Islamabad, March 5 (IANS) Pakistani authorities continue to frame youth discontent as a security challenge rather than an economic failure. Years of suppression have fractured unity among young protesters, shifting activism towards an identity-based mobilisation instead of inclusive activism against economic and political injustice.
Amid fears of speaking out on the streets or online, Pakistan’s young people often regard emigration as a safer and more viable alternative to protest, a report said on Thursday
“In the last two years, more than 800,000 young Pakistanis have left the country – not only because of the massive economic instability but also due to the vice-like control the state maintains over street protests and digital expressions of dissent. It’s a damning statistic for a country of 250 million people that should be one of the world’s largest democracies. But given that 75 per cent of Pakistan’s population is under 35, and that youth unemployment hovers at around 10 per cent, it is perhaps unsurprising,” a report in non-profit news agency, ‘The New Humanitarian’ detailed.
According to the report, when young people in Pakistan organise for change, they are frequently subjected to violence and state-imposed censorship.
It highlighted that in October 2025, youth in the Muzaffarabad region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) staged demonstrations led by the Awami Action Committee (AAC), a civil rights organisation. The protestors condemned the luxurious lifestyle of officials while local communities struggled for basic necessities, including wheat and electricity. The violent crackdown by Pakistani authorities killed 10 people and triggered a government-mandated internet shutdown.
“The harsh reaction to the Muzaffarabad youth protest is not uncommon in Pakistan. Again, it’s a symbol of a larger issue. Leaders have a very real fear that the wave of so-called Gen-Z protests sweeping the continent will make its way to Pakistan,” the report stated.
For decades, student unions have been banned in Pakistan, reflecting the state’s deep fear towards organised student-centric mobilisation campaigns.
“Unlike Bangladesh and Nepal, where students are politically aware and active, Pakistani campuses are tightly monitored, with no platform for freedom of speech or political opinion. Pakistani universities have also been subject to a wave of disappearances, especially students of Baloch ethnicity, who have long accused the government of exploiting Balochistan’s rich resources while marginalising the local population,” the report noted.
Asserting that several educated and skilled young people in Pakistan see no hope of meaningful change in the country, it said, “Remaining silent to remain alive or leaving their homeland have become their only options.”
–IANS
scor/as
