(Interesting Report compiled from surveys with the young population of Pakistan)
Pakistan: The Next Generation
'Pakistan: The Next Generation' , The British Council Pakistan, 21 November 2009Pakistan: The Next Generation
EXCERPT: "Today, the country sits at a crossroads. For too long, leaders have failed to grapple with deep-seated threats to our future, though there are welcome signs of a new willingness to invest in the next generation. The international community has also failed Pakistan, pursuing a myopic and narrowminded agenda that has not delivered any tangible improvement in the security of ordinary people. Indeed, it has had the opposite impact. . . Pakistanis are losing confidence in the future. Only 15% believe the country is heading in the right direction. . . Only 10% of survey respondents have high confidence in the national government, with most believing that the government is failing to deliver on all levels. 'In every department of the government there is bribery,' says one. 'Unless you know someone nothing is done.' When asked what successive governments have given young people in recent years, a young citizen from Islamabad has a direct, but depressing, answer. 'Unemployment, inflation and terrorism,' he replies. Trust in the courts, police and local government is similarly depleted, while only the military is widely trusted (figure 9). Overall, just 4% of the next generation believes that corruption in Pakistan society is low. Security is another serious problem. Young people are frightened to leave their homes because of terrorism and crime. 'Suicide attacks and bomb blasts have become the fashion of the day,' says a student from NWFP. Young women experience a different kind of violence, with many citing eve-teasing as a deterrent to their involvement in society."
Read the full report http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/20/pakistan-younger-generation-democracy-report [pdf].
Young people in Pakistan are deeply frustrated, profoundly religious and have little faith in democracy, according to a British Council report which warns of a demographic disaster in the making.
By Saeed Shah in Islamabad
Published: 6:02PM GMT 20 Nov 2009
The cultural body’s Next Generation survey indicates a highly unstable outlook for nuclear-armed Pakistan, with a rapidly growing, youthful population plagued by joblessness, lack of education and opportunity. “With confidence at rock bottom, decisive action is needed to place Pakistan back on a path towards a stable and prosperous future. Otherwise, the consequences will be frightening,” said the report. One third of Pakistanis aged 18 to 29 who were surveyed believe in sharia, or Islamic law; half have “a great deal of confidence” in religious-based education; and more than 60 per cent have faith in the army - the only widely trusted institution of the state. They believe they do not have adequate skills for the workplace and little anticipation of being able to compete fairly for jobs.
The findings appear to show the basis of Pakistan’s difficulties in rallying the country against extremism and being an effective long-term partner for the West in the anti-terrorism fight. The report found that three-quarters of respondents identified themselves foremost as Muslims, with just 14 per cent describing themselves primarily as a citizen of Pakistan. Only 10 per cent have a great deal of confidence in national or local government, the courts or the police and just one third advocate democracy for the country.
Pakistan is in the midst of a population explosion, which makes the problem of youth acute. Half of the current estimated 180 million population is under 20, and 66 per cent are under 30. With a birth rate high even for a developing country, Pakistan’s population is projected to exceed 260 million by 2030, and 335 million by 2050. “Pakistan risks falling prey to a worsening cycle of poverty, polarisation and conflict, at a time when the population continues to increase rapidly and growing numbers of Pakistanis hunger for a better life,” the report said. Only half of Pakistan's children go to primary school, a quarter to secondary school and just 5 per cent receive higher education.
But the demographics also present Pakistan with an opportunity to put its mushrooming young population to work, which would provide the engine for a sustained spurt of economic growth, a one-off benefit previously used by other countries to escape poverty. “Time is running out to put appropriate policies in place,” said Durr-e-Nayab, of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. “The absence of this may result in large-scale unemployment and immense pressure on health and education systems. In short, a socio-economic crisis may take place, making the demographic dividend more of a demographic threat.”
And a Latest Survey by Gallup to spice things up
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Perceptions on Islam, State, and Democracy
A recent Gilani poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan shows that;
- two thirds of all Pakistanis believe that Islam requires an Islamic state (69%), however in a follow up question
- just as many (68%) believe that democracy is consistent with an Islamic system of governing a country;
- 23% believe that Islam does not require an Islamic state, and 8 were unsure.
- It is also notable that 22% believe that democracy can not co-exist with Islam and 10% were unsure.
The recent Gilani poll was conducted in Pakistan by Gallup Pakistan, affiliated with Gallup International Association, among a sample of 2765 men and women from rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during October 2009.
http://www.gallup.com.pk/Polls/19-11-09.pdf
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ISLAMABAD: A majority of Pakistanis see the United States as a greater threat to their country than traditional arch-rival India or the dreaded Taliban, a new opinion poll has revealed.
According to Gallup Pakistan's poll, 59% of more than 2,700 people surveyed across the country consider the US a threat. "Eighteen percent believe India is the threat while 11% say the Taliban are a threat," said Gallup Pakistan chairman Ijaz Shafi Gillani. He said the survey findings show that some of the most vocal anti-Taliban groups were equally opposed to the US. Some Pakistanis believe that if the US is committed to eradicating militancy, it should try to solve the Kashmir issue to help Islamabad move its troops from the eastern border with India to fight the Taliban in the northwest.
The poll group said Pakistanis were suspicious that Washington was working to control Islamabad's strategic assets. "Earlier, anti-Americanism was confined to supporters of right-wing groups. But over the years, young, educated Pakistanis, left activists, people you'd normally expect to be pro-American modernists have turned against America," said columnist Sohail Qalandar.
The poll revealed that a majority of Pakistanis support the offensive against the Taliban in their stronghold of south Waziristan, but more people blame the US for the violence than the militia itself, which experts say poses an existential threat to Pakistan.
The near-daily destabilizing attacks have convinced many that the offensive is necessary. "Over 50% people support the offensive. There is cautious support in Pakistani public opinion for the military action," the research group said. Thirteen percent opposed the military action while 36% said they were unsure. While a majority supported the action, only 25% respondents said the Taliban were responsible for the offensive; 35% blamed the US while 31% pointed to the government. Thirty-six percent people thought the offensive would improve security while an almost equal section (37%) believed it would lead to a deterioration, the poll found.
The research group said public opinion was still divided on whether or not Islamabad was fighting America's war, but in what could be a major relief to the increasingly unpopular federal government, many more consider it Pakistan's own war compared to a year ago. "The sharpest change from previous surveys is on the question of whose war it is," said Gillani. In the latest survey, 37% people considered it Pakistan's war while 39% saw it as America's war. Last year, only 23% of those questioned considered military action in the northwest to be Pakistan's war.
Pakistan's army launched an offensive against the Taliban on the Afghan border on October 17 after a string of bomb attacks and raids left around 300 people dead. Pakistan army claims that the militants are being squeezed out of their strongholds. The militants have retaliated by escalating bomb attacks. The northwest city of Peshawar has borne the brunt, with five deadly attacks last week.
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