Pakistan is a young country. More than 60% of its population is under 30. But instead of being our greatest strength, this young population is becoming our greatest challenge. Across the country, millions of young people are looking for jobs that do not exist, universities that do not prepare them, and leaders who do not listen to them.
Unemployment among youth is at record highs. Even the most talented graduates often end up driving ride-hailing cars or taking small freelance gigs just to survive. Those who cannot find work drift into hopelessness, or worse, into crime and drugs. The irony is painful: a nation full of young energy, but no system to use it productively.
Our education system teaches students to memorise, not to think. Technical skills are rare. Innovation is ignored. Startups collapse because there is no support. Meanwhile, countries around us are racing ahead by investing in their youth. We are leaving ours behind.
But it does not have to be this way. Pakistan’s youth are not a burden; they are a resource waiting to be tapped. Give them platforms, skills and a fair chance, and they will change this country. We have seen it in pockets: young Pakistanis leading in IT, winning global competitions, launching creative businesses. The question is not whether Pakistan’s youth can deliver. The real question is: will the state, society and leaders finally believe in them?
This generation is not waiting forever. If ignored, they will either leave, or they will lose hope. And if that happens, Pakistan loses its future. It is time to stop talking about youth as “the future” and start treating them as the present. Because the future is already here — and it is impatient.
Tahir Ali
Sukkur
