Islamabad, A vital consultative session emphasizing the importance of youth involvement in Pakistan’s electoral processes was conducted at the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta’s Hanna Hall. Officials from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were present, as well as representatives from PILDAT, which organized the event.
According to a news release by PILDAT, Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan, Senior Projects Manager of PILDAT, inaugurated the session and introduced the assembled panel, which consisted of prominent figures such as Mr. Naeem Ahmed, the Regional Election Commissioner of Quetta, Syed Nazir Ahmed, District Election Commissioner of Quetta, and youth representatives Ms. Maria Tawar Jan and Ms. Iqra Bibi.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Prof. Dr. Sajida Noreen, initiated the discourse by emphasizing the indispensable role of the youth in shaping the country’s democratic framework. She encouraged students to actively partake in electoral activities and asserted the necessity of youth participation for a thriving democracy.
Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan unveiled some notable statistics during his presentation. He highlighted that young individuals aged between 18 and 35 comprise a significant 45% of the country’s registered voters. His comparative assessment of the voting tendencies in Pakistan and India underscored that India’s youth voting rate had exceeded the total voting turnout in their recent elections. Panelists concurred that the low youth voting turnout in Pakistan wasn’t a baseless assumption but a genuine concern. Several factors contributed to this challenge, including the prevailing mistrust of the electoral system among young citizens and their limited awareness of the voting registration and casting procedures.
Ms. Maria Tawar Jan, representing the youth, expressed a sentiment of disillusionment, attributing the youth’s reluctance to participate in elections to the political leadership’s disconnect from their issues and needs. Contrarily, Ms. Iqra Bibi voiced that despite the electoral system’s deficiencies, youth involvement remains crucial. She believed that it is only through active participation that the youth can instigate positive systemic changes.
Offering clarity on the division of responsibilities, Mr. Naeem Ahmed explained that while the parliament is responsible for legislation, the Election Commission’s role is solely to enforce these laws concerning elections. Syed Nazir Ahmed shed light on the ECP’s initiatives aimed at heightening youth awareness about their role in the electoral process.
The event, attended by a hundred students, culminated with a mock polling exercise that saw active participation from the students, indicating their keenness to grasp and immerse themselves in the democratic process.