LANDI KOTAL: Zubair Khan, 18, waits anxiously for July 25 to cast his vote for the first time as he has only recently registered his name in the voters list in the NA-43 constituency of Khyber tribal district.

“I will vote for a candidate, who will work for improving the standard of education in the region and also help to resolve issues of tribal youth. Our experience with our representatives has not been very encouraging as they have failed to come up to the expectations of people in general and the youth in particular,” he told this scribe.

Khurshid Khan, 22, is also upbeat about exercising his right to vote for the first time as he could not poll his vote in the previous general elections for not possessing Computerised National Identity Card.

Analyst says political maturity has enabled them to decide about supporting candidate of their choice

“This time I have acquired CNIC and will cast my vote in favour of a candidate, who is sincere to the local people and honest in performing his responsibilities as a parliamentarian,” he said, sitting in a medical store where he works as a salesman.

The Khyber youth enthusiasm is overwhelming in the current election campaign as compared to their lackluster response to the same exercise in 2013.

Analysts believe that local youth are now more aware politically and have in fact ‘rebelled’ against the decades-old tribal tradition of submitting to the will and desire of family or tribal head in selection of a candidate.

“Most of the youth are now affiliated with political parties or organisations of their choice. They now make independent decisions about casting vote in favour of a certain candidate rather than toeing the line of family or clan heads,” Mohammad Akbar, a political analyst, told this scribe.

He said that he had personally seen a young man supporting one party or candidate and his father and uncle another. “They are no more following the dictates of their elders as was the norm in tribal areas a decade ago,” he said, adding that political maturity among tribal youth was a positive sign.

Sajid Ali Kukikhel, a young political activist, said that local youth were taking more interest in the electoral campaign of different candidates. He said that they attended political gatherings in a large number.

He said that most candidates had engaged local educated youth for their campaign as they were more energetic and enthusiastic. “It was for the first time that some political parties and independent candidates organised youth conventions in Khyber to motivate them for electioneering,” said Mr Kukikhel.

He said that tribal youth would vote in a large number keeping in view their overwhelming participation in the campaign rallies and also due to restoration of peace in the region.“Local youth organise their own gatherings during the campaign and stay at the election offices of candidates till late night,” he added.

He said that it was a manifestation of their political maturity and eagerness to cast vote, mostly for the first time.

Mehrab Afridi, a young journalist, said that local youth were not only involved in canvassing for their candidates but they had also started vote awareness campaigns in different localities of NA-43.

He said that he had witnessed during coverage of different campaigns that a son had hoisted flag of a political party, his father had the flag of an independent candidate and another close relative had a different flag atop the roof of the same house.

Observers believe that the involvement of local youth in electioneering had added colours and warmth to the campaigns of the poll candidates.

“The young supporters sing, dance, chant slogans and wear colourful clothes during election rallies. It is a departure from the past docile campaign pattern of inviting only the selected group of elders and family heads to such gatherings,” they added.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018