Addressing the Youth Parliament of Pakistan’s International Youth Parliamentary Conference

This month, I had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of talking alongside fellow youth activists, outspoken politicians and media professionals on the topics of both the current humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and the role of youth voice in the COVID-19 pandemic, in my dual capacities as both a student journalist and youth activist.

President of the Youth Parliament of Pakistan Ubaid Qureshi gave the opening remarks and welcomed the meeting’s delegates, starting off with UK Deputy Member of Youth Parliament, Amaan Saqlain DMYP who highlighted the importance of empowering the unheard voices of the Kashmiri people.

With the role of politicians and the media in highlighting the human rights violations as one of the key discussion points, UK Members of Parliament (also Chairman and Deputy Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group) Debbie Abrahams and Andrew Gwynne also raised the importance of young people, and how modern-day politics continues to affect every aspect of their lives.

Bushra Anjum Butt, a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, also reflected upon the current #BlackLivesMatter movements and how other ‘enslaved nations of today‘ need to be liberated, using the power of social media now, with over 4.57 million people having internet access.

To view a full livestream recording of the conference please visit the Youth Parliament of Pakistan’s Facebook page or click here.

Overall, it was both an enlightening and humbling experience – the opportunity to see so many people collectively standing up and championing for international human rights in such difficult circumstances, while having my own platform to represent the voices of the student media industry, my constituents, and peers was an unforgettable experience.

Cover image from © Youth Parliament of Pakistan