The youth of any country marks the strength of that country as young blood can play a vital role in positively transforming quarrel situations into better conditions to build peaceful societies. They are packed with marvelous energy and towering ambitions which can be utilized in a number of constructive ways.
Youth are supposed to be as agents of peace but we can see that from several years this young blood is wasting due to our systematic conditions. We can see aggression, hopelessness and stress in youth which tends them towards taking drugs, suicide committing, filching, looting, involving in terrorism. All these kind of negative activities plays major role in destroying any world peace. Being well wishers of youth firstly we should think about the causes that make them attempting such negative or criminal activities?
1- Injustice: This is one of the leading factors that breed terrorism and suicide commit in youth. When the grievances of the people will not redress they resort to aggressive actions. The delayed in justice is working as reason for sufferers and dragging them to the bog of terrorist organizations or they move to commit suicide.
2- Illiteracy: If we talk about third world countries than more than one in five men aged 15 to 24 is unable to read or write, and only one among twenty is in tertiary education. Such a high illiteracy rate has made them susceptible to terrorism. Illiteracy and lack of skills provide fertile ground for those who want to engage youth to their criminal causes, especially when significant monetary payments are fond of.
3- Poverty: It is said that a hungry man is an angry man. Notably, majority of people living in Pakistan are below poverty line. For the youngsters, joblessness has made the matter worse. In these unfavorable circumstances, some people go to the level of radicalism, drugs taking, snatching and even commit suicide. These are the poor people whose services are hired by the terrorist groups and they become easy victim to terrorism.
4-Dissatisfaction: When a person is dissatisfied with the rulers and thinks that his rights are being humiliated, his living of life has not been rewarded, he is deprived of rightful legacy to office, wrongly jailed and property confiscated then he joins some religious parties without thinking what kind of organization it is in real. He just joined only to save himself from the critical situation he is in and leaves him to play in the hands of his so-called leaders who obliterate his public sense of security.
5- Religious intolerance: It is another major factor which is adding fuel to the fire of terrorism. Although Islam is a peaceful religion but majority of so called Islamic flag holders in Madrassahs made youngsters intolerant towards other religions and even other sects of their own religion. They oblige their own intense ideas and expel their fanaticism thorough violent actions.
If we talk about youth of Pakistan, it comprises 60.3 percent of its total population, which is a great chunk. Among such major issues; Drugs addiction in Pakistan is no less troublesome and this huge drugs addiction among the youth is killing them ethically, socially, psychologically and even physically. Same as the percentage of suicide committing is also high in Pakistan. The famous saying “an empty mind serves as the devil’s residence” , these words demonstrate that when a young person has nothing creative to perform then his thoughts takes a negative path then a time comes when living becomes completely aimless and ultimately suicide turns to be the desired solution of all problems.
A further belittling for the Pakistani youth is that anti-Pakistan fundamentals are conniving to ensnare the youth in their impish machinations and exploit their enthusiasm and dynamism in undertaking violent acts of terrorism.
Despite being victim of plentiful troubles, still the Pakistani youth displays the obstinacy and strength to take up the cudgels for the betterment and uplift of their motherland. What is needed is to connect properly with youth for positive change. Some effective initiatives that we can take to make youth as a peace worker to build peace in world are as follow:
- We must give awareness by making policy with active participation of the youth as youth must be empowered to find their slot and roles in the entirety of national growth and to be the major force for developing peace. All steps should be taken in consultation with youth from different levels; cities, municipals, districts and village levels.
- From school level we should educate youth with an objective to improve their tolerance level and help them understand the merits of tolerance and respecting others. Education must promote an aptitude of free inquiry, vigorous debate and willingness to work in teams. We should teach our youth not only to bear differences but also to respect differences either at religious level or cultural level.
- The state should start internships and training programs that teach and sharpen skills of youth to become the forward-looking manpower needed by the country to help their economies compete favorably against international competition.
- State should motivate and give awareness by seminars to join politics to reform political parties and remove ugliness of partisan politics.
- Finally, Youth can become peace ambassadors of their respective countries by promoting exchange programs in education, culture, science and technology, sports and games, and in tourism promotions, to link all the youth of the region and the world in the pursuit and maintenance of peace and democracy.
