Pakistan’s greatest tragedy is not that its young people are failing to acquire education; it is that even after obtaining degrees, they cannot find decent employment or secure a respectable future in their own country. A young person spends years studying, parents exhaust their lifetime savings to finance their children’s education, and families sacrifice their basic needs in the hope of a better future. Yet, when graduates enter practical life with degrees in their hands, they encounter unemployment instead of opportunities, nepotism instead of merit, and disappointment instead of hope. What exactly is their crime?

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ Labour Force Survey 2024–25, Pakistan’s unemployment rate has reached 7.1%, while the number of unemployed people has increased from approximately 4.51 million in 2020–21 to 5.9 million. These are not merely statistics; they represent the distress of millions of families, the shattered hopes of young people, and the helplessness of parents who spend their lifetime earnings educating their children. The question is simple: if the country’s workforce is growing, why are employment opportunities not expanding at the same pace?

The situation facing young people is even more alarming. According to figures reported by the United Nations and the International Labour Organization in July 2026, unemployment among Pakistanis aged 15–24 stands at 12.8%, while 28.4% of young people are neither employed, studying nor receiving vocational training. In other words, more than one in four young people are disconnected from the very system that should be preparing them for employment and a productive future. Are these figures not a wake-up call for our political leadership?

The situation of educated graduates is even more disturbing. According to Gallup Pakistan’s analysis of the Labour Force Survey 2024–25, unemployment among graduates aged 20–24 stood at 32.8%, rising to 42.3% among female graduates in the same age group. These figures refer to graduates who are participating in the labour force and seeking employment. Imagine a young person spending years acquiring higher education only to remain unemployed, or an educated woman being denied economic independence despite her qualifications. What happens to their dreams, confidence and the hopes of their families?

Our political leadership must understand one bitter reality: young people are not merely meant to raise slogans at political rallies, carry party flags or provide crowds during election campaigns. They represent the future of this country. Unfortunately, political parties have repeatedly exploited their aspirations to gain power and then forgotten them once they enter government. Before elections, they make impressive promises about employment, education, merit and prosperity. But once in power, their priorities change. Political rivalries, revenge, distribution of ministries and personal interests take precedence over the national agenda.

I want to ask all political parties and those in power some direct questions: How many young people have you actually provided with employment? How many qualified graduates have received opportunities according to their abilities? How many institutions have ensured genuine merit? And how many young people have secured jobs without political connections or personal recommendations? Announcements, newspaper statements and social media publicity do not build the future of a nation. Nations progress through practical action, honest leadership and accountable governance.

Young people wait for years for government jobs. Recruitment advertisements are published, application fees are collected, examinations and interviews are conducted, yet delays and questions about transparency continue to arise. In the private sector, graduates face low salaries, job insecurity and exploitation. If a young person cannot support a family even after obtaining higher education, what is the real value of that education? Do our rulers have any answer to this question?

Even more disturbing is the fact that talented and capable young Pakistanis are increasingly looking abroad for better opportunities. Doctors, engineers, IT professionals, teachers and other qualified individuals seek employment in countries that recognise their abilities and offer better prospects. This is a serious loss of Pakistan’s human capital and educational investment. When families spend millions of rupees educating their children, only to see their talents benefit another country, our policymakers must seriously examine their failures. Before lecturing young people about patriotism, the government must provide them with opportunities to live and work with dignity in their own country.

Increasing the number of universities is not enough. If thousands of graduates leave educational institutions every year but industries, agriculture, technology, healthcare, education and other sectors cannot absorb them, it represents a failure of national planning. Education must be linked with the country’s economic needs and employment requirements. Universities, industries and businesses must establish practical partnerships so that graduates acquire not only academic degrees but also marketable skills.

Another serious problem confronting our youth is the unequal distribution of opportunities. An ordinary citizen’s child has to prove his or her abilities to secure employment, while questions repeatedly arise about recommendations, personal connections and political influence in recruitment. The government must explain how merit will be protected in public-sector appointments, who will monitor recruitment processes and what action will be taken when irregularities are established. People need transparent systems and verifiable results, not empty assurances.

It is high time that the government and all political parties presented a clear and accountable National Youth Employment Policy instead of making further promises. The number of jobs created annually, young people completing vocational training and those actually securing employment should be made public. Recruitment in government institutions must be transparent and merit-based. Employment opportunities must be expanded in the private sector.

Young entrepreneurs should receive accessible financing and practical support, technical and vocational education must be strengthened, and educated women must be provided with safe and equal employment opportunities. The success of any policy should not be measured by speeches or budget announcements, but by the number of young people who obtain sustainable and respectable employment.

The political leadership must understand one thing very clearly: young people can no longer be satisfied with speeches, slogans and temporary financial assistance. They want merit, employment, dignity and confidence in their future. If the present and former rulers have no serious solution to this fundamental problem, they should stop selling dreams to the nation and have the courage to acknowledge their failure.

Pakistan’s youth do not depend on political parties; rather, political parties need a capable, confident and hopeful younger generation for their own survival and the country’s future. Young people have every right to demand answers from their rulers. When the youth of a country lose hope, the future of that country is placed in jeopardy. When degrees are held in their hands but their future remains dark, it is not merely a failure of the younger generation; it is an indictment of the entire system of governance.

My direct question to the rulers is this: If you cannot provide young people with employment after education, their rightful opportunities on merit, and a respectable future in return for their hard work, then on what moral grounds do you claim the right to remain in power? How long will the dreams of young people continue to be sacrificed at the altar of political slogans? How long will parents spend their lifetime savings educating their children, only to see them rewarded with unemployment, frustration and forced migration abroad? Power is not a family inheritance, nor does any ruler have the right to gamble with the future of the people. Do not mistake the silence of young people for helplessness.

This is a generation to whom you offered hope, promised a bright future through education, and then abandoned in pursuit of your political interests. If you cannot provide them with employment and dignity, at least stop playing with their future. My unequivocal message to the political leadership is this: You asked the nation for votes to gain power; you were never given a mandate to destroy the future of its young people. The time for speeches, promises and political theatrics is over. Either provide young people with employment, merit and a respectable future, or have the courage to acknowledge your failure and answer to the nation. History will judge you not by your speeches, but by your actions and the way you treated the younger generation.

Advisor Academics
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat
Former Financial Advisor, Finance Division, Government of Pakistan