Pakistan is a young country in the most literal sense. The UNDP’s National Human Development Report found that about 64 percent of the population is under 30, and 29 percent are between 15 and 29 (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2018). Any serious discussion of democracy in Pakistan has to begin with that fact. The people who will inherit our institutions are already here, already online, and already forming opinions about how the country is run.
Yet most young people meet democracy only once every few years, at a polling station, if at all. Parliament, the body that actually makes our laws, stays distant. We see it on the news or in a headline about a walkout. Recently I took part, as a member of the Pakistan Youth Parliament, in the International Day of Democracy Seminar at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), and we then visited the National Assembly and the Senate. Seeing these institutions up close changed how I think about them. Parliament looked less like a remote monument and more like a workplace, with rules, procedures, and people whose job is to answer to the public.
This article makes one argument. Democracy in Pakistan will be stronger if young citizens engage with parliament between elections and not only during them.
What the Constitution Gives Parliament
Under Article 50 of the Constitution, Parliament consists of the President and two Houses, the National Assembly and the Senate (Government of Pakistan, 1973). The two Houses do different jobs. The National Assembly, with 336 members, represents the country’s population (Art. 51). The Senate has 96 members, and every province has the same number of seats (Art. 59), so that a smaller province is not simply outvoted by a larger one.
I think this is one of the least understood features of our system. Young people often ask why we need a second chamber at all. The short answer is that a federation has to protect two ideas together: that every citizen’s vote counts equally, and that every federating unit deserves a voice of its own. The National Assembly serves the first idea and the Senate serves the second.
Lawmaking and Oversight
Parliament does far more than pass bills. It debates the budget, puts questions to ministers, and sends matters to committees where the detailed work happens. The Public Accounts Committee, for example, examines audit reports on how public money has been spent (National Assembly of Pakistan, n.d.). None of this is glamorous, which is partly why citizens rarely follow it. But oversight is where democracy gets its everyday meaning. An election decides who governs. Oversight is how the public finds out whether they governed responsibly.
Where Young People Fit In
The Constitution treats young people as full participants in some respects and not in others. A citizen can vote at 18 (Art. 51(2)), but a candidate for the National Assembly must be at least 25 and for the Senate at least 30 (Art. 62(1)(b)). Reasonable people can argue about whether those limits are right, and I do not think the answer is obvious. What is clear is that for much of their twenties, young Pakistanis are expected to act as democratic citizens without a real chance to work inside democratic institutions.
That gap can be filled by civic education, internships, research, and policy dialogue. At the moment it is filled only partly.
As a psychology student, I find it useful to look at this through the idea of political efficacy, the feeling that your participation can actually make a difference (Campbell et al., 1954). People tend to stay away from institutions they believe will ignore them. If a young person has never seen a committee hearing, never read a bill, and never met anyone who works in parliament, it is not surprising that they feel their voice does not count.
Part of the solution is therefore practical. Young people need to see how the system works and find a door into it.
Challenges and Opportunities
The first challenge is education. In my experience, civics is often taught as a list of articles to memorise for the exam rather than as something to practise. Article 25A guarantees free and compulsory education for children aged five to sixteen, but access to a classroom is not the same as learning how to take part in public life (Government of Pakistan, 1973).
The second is trust. Many young people see politics as a closed circle of families and favours. That view is not entirely unfair, but it can slide into a cynicism that keeps capable people out and leaves the circle exactly as it was.
The third is the online environment. Social media gives young people a political voice they never had before, but it also spreads rumour and half-truths very quickly. A citizen who forms opinions on screenshots will find it hard to hold institutions to account on facts.
There are real opportunities too. Article 19A, added by the Eighteenth Amendment, gives every citizen the right of access to information on matters of public importance, subject to law (Government of Pakistan, 1973). Parliament’s official websites publish agendas, questions, and reports of proceedings (National Assembly of Pakistan, n.d.). A generation that is comfortable with digital tools is well placed to use them. Seminars and visits like the one organised for the Pakistan Youth Parliament also show that the institutions themselves are willing to open their doors.
Recommendations
Make civics a practical subject: Schools and universities can run mock parliament sessions, where students debate a real bill, draft questions for a minister, and sit on a mock committee. Doing it once teaches more than reading about it ten times.
Build structured links with parliamentary institutions: Institutions such as PIPS could work with universities to offer short internships or fellowships, so that students can spend time with committees and research staff. Selection should be open and merit-based, so the opportunity does not go only to those who already have connections.
Create regular windows for youth input: When a bill affects education, jobs, or technology, committees could invite written views from student groups and youth organisations. Even a small number of well-prepared submissions would show young people that the process listens.
Publish plain-language summaries: A one-page summary of a major bill, in English and Urdu, would help ordinary readers follow what is being debated. It costs little and makes Article 19A more real in practice.
Treat digital citizenship as a skill: Universities can teach students to check a claim against an official record before sharing it. Young people who verify before they post will improve public debate more than any regulation.
Conclusion
Strengthening democracy in Pakistan is not only a job for politicians and election officials. It also depends on citizens who understand how Parliament works and feel able to approach it. The National Assembly and the Senate were built to represent the people and to hold power to account, and they can only do that well if the people are paying attention.
Young Pakistanis are the largest group in the country, and they should be treated as participants in its democratic life now, not only as its future. If schools, universities, and parliamentary institutions open real routes for engagement, the vote will be one part of a longer relationship between young citizens and the state. That, in my view, is what a democratic future for Pakistan requires.
References:
Campbell, A., Gurin, G., & Miller, W. E. (1954). The voter decides. Row, Peterson and Company.
Government of Pakistan. (1973). The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. https://na.gov.pk
National Assembly of Pakistan. (n.d.). Official website of the National Assembly of Pakistan. https://na.gov.pk
United Nations Development Programme. (2018). National Human Development Report 2017: Unleashing the potential of a young Pakistan. UNDP Pakistan.
Abdur Raheem Amjad - Student and Member, Pakistan Youth Parliament, BS Psychology Student
Loading page…