Young population and political system

The role of the youth both as voters, candidates and as opinion-leaders and opinion-shapers would be critical

Traditionally, the role of young population as a key stakeholder in the political system of Pakistan has not been pronounced per se. However, the youth bulge and the demographic realities of contemporary Pakistan have made young men and women the most important stakeholders in the country’s political and democratic processes. In the next national elections, the role of the young men and women both as voters, candidates and as opinion-leaders and opinion-shapers would be critical. In today’s politics and more specifically public opinion-making, the role of information and communication technologies is fundamental. And as the youth is more adept in the use of these technologies, they have become kernel of the political system and processes, including elections and electioneering. Arguably the next national elections would revolve around them.

In contemporary politics around the world ideologies have largely been replaced by politics of issues. More specifically after the collapse of the Soviet Empire and with it the ideology of socialism-communism and the transformation of liberalism, ideological politics have not been relevant because the ‘perfect’ society, which every political ideology promised to create, could not be brought into being. Thus the political sphere has become an arena of issues.

One of the most important developments in the campaign for the 2013 national elections was the participation of a large number of young men and women. Empirically, they played a significant role in the whole process. The causes for this participation have intricately been linked to the social and economic conditions of Pakistan’s young people. Largely the conditions for and of Pakistani youth have been extremely pathetic and there has been an urge among them to change their conditions, driving them to ebulliently taking part in elections. This youthful energy could even take an anti-social course but for the time being, most of the young people have pinned hopes on the political system.

After the 2013 national elections the British Council Pakistan came up with a very important report titled Next Generation Goes to the Ballot Box. A critically important finding of the report was that it said “a next generation middle class is emerging in Pakistan.” Seemingly that has happened and will have far reaching impact on its society, economy, politics and security.

The lesson we learn from the modern world history is that democracy and the middle class have a symbiotic relationship. One of the reasons for non-flourishing of democracy in Pakistan has been the existence of a very thin middle class. The general nature of social stratification in Pakistan has been a strong conservative feudal-landed-industrial class and a huge lower stratum. As the middle class has grown and seemingly would grow further, it would result in more and more movements and struggles for people’s rights. In the 2013 polls voting turnout remained relatively high from Pakistani standards. On average the turnout was 55 per cent, which was the highest since the start of the so-called ‘Democratic Era’ in 1988. Fundamentally, this high turnout means more participation from the middle class particularly from the young professionals. In the last four years sizable youngsters have joined various professions and in the run up to the next elections, more youths would have joined the professional class. Professionalism makes raw youth careful and mature, and it has a huge impact on their thought processes, including their political worldviews. They come to know that in the political system of the country they cannot remain passive bystanders as the political developments particularly policymaking largely impact their lives and careers. And as governments come into existence through electoral processes, they ought to participate in it. This situation would increase the voters’ turnout in the next elections, and whichever political party would be able to harness this young professional class would gain the most electorally.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2017.

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