INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Bane of Pakistani politicians: young voters with smartphonesISLAMABAD: The crowd of young Pakistanis, many
elected representatives what they have done for them lately.A titanic 46 million people below the age of 35 are registered to vote in
nationwide elections on July 25 -- many of them savvy social media users who are posting videos calling out the powerful.In one clip,
influential politician, landowner and tribal chief Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan is filmed in his car in the central city of Multan surrounded
by young men chanting "thief" and "turncoat"."Where were you during the last five years" they ask Bosan, complaining over the poor state of
An aide can be heard pleading that the leader is feeling unwell.To be held accountable in such a public manner is virtually unheard of for
most Pakistani politicians, especially in rural areas where many of the videos have been filmed.There feudal landowners, village elders and
religious leaders have for decades been elected unopposed
Many are known to use their power over residents to bend them to their will.Dubbed the "electables", these politicians command huge vote
Most also take a flexible approach to ideology, and are highly courted by political parties, who view winning their allegiance as a passport
to power.But videos like the one of Bosan have gone viral in the weeks leading up to the polls, shared thousands of times in a country of
some 207 million people, of whom roughly a quarter use 3G and 4G internet, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority.They have
to social media.Analysts are watching closely to see whether these rare moments of accountability might disrupt the way the major political
and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), a democratic watchdog.Historically apathetic, young Pakistanis first emerged as a political force in the
2013 elections, when a generation who grew up idolising cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan voted for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party
Under-35s represent a massive proportion of the total electorate of 106 million voters registered in the 2018 elections
More than 17 million are in the 18-25 age bracket, with a huge chunk set to cast their ballot for the first time.The Asia Foundation noted
in a recent report that many young people are increasingly engaged in the democratic process, particularly through the widespread use of
social media.If so, and as concerns over election rigging mount ahead of the vote, the impact of uncensored content such as the viral videos
could become significant, analysts say."Social media has emerged as a democracy strengthening tool," says Shahzad Ahmed, director of Bytes
for All, a digital rights group.Bari, who predicts election turnout will be "massive", says if even half of the young voters who have seen
and shared such videos go to the polls "it will strengthen the trust of the people in the democratic system."Pakistanis only started to
recieve high-speed mobile data in 2014 and its use has spread at one of the highest rates in Asia
Access for young people to social media is helping to create a more democratic and participatory form of government, argues Maham Khan, a
21-year-old student of international relations at the Quaid-i-Azam university in Islamabad.She references protests in Cairo in 2011 which
were organised via social media and eventually unseated the then-president Hosni Mubarak."Basically the youth is actually using social media
just like in Egypt, to bring about slow social revolution," she says.But who they will vote for is hard to predict, with vast socioeconomic,
religious and ideological differences between this huge population -- though jobs and education are among their most unifying demands.Polls
somewhat -- one of the viral videos shows him being whisked away by aides as a similar crowd challenges him in Karachi.Nevertheless, most
students who spoke to AFP expressed hope for change after decades of corrupt political dynasties, and Khan represents the best chance of
