Leading youths gather for democracy

LAHORE: Over 100 leading youths from all parts of the country, including FATA, Gilgit- Baltistan and Azaad Jammu and Kashmir gathered at Nathiagali for the Inter-Provincial Youth Retreat 2018, on the theme "Youth and Democracy — How to Make it Work?”, where they were engaged in a meticulously planned schedule to understand the role of the youth in democracy.

The event was organised by Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS), a body of the Parliament, in collaboration with Young Parliamentarians Forum, supported by the British Council and the European Union from April 19 to April 22, 2018.

A comprehensive socio-cultural mix was ensured while selecting the youth, hence guaranteeing a cross-cutting and diverse public opinion. For the purpose, the selection criteria for each federating unit was 40 percent academic excellence (top position holders), 20 percent leaders in co-curricular activities (debates/dramatics/social work), 20 percent young achievers (entrepreneurship/ innovation/ publication) and 20 percent politically-affiliated student leaders. Besides this, a 50-50 urban-rural ratio was also maintained.

Projects Management Unit Coordinator and National Assembly Secretariat Joint Secretary Syed Shamoon Hashmi while talking about the project said that the objective of the Retreat was to enable the youth to realise the true meanings of democracy as a “behavior” by gaining a deeper understanding of the federal parliamentary democracy. To create an environment of intellectual nurturing, the experts from various fields were selected to accompany and guide the youth during the programme.

The congregation highlighted the significant role of the elected representatives and legislatures particularly at the provincial level to strengthen the federation. Veteran stalwarts of democratic struggle in Pakistan like Senator Raza Rabbani, Senator Afrasiab Khattak, Senator Farhatullah Babar and Senator Rubina Khalid delivered keynote speeches, walking the participants through the history of the country and teaching them the legislative processes.

Muhammad Iqbal, father of Mashal Khan, Akif Azeem, a hero who saved the lives of his fellow students during APS attack, Musarrat Misbah, a messiah for acid attack victims, also delivered inspirational talks and interacted with the students.

They helped the youth identify with the current human rights scenario. The everyday agenda of the four-day congregation started with a keynote speech followed by an interactive session and a grand debate on a major challenging democratic culture in Pakistan.

The youth from all across the country developed a set of recommendations for strengthening democracy to be shared with all stakeholders, including federal and provincial governments, six legislatures, main stream political parties and the youth.

The retreat created at the province level a “Like Minded Group” of the youth represented by the Retreat attendees and underpinned by the EU-funded Young Parliamentary Associates (YPAs) to ensure sustainability and youth ownership.