The separation of the Youth Ministry has been a blessing in disguise. It has made some inadvertent achievements and there is potential for the ministry to become an effective one. —APP/File photo

THE youth ministry is in the dilapidated building of Shaheed-i-Millat secretariat. Past the seedy cubicles, is where my destination is – the office of the youth ministry’s section officer.

He is a friendly man, cautious and somewhat sceptical. As he began questioning the purpose of my visit, and interrogating me about my personal background I suddenly felt the generational gap that separated us. The Youth Ministry didn’t give the feeling of being youth-friendly as one would expect.

I began talking about the future of the youth in its relationship to the future of the world. The concerns and call for paying serious attention to the Pakistani youth has been made even by the US president. The problems that the Pakistani youth face start from lack of quality education to unemployment which may be pushing some of them into the trap of the extremists, a matter which is of serious concern to our own country and more worrying for the world. I interrupt the niceties between cups of tea by asking what kind of youth development programs the ministry has for the Pakistani youth. The ministry has about 10 youth exchange programs in a year, there are youth camps across the country and linkages are made with international donor agencies such as the commonwealth youth program, something I had been involved in myself. Though bare in resources and infrastructure the ministry has its share in malpractices that abound in government departments as a rule what with recent stories in the media about the youth minister’s Rs10 million official trip to China with his kin and friends’ children.

Nothing extraordinary about that. I have first hand experience of something similar. During the selection of youth representative to the Commonwealth youth program through interviews, I was told to keep my selection a secret until they could tackle the ministers who had wanted their children to be chosen. Nonetheless I was selected and it has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Having to write regular reports and participating in youth policy recommendations to the Commonwealth headquarters gave me a sense of achievement as an individual and a Pakistani. But there was certainly a major gap in the interaction with the ministry at home.

Since then, there has been one interesting development. There is talk about the building of youth development centers in Quetta, Gwadar and Lahore.

The centers will each have a library, computers with internet, and indoor games; all these centers will be networked with one another. Oddly, there is currently no plan of making a centre in Islamabad which in many ways could serve as a nucleus since the ministry and NGOs are based in the federal capital. Development work by the ministry or anything addressing the youth issues seems to be happening on adhoc basis. It’s inability to ‘hit the nail on the head’ make one wonder how and why this ministry was created.

In October 2005, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Minorities and Youth came into being. Each category is so heavily laden with issues, yet they were conveniently lumped together. At the end of 2006 the Youth Ministry was separated from the rest, not because of some practical necessity but only to create positions for cabinet members. The Youth Ministry which is meant to safeguard the interests of the youth is instead treated as a ‘vacation spot’. Ministry secretaries have been shunted frequently. The ministry was created to empower the youth, but nothing of the sort has happened. Motivation at the highest level is deficient and bureaucrats have not been sensitized to the basic issues of the youth. They are neither used to working with the youth nor understand their problems. The youth policy, which has been ‘worked on’ since as long as 1989, is all rhetoric. It has not been implemented because perhaps it cannot be, being essentially impracticable.

All said and done, the separation of the Youth Ministry has been a blessing in disguise. It has made some inadvertent achievements and there is potential for the ministry to become an effective one.

To begin with, the ministry can establish an effective link with the youth by a very inexpensive and effective method of remaining abreast with youth issues. A youth panel representing different areas and socioeconomic backgrounds and groups (such as minorities and the physically challenged) can be the main pool of information for such an organization. Linking with NGOs and INGOs that work on youth specific program and policies can be another avenue of updated and reliable information. There should however be a research wing that studies the root causes of issues and creates accurately targeted youth programs to tackle them. On the bureaucrats’ front, capacity building workshops should be frequently held to constantly sensitize stiff bureaucrats about youth issues. Existing programs can be improved for better results such as the national internship program which though ambitious and effective have further marginalized the rural youth. Requirements include 16 years of education which is rare for those who don’t even have access to schools. It should welcome talented youngsters with potential as well.

This would be a real step towards empowering the youth. An independent ministry with its own budget can devise a workable policy and an achievable program. The youth of Pakistan have long awaited such a turn in their fortunes.

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