Pakistan is on the path to celebrating 100 years of independence in 2047. But the real question is: What kind of Pakistan will we be living in? Are we throwing a grand celebration or just dusting off the same old problems?

With one of the youngest populations in the world (UN Population Fund Report 2017), that’s not just a stat; that’s pure, raw, untamed potential our country holds. The youth today are not just dreamers; they are doers, ready to reshape Pakistan’s future. But for that to happen, we need change—and we need it now. Here’s what the youth of Pakistan demand for a better, stronger, and more developed nation, and to change the prolonged label of an underdeveloped country into a developed one by 2047.

It is heartbreaking that around 3.3 million Pakistani children are deprived of their basic rights. At the age when they should be carrying a schoolbag, they are heavily holding a shovel. As a citizen, I want this issue to be addressed by our government. In Pakistan, adolescent lives can be improved via population control and birth registration because their existing identity is going to give them a share in the economy. Thus, they’ll not be forced or exploited mentally, physically, or psychologically. Another high-stakes reason is that early marriages have a high rate of bringing children into situations considered child exploitation.

Moreover, the root causes of child labor—poverty, lack of education, and unregistered births—must be tackled systematically. When children are not officially recognized by the state, they remain invisible to policies that could protect them.

Similarly, the safety and rights of women must be prioritized. No, I’m not bringing up the “Aurat March” or any other extremist chant that provokes our youngsters to the core. Instead, I am demanding a safe place for a woman, where she has the freedom of active participation in her choices according to her will, doesn’t have to compromise her safety while undergoing recruitment and promotion processes, won’t face verbal and physical abuse, and can raise her voice whenever she feels humiliation or........

© The Spine Times