Islamabad, December 08: Youth Parliament Pakistan (YPP) held the second and third day of its concluding session here on Thursday and Friday, December 06-07, 2007. The Youth Parliament, a 60-member assembly of 18-29 years old persons hailing from across Pakistan, came into being in January 2007 facilitated by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency – PILDAT. The Youth Parliament has debated a number of policies of the Government of Pakistan, formulated and forwarded their alternative policies/ recommendations to the Government and other entities.

The second sitting of the YPP on Thursday saw continuation of debate on Youth Manifesto 2007. Speaking on proposals put forth by the Shadow Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, the Youth Minister rejected the proposition for increased funding for Anti-Terrorist Courts and reiterated the role of the Pakistan Penal Code in law enforcement in the country. It was followed by similar observations by other members of the YPP.

The debate on the Youth Manifesto 2007 was followed by an address to the Youth Parliament by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Robert Brinkley. He reaffirmed the UK’s support for restoration of democracy and lifting of emergency in the run-up to the general election in Pakistan scheduled for January 08, 2008. The address by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan was followed by resuming of the debate on Youth Manifesto 2007 and imposition of Emergency rule in the country.  

The third day of the YP sitting began by resumption of the same debate which culminated in passage of the resolution condemning imposition of martial law in the country, demanding reinstatement of the sacked judges and restoration of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The members of the YPP finalized and approved the Youth Manifesto 2007 outlining the views of the Pakistani youth on a range of issues of concern. The first ever Youth Manifesto 2007 was then released by the Youth Parliament Manifesto Committee at a press conference  held at a local hotel here. Prime Minister Mr. Hammad Khan Marri outlining the key features of the Youth Manifesto 2007 said that it called for an end to the ban on Student Unions, and sought to include sex education as part of the curriculum in schools. He stated that these and other radical policies including wide scale judicial reforms were advocated by the Youth Parliament Pakistan in its Youth Manifesto 2007. Other features of the Youth Manifesto include the strengthening of democracy including the holding of free and fair elections and reforms of the local government system; the need for provincial autonomy as well as timely political reforms in the FATA region which call for the recognition of these areas as provincial territories; rule of law, the improvement of law and order, the independence of the judiciary and the strengthening of state institutions.

The Youth Manifesto also advocates that the root causes of extremism and terrorism be addressed through education and dialogue; it supports the economic empowerment of women and the elimination of violence against women; it promotes the establishment of recreational facilities for all sections of society; the drastic need for economic reforms to create more equitable distribution of income and alleviate the poverty gap; it stipulates for the revival of youth activism through the encouragement and establishment of Student Unions.

The Youth Manifesto also proposes a realignment of focus from the war on terror to bilateral relations on a reciprocal basis with friendly nations including closer relations with China and India; it demands compulsory education till the secondary level for all citizens across the board; and suggests that health reforms be made that call for increases in the healthcare budget and the provision of a basic minimum standard of healthcare to all citizens, especially in rural areas.

It is expected that the Manifesto will be circulated to the political parties for inclusion in their Election Manifestoes and eventually in their Policy frameworks.

PILDAT – a dedicated non-partisan research and training institute committed to strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan conceived the idea, facilitated the formation and now serves as the secretariat of Youth Parliament Pakistan. Mohammedmian Soomro, Chairman Senate as patron of Youth Parliament inaugurated the first session in January 2007. The Youth Parliament has been addressed by distinguished guest speakers including Rt. Honorable Mr. David Miliband, MP & Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, UK, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Mr. Nasir Khan, former Federal Minister for Health among many others.