Three weeks ago, one of my colleagues introduced his son Talha to me; the 20-year-old with an otherwise slender frame, stood tall, eyes gleaming while telling me that he had just won a financial grant and student exchange program from the US embassy to pilot an innovative solution to save water in an era of climate change in Pakistan.

Talha was one of six winners of an open call for innovative solutions for Pakistan’s challenges. And he is one of 62 million young Pakistanis who hold immense potential and yearn for a chance to showcase their talent to help themselves and future generations in Pakistan if a proper chance is given to them.

Let us agree first that every young person in Pakistan has the potential for greatness, a revolution, and a dream beyond boundaries. But this very force might end up a potential threat to the country’s current and future social fabric, security, and livelihood if Pakistan fails to harness their thriving potential.

The current reality paints a bleak picture, where more than 26 million children in Pakistan remain out of school. This number represents a staggering 35 per cent of the population aged 5-16 years according to data from Census 2023; the Labour Force Survey 2020-21 further reveals that approximately 22 million youth are neither in education nor in training.

A closer look at the situation of Pakistan’s youth through the UN’s global lens underscores a pressing need for development. The country ranks at 162 out of 182 countries on the Commonwealth Global Youth Development Index, and is 158th........

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