ISLAMABAD: Nearly 350 young people including lawyers, academicians, students, civil society activists, political party representatives and media personnel urged Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) leadership to shun menace of dynastic politics and advocated increase in youth representation in the upcoming AJK elections.
The demand was vociferously raised by young people of AJK in a day long policy dialogue on “role of political parties in promoting decision-making spaces for young people” organised by AJK based think tank” Centre for Peace and Development and Reforms (CPDR) in Muzaffarabad, said a message received.
Political leadership from mainstream parties including leading civil society activists presented their vision for young people, which is estimated 2.9 million out of four million population of AJK.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz AJK President Raja Farooq Haider Khan, AJK Finance Minister Chaudhary Latif Akbar, AJK Amir Jamat-e-Islami Abdur Rashid Turabi, AJK PTI Women Wing President Gulzar Fatima and AKJ Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Shaheen Kausar Dar shared their vision for young people and spoke at length on party manifestoes regarding empowerment of youth. Dr Waqas Ali, Faiza Inayat and Adnan Rehman Mir also shared their perspective on issues, challenges and the emerging trends of young people towards political system.
Raja Farooq Haider Khan stated that youth deserve more representation and opportunities in the current political, social and economic system as it makes 65 percent of the total local population.
He pledged that if PML-N gets power in the upcoming elections than he would immediately announce local government elections with 20 percent dedicated quota for young people and restore student unions, which according to him is considered as nurseries of politics.
He pointed out that AJK has 14 percent unemployment ratio as compared to 4 percent in Pakistan. He called for uniformed educational system and empowering the youth socially, politically and economically. Employment opportunities should not be given on the basis of fraternities, tribalism or regionalism, which is another leading cause of anxiety and frustration among the youth.
Chaudhary Latif Akbar said that PPP gives highest priority to education of youth that is why his party has set up a number of higher educational institutions and medical colleges.
He offered Raja Farooq Haider to work with the PPP government to amend AJK Constitution known as Act 1974 for more prosperous AJK.
Abdur Rashid Turabi said that the Jamat-e-Islami provides equal opportunities to young people and its top leadership comes from the grass root level.
He underlined the need of sustained dialogue between youth and political parties to bridge the gap in perception. Shaheen Kausar Dar urged all the political parties to ensure intra-party elections and capacity building of the youth on regular basis to nurture new leadership.
CPDR Executive Director Ershad Mahmud announced that before elections his organisation will be arranging three more dialogues that would be held at Mirpur, Rawalakot and Islamabad aiming to provide platform to young people to talk to its elected leadership for better future.
He said that after rigorous deliberation, seven consensus points are put forward to representatives of all the political parties and parties should discourage nepotism and dynastic politics in AJK. Parties should ensure transparent mechanisms of intra-party democracy and should focus on institutionalisation of party offices, he added.
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