10 technologies replaced by smartphones

By Amir Ismaiel August 12 is observed around the world as International Youth Day. The day is observed on the recommendation of the United Nations to highlight the problems faced by young people, recognise their important role in economic and social development, and ensure their meaningful participation in decision-making. The theme of International Youth Day 2026 is “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.” The theme recognises that young people live in different national, local and social conditions, but their basic hopes are almost the same everywhere. They want a dignified life, equal opportunities, good employment, quality education and a safe and secure future. Pakistan has 64% of those who are under the age of 30, out of the 64% half of the numbers are in educational institutions and rest of them are out with some of the reasons. We are among the countries that spend the least on education, allocating around 2% of its total budget to the education . India spends around 4% while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh allocate around 2% or less. The United Nations recommends that 4% should be allocated to education. Pakistan has more than 190 universities including private and government over 100 sub-campuses, with nearly two million students studying in higher education. Providing four to five million jobs for these students in the coming years will be essential. University students face many problems in their daily routine on campus, These include rising fees, low quality of education, a lack of research opportunities, shortage of hostels and transport, inequality and harassment. At the school level, more than 15 million children are still out of school, these stats are same for years . Poor educational facilities, shortage of furniture, lack of clean drinking water, shortage of teachers and limited funding are among the main reasons. The state of higher education is also worrying. Only one Pakistani public university, Quaid-i-Azam University is among the world’s top 500 universities, while around 10 Indian universities are included in the same list. These figures raise serious questions about government priorities and the gap between official claims and the actual condition of education. Theme of International Youth Day directly connects with the problems faced by Pakistani youth. Quality education, decent employment, mental health and meaningful participation in decision-making have remained major issues for young people for decades. These problems have also increased frustration, intolerance and extremism among youth . When an educated person fails to achieve his or her goals because of a lack of merit and fair opportunities frustration naturally grows. Unfortunately, youth in Pakistan still lack a clear vision for their future and meaningful government support. The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme has mainly focused on initiatives such as laptops and scholarships, but there is a need for a much broader plan covering employment, career development, mental health and future opportunities for youth . Holding one or two youth conferences during the year cannot be enough to address these issues.Climate change has become a major challenge for the world, but Pakistan still needs a stronger plan to involve young people in dealing with it. There is also a lack of awareness and practical programmes through which young people can contribute to tackling climate change. Mental health is another serious issue. The United Nations continues to highlight the importance of addressing mental health problems among young people, but in Pakistan the issue has not received the attention it deserves. In many countries, educational institutions have dedicated departments and support systems for students’ mental health and wellbeing. Pakistan needs similar facilities. Reports of serious mental health problems and suicides among students should be treated as a national concern. Today’s students wants to see solutions to its problems through its own participation and leadership. Across Asia, the growing role of Generation Z in political and government affairs has been remarkable. India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have witnessed major youth movements in which youth have challenged governments and demanded political and social change. Youth are also important stakeholders in educational institutions. Around the world students participate in student unions and societies, which help them develop both academic and personal skills. Debates, dialogue, sports and other activities help students build confidence, leadership and communication skills. In countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, students are generally allowed to form unions and societies in educational institutions. These organisations are supported by universities and provide students with opportunities to develop leadership and democratic skills. Many people who later become successful in medicine, science, social sciences, sports, politics and other fields gain valuable experience through such activities during their student years. The well-known historian Dr Mubarak Ali wrote in his book Tareekh Ke Naye Zaviye that when ideological politics began among young people in the subcontinent, nationalism was one of its early forms. Students became divided between the political right and left. However, this ideological debate also encouraged students to read and study different ideas. They began to understand society and its structure through different political and social perspectives. This process helped young people develop stronger intellectual and political awareness. Democratic societies recognise the right of students to participate in political and democratic activities. In Pakistan, however, student unions have faced restrictions for almost three decades. They were banned mainly because of allegations of political violence and clashes on campuses. As a result, universities lost an important platform for political discussion, debate on social issues and dialogue on national affairs.The culture of student unions in the 1990s are very different from the environment today. In the age of artificial intelligence, social media and digital communication, educational institutions can develop a new and more responsible model of student representation. Pakistan needs to create an environment where youth can discuss their problems through dialogue and democratic participation. Students should be represented in educational decision-making bodies and given a meaningful role in consultation. Instead of taking their problems to the streets, young people should have proper platforms where they can present their concerns directly to policymakers and

So, once I tagged along with a buddy to his sister’s place in this super rural village. Lovely folks, honestly—total heart-eyes. My buddy’s brother-in-law? Instant BFF. We vibe) We arrive at the house … “Lassi lao!” We chill for a bit… Lassi lao!” Evening rolls in. My new friend goes, “Yo, let’s hit up the dera (aka Cow Central).” We get to the dera… “Lassi lao!” We wander around, side-eyeing cows and buffaloes like city tourists. Sit back down… “Lassi lao!” Dinner time? “Lassi lao!” Morning alarm: sunrise. Breakfast spread: butter, desi ghee (clarified butter) — fried parathas, eggs, village chicken — the whole “we’ll clog your arteries” buffet. Finish eating … “Lassi lao!” Me, finally snapping: “BRUH. TURN OFF THE LASSI TAP. I BEG YOU.” “Fine. Chai lao!” I bark. Brother-in-law, grinning: “Shah Ji, why you mad, bro? Lassi lao’s our Shah ji ritual!” (Shah ji = imaginary VIP? Idk. Village things.) Friend suddenly remembers I’m a city slicker. Whispers to his sister: “Y’all got… tea leaves?” Sister, deadpan: “We don’t ‘do’ tea leaves here. It’s never on the ration list.” They somehow scrape up tea leaves. I sip the chai… and immediately slam the cup down: “LASSI LAO!” The breakfast table ERUPTS. Everyone’s howling, chanting: “Lassi lao, oye! Lassi lao!”

Since Ashura, the mothers of Sindh have been sitting in at Babarloi Bypass through suffocating heat and humidity, with one demand: return our missing and abducted children. For a mother, a child is her entire universe — and for years these women have lived in psychological anguish searching for theirs. Fazila Sarki of Thul vanished nearly seventeen years ago; her father named the local Wadero he says orchestrated it, yet she was never recovered. Priya Kumari of Sangrar is entering her fifth year missing — committees formed, updates promised, and still nothing, as if the earth or sky simply swallowed her. Sindh’s landlords and chieftains have built a parallel state, one that operates above the law. If not, why would fourteen children currently be missing, why would the soil be stained with young blood over trifles, why would mothers go blind from weeping and cemeteries keep expanding? Innocent young women are still declared Kari and honor-killed — denied even a ritual bath, shroud, or funeral prayer, sometimes dumped in rivers. The law exists on paper; hundreds of thousands of officials draw salaries and perks from public taxes to enforce it — yet ordinary people have no protection at any level. The papers are full of these stories daily. The law exists, but it is locked away in books. Are the hands meant to enforce it helpless, or simply indifferent? Sukkur Civil Hospital — the teaching hospital for Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, and once a lifeline stretching from Balochistan’s Sibi, Nasirabad, and Bhag Nari to Kandhkot-Kashmore, Shikarpur, and Ghotki — has sunk to the level of Shikarpur’s Rai Bahadur Udhodas Hospital. Department heads sit in name only; real control rests with a handful of favorites who have run these institutions into the ground. Road accidents are a daily occurrence on the highways, and while the Orthopaedic Department stays busy, its facilities inspire only regret. With Nasir Shah and veteran politician Khurshid Shah both present, this hospital ought to be a model for Northern Sindh — instead it is anything but. Law and order, and justice, are the pillars any civilized society rests on. Where they hold, life, property, and honor are protected, and social harmony follows. Where they fail, fear, distrust, and unrest take their place — and our own society is proof enough of that; little more needs saying. An educated person lifts not just himself but his society; where ignorance and social ills grow instead, it is education that has failed first. Healthcare here tells the same story: women give birth in Qingqi rickshaws, medicine is scarce, and families buy even a disposable syringe out of pocket — though the budget for it exists. Doctors draw government salaries while absent, some working in Qatar or Saudi Arabia, others running private clinics. A friend recently told me PPHI, on taking over a government health unit, found a stockpile of medicines for heart disease, diabetes, and stomach ailments — worth a fortune, and only months from expiry. What tyranny is greater than this: medicine sitting unused while the needy go without? It is nothing short of an atrocity against the public. Hunger, disease, unemployment, lawlessness, and ignorance have battered Sindh until its people’s capacity for critical thought is paralyzed. The state, along with conscious citizens, politicians, and the well-off, must turn to this crisis — urgently.