ISLAMABAD – Young people, seeking better services and a crackdown on corruption, powered Imran Khan’s victory in the recent general election. And the new prime minister of Pakistan has vowed to deliver on his promises while awarding old, trusted hands with key ministries instead of picking young leaders.
Young members of the party are yet to have a lion’s share in Imran Khan’s team, with which the cricketer-turned-politician will run the country for next five years.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Movement for Justice, emerged as the single largest party in the July 25 parliamentary elections, securing 176 votes out of the total 342 in the lower house of Parliament.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/imran-khan-approves-20-members-cabinet-see-full-list/
Following his election by the National Assembly and subsequent oath-taking as the 22nd prime minister of the South Asian country, Imran Khan announced named a new 20-member federal cabinet which is all set to take oath on Monday.
‘No young blood in Federal Cabinet’
Young leaders are usually more daring to undertake changes and this is what the people want from the PTI government. But, unfortunately, Kaptaan has no young face in his newly-formed team.
Here is a list of PTI leaders, who got elected in the recent general polls besides playing a major role in securing victory for Imran Khan, but have not been given any position in the federal cabinet:
Farukh Habib
Farukh Habib, one of the pioneer members of Insaf Student Federation (ISF), was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-108 (Faisalabad-VIII) in the 2018 General Election.
Zartaj Gul Wazir
Zartaj Gul triumphed by a lead of more than 25,000 votes against influential feudal lord Sardar Awais Leghari, who was elected from NA-191 (Dera Ghazi Khan-III) constituency thrice in the past.
The young politician moved door to door convincing voters of better development planning and other basic utilities. The 34-year-old is also known as Tigress of PTI
Hammad Azhar
Barrister Hammad Azhar, a PTI leader from Lahore, was elected to the National Assembly from NA126 Lahore in 25 July polls. Following his victory against Mehar Ishtiaq of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN), Hammad announced that he will not withdraw his salary and other cash allowances a member of parliament is entitled to.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/pti-mna-elect-decides-not-to-take-salary-cash-allowances/
Murad Saeed
Murad Saeed, a 32-year-old politician, was elected to the National Assembly from NA4 Sawat in latest general elections. Previously, he was elected as an MNA from NA 29 seat in swat while representing PTI in 2013. He founded ISF, which is the driving force behind Imran Khan, and also Swat society at the University of Peshawar.
Ali Muhammad Khan
Ali Muhammad Khan, 40, was elected to the National Assembly from NA22 Mardan in 2018 General Elections. Previously he was a member of the National Assembly from June 2013 to May 2018.
Maleeka Bokhari
Barrister Maleeka Bokhari, who was part of the PTI legal team that fought PTI Panama Case in the Supreme Court, was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan on a reserved seat for women from Punjab in 2018 general election. The 35-year-old is also part of PTI core committee.
Since its inception, PTI has continuously increased its standing among Pakistan’s urban youth. Pakistan has one of the world’s youngest populations, with a median age of just 25 years, and migration of young men to large cities has swelled the share of young people in places such as Karachi and Lahore to 70-75%.
For many of these young people, neither the PML-N nor the PPP met their aspirations, whereas Khan promised a strong leadership, well-paying jobs, education, health care, and urban transport.
For now, it is clear that the new PM doesn’t prefer freshers for ministerial berths. Stay tuned to see if the new prime minister changes his mind and picks a few of these young bloods to lead the youth from the front.
