ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) has urged the country’s political parties to pick greater number of young candidates for upcoming elections.

In a letter addressed to heads of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and National Party (NP), Pildat President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob mentioned the number of young candidates fielded by these parties in the last general elections and asked them to increase the number of young candidates for national and provincial assemblies in the upcoming elections.

In the letter, Mr Mehboob presented the statistics prepared by Pildat for the 2018 elections. According to the study, the TLP fielded the highest number of young candidates in 2018 with a total of 537 aspirants for the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies’ seats out of which 194 (36 per cent) candidates were in the age group of 25-35 years.

The National Party fielded 46 candidates. Of these candidates nine (20pc) were in the age group of 25-35 years. PPP and PPPP collectively fielded 727 candidates. Of these, 122 (18pc) belonged to the age group of 25-35 years. The MQM-P fielded 166 candidates out of which 29 (17pc) were in the age group of 25-35 years.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which included JUI-F, JI and some other religious parties, had fielded 484 candidates, out of which 84 (17pc) were in the age group of 25-35 years. The PTI had fielded 778 candidates, out of which 129 (17pc) fell in the age group of 25-35 years. The PML-N had fielded 646 candidates, out of which 86 (13pc) were in the age group of 25-35 years.

Considering that the number of registered voters between the age of 18-35 years is 44pc of the total registered voters, it is imperative that the political parties give adequate representation to the youth so that their participation in the electoral process can be increased and they can be engaged in the political process of the country, the Pildat letter said.

It expressed deep concern that the average turnout of young voters for the past eight general elections from 1988 to 2018 has been around 31pc, which is considerably lower than the average overall voter turnout of 45pc. Pildat thinks that apathy of young voters may lead to serious consequences as they may be attracted to non-democratic radical ideologies.

It is, therefore, extremely important that young voters are engaged in the electoral process by fielding the greater number of young candidates for the national and provincial assemblies’ seats in the 2024 elections.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2023