Nearly 100 percent of
young Pakistanis are pessimistic about the future and believe their country is
headed in the wrong direction, a survey released on Wednesday found.
A British Council
study, entitled "Next Generation Goes to The Ballot Box," also showed
that only one in five young adults expect their economic situation to improve
over the next year.
The findings make for
disturbing reading for politicians who are trying to win over Pakistanis ahead
of a May 11 general election.
Pakistan's elected
government completed its full five-year term last month, the first in the
country's turbulent history to do so.
While that may have
bolstered the young democracy, a growing number of Pakistanis are wondering if
their leaders will ever tackle poverty, crippling power cuts, corruption and a
Taliban insurgency.
"Pessimism is fast
becoming a defining trait of Pakistan's next generation," said the British
Council, which defined young people as between 18 and 29-years-old.
"Economic factors
appear to be the most important driver in the next generation's rising pessimism,"
said the council, which is partly funded by the British government and promotes
British education, culture and business abroad.
Critics say Pakistani
politicians are often too distracted to fix the nuclear-armed country's
problems.
The military, which has
ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 66-year-history, is widely seen as the
most efficient institution in the South Asian nation.
Politicians are often
consumed by tension with an increasingly interventionist Supreme Court or the
army and spend little time worrying about the economy, critics say.
In 2008, Pakistan
averted a balance of payments crisis by securing an $11 billion International
Monetary Fund (IMF) loan package, but the IMF suspended it in 2011 after
economic and reform targets, including widening a miniscule tax base, were
missed.
Little
Confidence
The Asian Development
Bank, one of Pakistan's biggest lenders, predicts Pakistan will have to lean on
the IMF again before the end of the year for up to $9 billion.
The Taliban, who are
waging a violent campaign to topple the U.S.-backed government, often recruits
young jobless men who have grown disillusioned with the state.
"Unfortunately,
most young people feel that prosperity is sliding further from their
grasp," the British Council said. "Over two-thirds of the next
generation think they are now worse off than they were."
Rising prices are the
biggest concern.
"The next
generation has been shaped by its experience of increasingly expensive food,
energy and other commodities. An overwhelming majority report pressure on the
living standards of themselves and their families," said the council.
Pakistanis, long
accustomed to dynastic politics or military rule, have few new candidates to
choose from in the election.
A former prime minister,
Nawaz Sharif, is seen as the front runner. But he could face tough competition
from the ruling Pakistan People's Party.
Cricketer-turned-politician
Imran Khan had gained some popularity but analysts say his appeal appears to
have faded.
"Young people have
very low levels of confidence in the institutions - government, parliament,
political parties - most responsible for setting the country's direction,"
said the survey.
"In contrast, the
justice system and the media have higher approval ratings, as does Pakistan's
armed forces."
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/survey-most-young-pakistans-pessimistic-reuters/1633613.html
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