Islamabad, 11 Oct 2023:A noteworthy consultative session focused on advocating for youthful participation in Pakistan’s electoral processes unfolded at the Main Hall of Hazara University Mansehra. Presided over by Dr. Mohsan Nawaz, Vice-Chancellor of Hazara University, and attended by notable figures from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), this session underscored the pivotal role of youth not just in voting, but in the broader political context of the nation. According to a press release from PILDAT, the dialogue illuminated the fact that, while comprising 45% of registered voters, the youth’s tangible participation remains abysmally low, attributed to factors like distrust in the electoral system and a lack of procedural awareness, amongst others.
Dr. Mohsan Nawaz initiated the session by expressing gratitude towards PILDAT and UNDP for orchestrating this pivotal dialogue. He urged that youth’s participation should permeate beyond electoral mechanisms and extend into the political structures and parliamentary bodies of Pakistan. The absence of youthful voices and their conspicuous exclusion from election proceedings can culminate in a pervasive sense of disenchantment among young populations, potentially hindering democratic development and engagement.
Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan, Senior Projects Manager PILDAT, elucidated the demographic dispersal of registered voters in Pakistan and juxtaposed the voting propensities of youth populations in Pakistan and India, highlighting a discrepancy wherein Indian youth voting exceeded overall voter turnout in recent elections. Panel members comprising Mr. Zulfqar Ahmed, Mr. Ishaq Khan Marwat, Mr. Qaisar Jamal, Mr. Shaheer Ahmed Khan, Ms. Amna Sajjad, and Ms. Azqa Sajjad explored the rationale behind the dearth in youthful voter participation, focusing on elements of distrust and procedural unawareness.
Ms. Amna Sajjad, representing the youth, spotlighted an acute lack of electoral awareness as a determinant of non-participation among young voters, advocating for a ramp-up in consultative sessions and educational endeavors. Complementarily, Youth Representative, Mr. Shaheer Ahmed Khan, mooted the inclusion of electoral processes within educational curricula to foster a more politically literate youth demographic.
Lending a perspective from the Election Commission, Mr. Zulfqar Ahmed and Mr. Ishaq Khan Marwat elaborated on ongoing efforts and campaigns designed to uplift voter awareness, emphasizing the necessity to instill a civic sense among youth with a specific focus on rights, responsibilities, and the act of casting a ballot. Moreover, they underscored that the initiatives to sensitize voters to the voting process, particularly aimed at youth, are unfolding nationwide, positing that political entities should also shoulder the responsibility of voter education.
In a pragmatic turn, the session culminated in a mock polling exercise, wherein 209 students, comprising 33% young women and 67% young men, engaged enthusiastically, mirroring a keen interest in both experiencing and understanding democratic processes and the substantive discussions unraveling during the panel dialogue.