As we are heading towards the end of this year, Pakistan is grappling with several long-standing issues that should have been addressed by the end of 2024, but as usual, will persist with us into the next year. On the first dawn of 2025, we will be facing the same issues with the same familiar faces of incompetent snollygosters which raises the question of proficiency to fulfill the promises they make every time before coming to power. Climate Change, Terrorism, Overdue Education Reforms, Political Polarisation, and the list goes on are some of the biggest challenges Pakistan is facing for the time being. Let us unpack all these issues in detail one by one.
Climate Change
Climate Change is one of the biggest global challenges of this century. Anthropogenic activities have cost the planet dearly and the upcoming years will bring unimaginable devastating climatic changes, especially for the less developed countries if tangible steps are not taken now. If I take our country, there was a marked increase from accidents to breathing diseases in children to economy and education losses via lockdowns and institution closures when it was worst hit by air pollution recently. Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries because of changing patterns of climate and is still reeling from the devastating floods in 2022, causing huge damage to infrastructure in the region worth 14.9 billion dollars and affecting 33 million lives.
According to the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), Pakistan finds itself in 31st position this year with mixed ratings: high in Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and energy use, low in Climate Policy, and very low in renewable energy. If Pakistan wants to get out of this logjam and improve its ranking, it will have to work on investing more money into infrastructure, policy reforms, planning a fossil fuel phase-out, enforcing more renewable energy initiatives, and implementing mechanisms for national climate policies with unwavering commitment and sincerity. The National Climate Change Policy 2021, National Water Policy 2018, and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy are some in-depth documents to help find the most appropriate blueprint to conserve Pakistan, its nationals, and the environment from the worsening climatic effects.
Terrorism Eradication
This is one of the most serious challenges Pakistan has been grappling with over the past two long decades. Each day is bringing more attacks with civilian and military casualties, thus putting their families in inconsolable pain and financial burden. If I talk about November 2024 alone, there was a marked spike in terror attacks reported last month, taking the death toll from 100 in October to 169 in November, with more than 220 people critically scathed. There are some proscribed outfits like Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek -e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that have carried out attacks inside Pakistan with the support of their bases in Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan and create an atmosphere of fear in the country.
To eradicate this chronic issue, some immediate steps must be taken to deter these outfits from using Afghanistan as their safe house. The entire Durand Line border fencing which stretches for 2600 km through which terrorists and illegal immigrants enter Pakistan is need of the hour. Diplomatic efforts to secure the Durand line are required. Second, operations against terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan must be more efficient and strategically strong to deracinate it from its roots. Third, Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the Afghanistan government to not let its soil be used against Pakistan but the situation has not improved. It is high time to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) and reach out to the Afghan government to track down these terror outfits. COAS General Asim Munir has ingeminated his commitment frequently to safeguarding Pakistan and will not wind down until the Pakistan Army eradicates terrorism from Pakistan. Pakistan's Foreign Policy Towards Afghanistan will also play a very crucial role in Terrorism Eradication, until the Afghan Government is not fully cooperative terrorism in Pakistan cannot end.
There must be a consensus among all mainstream political parties to let bygones be bygones and stop blaming each other once and for all since it will take them and Pakistan nowhere
Education Debasement
The youth is in depression. Millions of young students holding degrees ranging from bachelor's to higher levels from Pakistan's accredited institutions are unable to get themselves employed and paddle their own canoe. A whopping fund is dedicated to the education sector by each government but our educational institutions have proved themselves inefficacious time and again. A whole new smooth transition of education reforms is overdue to improve the standards of education. For reforms, at first, our curriculum is obsolete and a completely new curriculum must be introduced by the concerned department. Rote learning must be discouraged at all levels and replaced by critical thinking, practical solutions, and active participation by the students. In addition, teachers must be familiarised with international standards of education, techniques, and technologies and equipped accordingly. Furthermore, vocational training is paramount to boosting the confidence and brushing up the skills of the students and personalised panel interview sessions must be conducted to help them better prepared before they enter the job market. Unless these steps are taken, right after some years, the new crop of students will be experiencing the same issues, thus putting more onus on the government. Instead of establishing new institutions, in my opinion, the existing ones must be improved and leveraged first. Otherwise, the government will continue setting up new schools and universities and the outcome will be the same.
Political Polarisation
Dynastic politics has been taking a toll on Pakistan and its economy for the last several years. They have consciously divided the state, people, power, opinions, and institutions and now are ruling over them separately; Punjab belongs to PMLN, Karachi comes into the purview of PPP, KPK is in control of PTI, Balochistan is ruled by CM Mir Sarfraz Bugti. If any party tries to intrude into each other's territory before elections, it is treated with full might, and then blackmailing, blaming each other and bickering continue indefinitely leading to more waste of time, resources, and damage to the country. Politicos vested interests override Pakistan's and its citizens' interests. They have stooped so low to stay in power that their consciences are 'dead'. The irony is that they know which opposition party is speaking ill of them and how to retort them but they don't know the prices of vegetables, lentils, and stationery. They are so busy in this feckless activity that they have forgotten for what purpose they have been entrusted with the power of the 'people'.
In conclusion, the future of Pakistan's youth is bleak for the next few years. The aggravating effects of Climate Change, Political Polarisation , Education Degradation, and Terrorism are here to stay. So, what is the trajectory of coming out of this seemingly irresolvable situation? First of all, there must be a consensus among all mainstream political parties to let bygones be bygones and stop blaming each other once and for all since it will take them and Pakistan nowhere. Second, the aforementioned lasting issues are not going to be solved by one party as these outstanding problems require successive governments' collaboration, long-term planning, commitment, and sincerity. No matter who is in power, must proceed with the decisions taken by the previous governments. Lastly, politicians must direct their attention and energy more towards bringing relief into people's lives rather than prioritising their interests. Without further ado this is achieved, the better it will be for Pakistan and its people