Lifelong struggles often shape the finest qualities in youngsters, nurturing resilience, discipline, and determination. Yet, when these struggles become ceaseless and remain unrewarded, they risk pushing the youth into a state of endless hopelessness rather than shaping them into stronger individuals. The same holds true for Pakistani youngsters. In Pakistan, even a child born into an ordinary middle-class family begins struggling for survival from the very cradle. Upon reaching adulthood, he must fight to secure admission, acquire education, and later, seek employment. Every phase of his life—from infancy to adulthood, and from adulthood to old age—remains uncertain, whether from the perspective of career, job security, or even the basic struggle to secure two meals a day. These relentless struggles seem to be written into the destiny of Pakistani youth long before they are born. But what is the reason behind such a fate? Is it the child’s fault to be born in this country, or are there deeper, more complex causes embedded within the very structure of our society? Exploring these causes may well open the Pandora’s box of our social, economic, and political realities.
Indeed, Pakistani youngsters remain one of the most neglected assets in the world. They are seen as less privileged, seldom guided, rarely trained, and, above all, never adequately protected—whether in terms of education, employment, career opportunities, or even the basic right to live with dignity.
José Rizal, the Filipino writer, once said: “Youth is the hope of our future.” But when the youth themselves are systematically pushed into a state of hopelessness, who then will carry the hope of the future, and what future will remain to be hopeful for?
Think about it
