THE rising youth bulge of the country sees politics as a hoax and something utterly disconnected from their lives. No doubt, politics is at times messy and arises from disagreement, but it also offers a civilised way to do so.

The youth in Pakistan surely has a certain opinion about a lot of stuff, but still their participation in politics, both as a voter and as a candidate, is numerically dissatisfying. The very obvious cause is that they do not understand how they can use the existing political system to voice their concerns about the issues that bother them and how they can act as leaders for the changes they wish to see.

Here comes the need for political education in which students are taught about the structures and functions of the state with the sole objective of transparency in the system and a better understanding of modern societies.

The learning process should include knowledge about the ideals of a free democracy and the standard of a candidate being considered worthy of vote.

By having a mental direction for the intended values of the future and a better comprehension of statecraft, we would be more likely to produce individuals who are responsible voters and honest candidates.

This is the only way we can hope to replace feudals, industrialists and family politicians with informed citizens. When individuals know about the functioning of a state and the behaviour of citizens, they are in a position to bring in positive changes.

Daud Ali Kharal
Lahore

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2021