ISLAMABAD, Aug 12: Pakistani youth are not in the forefront of supporting important developments in the country unlike their counterparts of many fortunate nations.

On International Youth Day, celebrated every year on August 12, as many as 200 children in the Youth Parliament said Pakistani children had little to be proud of. They said Pakistani youth felt completely isolated from policymaking and socio- economic progress of the nation.

The Youth Parliament was jointly organised by Community Support Programme Pakistan and Plan International here on Saturday. The theme was “Rights and Responsibilities of the Youth”.

The programme aimed at providing a platform to youth for highlighting their rights and duties, and to draw the attention of governmental and non-governmental organisations and civil society to the issues of youth empowerment.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan and Mia Haglund Heelas of Plan International Pakistan were chief guest and guest of honour, respectively.

In their speeches they emphasised that civil society, government departments and NGOs should make concerted efforts to address the problems confronting youth.

They called for chalking out special programmes for social, economic and political empowerment of youth.

The event was also attended by a large number of representatives of UN agencies, governmental departments, non- governmental organisations, parliamentarians and media.

Besides, experts belonging to different walks of life were invited as panelists including Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, vice-chairman National Volunteer Movement; Zafarullah Khan executive director, Centre for Civic Education Pakistan; Tariq Chaudhry senior correspondent Aaj TV Islamabad; Chaudhry Mohammad Shafique, chief coordinator Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights Pakistan; Mohammad Azhar Khan, director Education NCHD Pakistan; Dr Rauf-i-Azam, director Institute of Management Sciences, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and Ayesha Masood, senior columnist.

Mohsin, 11, studying in Mansehra, asked panelists, “is quality education only for children of the rich? Children of the poor do not even have tarpaulins to sit on.”

He also asked “why are government schoolteachers sometimes mean to children? Why are government schoolteachers not sincere in the duty entrusted to them?

Emphasising on improving quality of education in government schools, children urged their leaders to establish the same standard of education at all levels.

They urged the government to take measures to strengthen their confidence and put their trust in the youth.

Lack of sports and extra-curricular activities in many schools prevented children from developing into responsible citizens, they said.

Responding to some of these concerns put forward by the Youth Parliament, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, Chairman, National Volunteer Movement, said: “Pakistani youth have a role to play and push parliamentarians to enforce their rights.”