under which all the mechanisms have been decentralised.
He said, “The ‘Youth Award’ and ‘Youth essay writing competition’ are among the steps taken by the youth ministry to encourage active participation by youth, while on May 29, 2011, the ministry had arranged ‘Provincial Convention’, where the youth of Pakistan showcased their support for the PPP.
“In order to promote national integration and harmony among the young generation of the country and also to provide them an opportunity to share their experiences, youth ministry has initiated ‘National and International Youth Exchange Programme’, established ‘Youth Activity Centre’, started ‘National Internship Programme’ and the ‘National Volunteer Movement’,” Mian Ayub maintained. Elaborating upon the National Internship Programme (NIP), he said, “The NIP was designed for the benefit of 40,000 young unemployed postgraduates and graduates all over the country, who have completed sixteen years of education from recognised universities or degree awarding institutions, including external candidates.” “The scheme was intended to provide financial relief with a stipend of Rs 10,000 to fresh graduates and also to keep them engaged and interested in acquiring additional knowledge and work experience, thereby facilitating their employability in the country. The programme will also be of advantage to the government organisations that have a shortage of officials in various cadres,” he said, adding that Rs 3.6 billion had been spent on this scheme.
Mian Ayub said further, “The National Volunteer Movement (NVM), is an organisation dedicated to providing a platform for people’s contribution in the society, creating a pool of individuals that can be mass-stimulated to act promptly and effectively in natural and man-made disasters,” adding that, “In the recent months, we have arranged the ‘Youth Award’ for the promotion of expertise rendered in various fields by the youth.
Answering a question, Mian Ayub said that he was against stopping students from participating in politics. “If student politics was stopped on campuses, how could political leaders be produced when the country badly needs them?” he responded.He said that all political and religious parties should take the country’s youth on board in making Pakistan a prosperous state and to engage them in positive activities. “The period of life which the youth represent is the most productive and useful by virtue of the nascent energies that the youth are endowed with by nature. The young people aspire for full participation in the life of a society. If appropriate opportunities are made available to put their natural endowment to creative, productive and useful channels, the Pakistani youth is indeed capable of working miracles,” the adviser concluded.