October 17: A consultative session with the students and faculty of the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta was held at their Hanna Hall. Mr. Naeem Ahmed, Regional Election Commissioner Quetta and Syed Nazir Ahmed, District Election Commissioner represented the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) at the consultative session.
Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan, Senior Projects Manager PILDAT, welcomed the participants and introduced the panel members. The panel members included Mr. Naeem Ahmed Regional Election Commissioner Quetta, Syed Nazir Ahmed, District Election Commissioner, Quetta, Ms. Maria Tawar Jan, Youth Representative and Ms. Iqra Bibi, Youth Representative.
Prof. Dr. Sajida Noreen, Vice Chancellor Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta in her inaugural remarks laid stress on the students to exercise their right to vote. In her remarks, she said that for democracy to flourish it was important that the youth participated in the electoral processes of the country.
During his presentation, Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan, Senior Projects Manager PILDAT discussed the demographic distribution of registered voters in Pakistan, highlighting that 45% of the total registered voters belong to the age group of 18-35 years. Additionally, he provided a comparative analysis of the voting behaviors shown by the young populations of Pakistan and India. Notably, the youth voter participation in India surpassed the overall voter turnout seen in the most recent Indian elections. The panelists agreed that low youth voter participation was a genuine problem, not a myth. They gave explanations for the low voter participation, one of which was that young voters did not trust the electoral system and hence, did not participate in the electoral processes. Concerns were raised about the lack of confidence among young voters in the voting system. In addition, they emphasized the fact that young individuals had little knowledge of the procedures involved in registering to vote or casting a ballot.
The Youth Representative, Ms. Maria Tawar Jan, said that the political leadership has failed to deliver for the young people and is completely oblivious to their problems hence the youth does not want to be a part of the electoral system
Ms. Iqra Bibi, Youth Representative, commented that although the electoral process has failed to deliver for the youth yet youth participation is essential and it is only by their participation that they can change the system.
Mr. Naeem Ahmed, Regional Election Commissioner Quetta, addressing the participants explained the difference in the role of the Election Commission and that of the parliament. He explained that the laws were made by the parliament and ECP just implements the decisions and laws passed by the parliament on elections.
Syed Nazir Ahmed, District Election Commissioner Quetta, explained the efforts made by the ECP to raise awareness amongst the youth about their participation in the electoral process.
The session was attended by a total of 100 students.
Following the panel discussion, students enthusiastically participated in a mock polling exercise and cast their votes. The students were eager to experience the democratic process firsthand and engage in meaningful discussions about the topics presented during the panel discussion.
