ore than half a year has passed since the general election. The youth constituted a significant share of the vote bank.

So are the young voters satisfied with the choices they made? More importantly, has anything changed for the better in the city? The News on Sunday took a survey of young voters to find out if the issues they face have been addressed by their elected representatives.

Khateeb Ahmed, who graduated recently, is on the lookout for a job. He says he is disappointed with the government’s performance in terms of youth development. “The PPP is struggling to deliver on its promises to boost employment for Karachi’s youth. This could be because of its alliance with the PML-N at the federal level,” he says.

Khateeb says the provincial government should take concrete steps to improve the education infrastructure in Karachi so that students can build their learning capacity. “Recent initiatives of the government in the education sector, especially online courses, are not helping us upskill and find jobs,” he says.

Praising the government for increasing the number of public buses in Karachi, he says, “The citizens are benefiting from the initiative to improve public transport. However, several major roads are still under construction. This is a causing of inconvenience to the common people.”

Khateeb says that special funds should be allocated for improvement of Karachi’s infrastructue, as promised by Bilawal Bhutto during the election campaign.

Youth activity is crucial for the economic development, prosperity and success of any country. However, Pakistan is struggling with a death of resources. This limits the opportunities for its educated youth graduate and the students. As a result, these individuals face various obstacles in their pursuit of better careers.

The ongoing economic crisis is affecting the aspirations of the youth, particularly in Karachi. Many young people in the city have voiced their disappointment regarding the unfulfilled promises made by political parties following the recent elections.

Musaddiq Rehman, 23, voices his concern over the limited opportunities in the government sector for Karachi’s youth. “Currently opportunities in government institutions are limited due to a lack of resources,” Musaddiq says.

He says that the government is failing to fulfill its election promises regarding increasing information technology jobs in Karachi. Musaddiq also says that the Sindh government’s promises to improve public health systems has been unfulfilled. “Many government hospitals in Karachi still lack basic facilities. That restricts the effectiveness of our healthcare system,” he says.

Hira Saeed, 25, is affiliated with a local NGO. She says she is disappointed with the government’s performance. She says that there has been no noticeable change so far. This was not what she was hoping for when she went cast her vote.

“Numerous university graduates in Karachi are still unemployed. Many more struggling to find better jobs. The government has not implemented a viable plan to address this issue,” says Saeed.

Hira says that the provincial government should create more job opportunities for university graduates, particularly fresh graduates. “We also need more talent hunts and recruitment drives,” she says, adding “…the government must invest in new industries to provide a broader range of opportunities for the youth. Such investment will not only help create jobs but also foster an environment where young people can thrive.”

“Ahead of the election, political parties made many promises. After the election, they are conspicuously absent from their constituencies,” she says.

The author is a freelance contributor. He can be reached at arslanshahzad882 @gmail.com