Youth forum: ‘No options and very few opportunities’
Youths from FATA, KP say they feel abandoned by the government.
Youths from FATA, KP say they feel abandoned by the government. DESIGN: SUNARA NIZAMI/FILE
LAHORE:
Youth Forum participants from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa on Sunday put forward a wish-list of the changes they would like to see in their area.
The forum has been organised by Channan Development Association (CDA) in collaboration with the USAID.
As many as 180 youths from the FATA and 15 districts of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa participated in the gathering.
The youth at the gathering called for repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation. They called for the constitutional guarantees of civic rights to be extended the FATA. They demanded a result-oriented dialogue with militant groups. They also called for formulation of youth-friendly policies.
The Express Tribune met with some of the participants of the gathering.
“Do you know what it is like to live life? We have forgotten,” 23-year-old Rani Siddique of the University of Malakand told The Express Tribune.
Siddique said she was a native of Buner and studied psychology. She said honour-killings plagued the area she came from.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Nayab Bibi, a student from Peshawar, said terrorists attacks in the city were becoming an everyday occurrence.
“The city has been bombed three times this week. People are dying and no one cares,” she said.
She said frequent attacks had affected her everyday life. She said convincing her family to let her pursue higher education has been challenging task.
She said her parents had readily agreed to send her to Lahore for the forum because the City was not being bombed.
Syeda Natasha, a student from Lower Dir, said without education there was no hope for the country.
“The problem isn't availability of educational facilities, it s about access to these facilities,” she said, referring to educational infrastructure in the region.
Anwar said social taboos limited social development.
“If a married girl wants to study in a school, the teachers don't allow it.”
Saif Wazir, a young activist from South Waziristan, said the problems were of a political nature.
“We are deprived of several basic rights. We are citizens of this country, why are we being denied what they say is ours,” he said.
He called for formulation of a youth policy in the region.
“It is not impossible to create opportunities for young people in FATA,” he said. He said the government should establish a university in the area.
“The government doesn't talk to us, the common people. We should be the ones they talk to before any other stakeholder,” he said.
24-year-old Hassan Ali and 25-year-old Abbas Toori from Parachinar said university graduates often had trouble finding jobs.
Ali recently graduated from the Kohat Univeristy. Toori said he was working in Islamabad after completing his telecom engineering from Gomal University.
“Not all young people are lucky like us,” he said.
Toori said the law and order situation in his area made it difficult for them to commute between Parachinar and Peshawar, which was otherwise only a four-hour road journey.
“The government has abandoned us,” he said.
Saima Malik from Mohmand Agency said she and her sister felt comfortable pursuing their dreams because of the support of their family.
“Our father comes from an uneducated family. That has helped him understand the significance of education. He has never stopped us,” she said. Sami Malik said she was working as a clinical psychologist in Peshawar. Her younger sister, Sumaiya Malik, is a student.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2013.
Youth Forum participants from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa on Sunday put forward a wish-list of the changes they would like to see in their area.
The forum has been organised by Channan Development Association (CDA) in collaboration with the USAID.
As many as 180 youths from the FATA and 15 districts of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa participated in the gathering.
The youth at the gathering called for repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation. They called for the constitutional guarantees of civic rights to be extended the FATA. They demanded a result-oriented dialogue with militant groups. They also called for formulation of youth-friendly policies.
The Express Tribune met with some of the participants of the gathering.
“Do you know what it is like to live life? We have forgotten,” 23-year-old Rani Siddique of the University of Malakand told The Express Tribune.
Siddique said she was a native of Buner and studied psychology. She said honour-killings plagued the area she came from.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Nayab Bibi, a student from Peshawar, said terrorists attacks in the city were becoming an everyday occurrence.
“The city has been bombed three times this week. People are dying and no one cares,” she said.
She said frequent attacks had affected her everyday life. She said convincing her family to let her pursue higher education has been challenging task.
She said her parents had readily agreed to send her to Lahore for the forum because the City was not being bombed.
Syeda Natasha, a student from Lower Dir, said without education there was no hope for the country.
“The problem isn't availability of educational facilities, it s about access to these facilities,” she said, referring to educational infrastructure in the region.
Anwar said social taboos limited social development.
“If a married girl wants to study in a school, the teachers don't allow it.”
Saif Wazir, a young activist from South Waziristan, said the problems were of a political nature.
“We are deprived of several basic rights. We are citizens of this country, why are we being denied what they say is ours,” he said.
He called for formulation of a youth policy in the region.
“It is not impossible to create opportunities for young people in FATA,” he said. He said the government should establish a university in the area.
“The government doesn't talk to us, the common people. We should be the ones they talk to before any other stakeholder,” he said.
24-year-old Hassan Ali and 25-year-old Abbas Toori from Parachinar said university graduates often had trouble finding jobs.
Ali recently graduated from the Kohat Univeristy. Toori said he was working in Islamabad after completing his telecom engineering from Gomal University.
“Not all young people are lucky like us,” he said.
Toori said the law and order situation in his area made it difficult for them to commute between Parachinar and Peshawar, which was otherwise only a four-hour road journey.
“The government has abandoned us,” he said.
Saima Malik from Mohmand Agency said she and her sister felt comfortable pursuing their dreams because of the support of their family.
“Our father comes from an uneducated family. That has helped him understand the significance of education. He has never stopped us,” she said. Sami Malik said she was working as a clinical psychologist in Peshawar. Her younger sister, Sumaiya Malik, is a student.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2013.