The youth vote has become the underlying theme in the upcoming polls. In every election debate, there is someone or the other informing you that there are as many as 25 million registered voters below the age of 30 who will play a decisive role in the election scheduled in a week’s time.
Be that as it may, the question on the minds of many is whether these youngsters will actually step out of their homes on Election Day, and if so, who will they vote for? To get a feel for what all the hype is about, The News spoke to a number of these first-time voters.
Murtaza Mustafa, a chartered accountant student, who disclosed that he will vote for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, told The News that he had high hopes that the incoming government would be able to tackle and defeat extremism.
“The right way to defeat extremism is to impart education and curtail corruption. Once the common man is educated enough to think, the ‘al-Qaeda mentality’ will die out itself,” he said.
Zia Siddiqui, an Institute of Business Administration (IBA) graduate, will vote for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – the same as his family has done so for decades. “It is among the few sane voices that stand against extremism. No one should be allowed to take up arms against the government,” he added.
At the same time, former military dictator Pervez Musharraf may have numerous critics, but there are still those who have a soft spot for the general.
“To tell you the truth, I am disappointed about Musharaf’s trial. He was a great leader,” said Ammarah Adnan, a 23-year-old telecommunication engineer, who hopes for “a non-Zardari government”.
The PTI appears to be the most popular party among the youth bulge, which has fed into electorate, followed by the MQM. Interestingly, it seems that a significant chunk of the youth vote, which would traditionally vote for the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), will now vote for the PTI.
Take the example of Annie Samee, a 27-year-old teacher, who believes militancy is “a conspiracy by the US and terrorist Jews who pose as Muslims,” plans to vote for the PTI.
“I believe Imran Khan is an honest man,” said Samee.
Meanwhile, a few liberal voices among the youth vote in Karachi are still voting the JI, instead of Imran Khan’s ‘tsunami’.
“From my constituency (NA-250), Naimatullah Khan is the most deserving candidate. I can’t believe I am considering voting for the JI, but I feel Naimatullah Khan will serve the area sincerely,” said Fahad Ahmed.
A majority of voters seem excited about exercising their right to cast a ballot for the first time, yet a significant number contacted by The News were either releuctant due to the security situation or apathetic about the state of the country.
About 13 million young voters, 30 percent of the electorate, will be able to exercise their vote for the first time these elections, according to a survey carried out by the British Council.
On the other hand, statistics from the Election Commission of Pakistan reveal that about 47.8 percent voters will be under the age of 35 – almost half of the total electorate.
A report titled “The Next Generation Goes to the Ballot Box” also highlighted how even the youth vote was split into conservative and liberal groups.
“The conservative make up 15 percent of the population. They are highly educated and believe they can change Pakistan. Ninety-eight percent are proud of it [Pakistan]. Skeptical of democracy, they are more likely to favour Shariah law,” said the report.
The report went on to state that the youth liberals made up 8 percent of the population, adding that this group was committed to democracy, and either wanted to immigrate or live abroad at some point of their lives.
“Only 29% of the youth believe in democracy as the best political system for Pakistan. Military rule would be preferred by 32% and Sharia law by 38%,” the survey said.
So while it is evident from this report that there is no clear-cut criterion or hard data for that matter to determine the voting behaviours of the country’s youth, one thing is for certain and that is that the youth vote debate will only be settled on polling day.

http://e.thenews.com.pk/5-4-2013/page4.asp#;