Youth of the tribal areas need education and health facilities, employment opportunities and political rights
SOUTH WAZIRISTAN AGENCY: Like in the other parts of the country, the people of Fata have great talent in every field, but they lack opportunities to showcase it. Recently, General Raheel Sharif, along with the governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the corps commander of Peshawar inaugurated the first Fata youth festival at the Peshawar Sports Complex. This was a positive step taken by the K-P governor. However, the shortcomings reported at the festival must be addressed. For the last few years, the youth in the tribal areas have been experiencing a very precarious situation due to the ongoing operation in the area. Along with other opportunities of life, like their cultural and traditional ceremonies, the continued militancy has also deprived them of decent sports facilities.
There are many talented people in the area but they need motivation right now. The youth of any country play a key role in its peace and prosperity. Hence, the youth of the tribal areas also need education and health facilities, employment opportunities and political rights. Just as the government needs to provide these facilities to internally displaced persons, the youth also require this infrastructure to be in place in order for the region — and for the country — to prosper. If our younger citizens are given proper tools, they can play a major role in building this country.
Rafiuddin Mehsud
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2016.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
