Comment: The last chance for a great generation —Zaair Hussain

Our young elite are our future leaders. They, too, must be nurtured, must be directed and beyond all must be given hope that, with them, their country stands a chance. Hope is the air without which patriotism cannot blaze

This aphorism oft rings like a
bell without a clapper: hollow and pointless. After all, children were also our past, and our present plainly and evidently leaves a great deal to be desired.

But there are moments in history that breathe life into tired phrases, and it is a matter of great excitement and anxiety for those with the fortune — good or ill — to live in these pivotal times.

A recent British Council report, ‘Generation Next 2010’ reveals that such a moment is upon Pakistan, produced by a conjuncture of demographics: over half our population is under 20. A staggering two-thirds have yet to see 30 years. In more ways than one, we are a very young country.

It stands to reason that we possess the remarkable advantages of youth: boundless energy, a passion for change and an idealism that can shake reality by the power of its belief. We are also vulnerable, of course, to the pitfalls of young blood: a quick anger, naïveté, peer pressure, identity crises and frustration.

There is a window, the Council report goes on to say, wherein Pakistan can revitalise itself with the efforts of our legion of youth, which closes in 2045. At this point, our frustrated young become our bitter old, and we lose the energy and sinew to grit our teeth and claw our way back up this downhill slope. This handful of decades, this new generation, comprises, at least statistically, the last hope for our country.

The scale of this window is a pleasant mirage in the midst of our desert that promises luxuriant decades in which to turn ourselves around. But perhaps because we are a doubly young nation, we lack a fundamental understanding that East Asian nations, for example, have so wholly embraced to staggering effect: we do not understand the value of patience. Foresight and persistence have not, historically, been noticeable components of our national character.

We giddily watched the mushroom cloud of industry with nary a thought on whether there was any commensurate rise in power capacity. We cheered the fall of corrupt politicians even if democracy itself had to be uprooted to knock them over. We have constructed some of the greatest legal and policy documents in the world, only to have them discarded well before they reached maturity. We lack not inspiration, but diligence. And our window can be exploited only if long-term policies are swiftly implemented and unwaveringly maintained, rather than be subjected to our traditional technique of mercilessly swatting them to and fro like they were ping pong balls on the last table in China.

Neither patriotism without vision nor criticism without devotion are of any value. This opportunity, this trial will require great things from both our hearts and our minds. The labours ahead will be Herculean, the rewards Elysian, the penalties for failure tragic.

The invaluable snapshot afforded by the report has exposed more than negatives. It has found, for example, that young Pakistanis love their country, are horrified at its trajectory, and are no longer prepared to wait for others to act. At the junction of these three demographics lies our hope for the future.

As abysmal as our education infrastructure is, there is an overwhelming hunger for quality education, and the hunger of the youth can move mountains. More than nine-tenths of Pakistani youth place their faith in better education. They have intuited both the precariousness of the present and the single best way to unlock the promise of the future.

We must educate this rising generation. To thrive, they must be armed not only with the knowledge needed to conquer this brave new world, but with a broader outlook to inure them to the blasphemies of radicalism and terrorism. There must be food waiting on the table when they return home, and productive employment waiting for them when they leave. This fettered dynamo deserves better than to exhaust itself by running in place. We all deserve better.

The report makes it clear that Pakistani youth across the strata of society want change. This nation must put its full-blooded support behind them, if it is to see, finally, the true dawn that Faiz lamented had eluded us.

Youth from the poorer classes, urban and rural alike, recognise sexism and ethnicism as powerful negatives. They are eager to affect change. What they await from us are opportunities, pathways, roads out of a wasted or desperate existence.

Our young elite are our future leaders. They, too, must be nurtured, must be directed and beyond all must be given hope that, with them, their country stands a chance. Hope is the air without which patriotism cannot blaze.

We must mend that noble flag that lies in tatters within the strong hearts of the young. We must restore faith. Faith in democracy, faith in our institutions, faith that our religion has little connection to the hateful transgressions of extremists. Youth without faith is a wildfire that will snuff itself out or burn down its birthplace. Properly channelled, the flame could illuminate our entire nation.

We cannot allow this surfeit of energy to ground itself in poverty, in hunger, in desperation and frustration, or we will fall, and shall have no way of rising again. We cannot let the poor become the desperate, the enthusiastic become the wretchedly frustrated. We do not have the luxury of allowing any man, woman or child to be less than all they can be.

If we fail, the only question will be whether we end with a bang or a whimper.

Pakistan must empower its young with skills and healthcare and the support they need, and level their playing field. And then, its duty exhausted, it must watch as it entrusts, finally and fully, its destiny to its children.

We are balanced upon a hairsbreadth of history, between two tipping points. The Pakistani paradigm is unsustainable; we will tip one way or another. And every moment of inaction tilts the balance towards an unthinkable, unrecoverable fall.

Every generation is told, with some staleness, that they are the hope for the future. Should we tell our next batch of young people that they are the last hope for the future? It is less than inspiring, but may certainly be true.

Zaair Hussain is a Lahore-based freelance writer. He can be reached at zaairhussain@gmail.com