Leveraging the hope renewal

Doomed. Lost cause. Over and gone. Done and dusted. Hopeless. This was the state of sentiments in the country till 10th of May 2025.

Business confidence had nosedived. Consumer confidence was in tatters. Public disillusion was at its highest. Then came the transformation. Come 11th of May and overnight the mood of the nation took an about-turn. News channels that were shunned became a must watch.

Twitter reopened. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp were all about celebrations, laughter and hope.

Generation X, millennials and Gen Z for the first time were on one page—the page of patriotism, of national pride, of hope. Pakistan’s security was threatened by its old enemy.

The enemy made horrific threats, their media went into a Pakistan takeover overdrive. Almost as in movies the big bully was silenced by a nation that has “resilience” as its most revered and practiced core value.

For the older generations of baby boomers and Generation X this was the age old war and win desire against India they have been born and bred with. For the millennials and Gen Z who has never really seen a war, this was Netflix stuff upfront and real. In the beginning, it was just the usual crossfire between two warring nations.

The bigger neighbour claiming a takeover of Pakistan and the smaller ones poking fun and getting apprehensive about the lack of response on Pakistan’s part. Then came the response. It was measured and dramatic. The targeting of main Indian airbases brought a sigh of relief. Then the amazing performance by our air force.

The video of our pilots creating the real life Maverick of the movie “Mission Impossible” lifted the spirits of the whole nation. The following ceasefire announcement by the USA made the nation revel and bask in the glory of the feeling of victory against all odds. This feel-good aura has made the nation come to life.

Winning the war is a wonderful achievement. What is an even greater feat is the revival of hope. This is the essence of recovery. This is the crux of development. This is the nucleus of revival. This is a golden opportunity. This should not go waste. What we need to do is:

1. Get the youth engaged— Pakistan is blessed with a young population. 60 percent of population is below 30 years of age. The youth bulge can be an asset or a liability depending on how engaged they are.

The latest generation Z is a generation that is a huge challenge for the world. They are young. They are smart. They are restless. They are struggling for their identity. They are searching for a purpose. This generation has had a tough time in COVID. If we engage them, they will outdo their competitors. If disengaged they will become a socio-political hazard.

The war helped Generation Z in many ways. They got engaged as they all fought the war on the social media. They got connected to the bigger cause. They got involved in fighting a digital war.

And they fought it on their strengths. The challenge with this generation is that they are very independent minded. Their parents are frustrated with their demand for letting them do what they want. They love expressing themselves. They do not listen to anybody. They respond to freedom, to empowerment to involvement. That is why when the ban on twitter was removed and they were allowed to express themselves they beat their counterparts that is many times their size.

The global media may be arguing about who won and who lost the India-Pakistan war but they agree that Pakistan has won the perception war as their digital propaganda was superior. This was duly acknowledged by the government and the army who declared them as the digital warriors. This has uplifted the youth. This sentiment needs to be capitalized.

Do not ban their communication. Do not suppress them. Do not treat them as the “problems”. Let them speak. Listen to them. Engage them. Recognize them. Respect them.

2- Focus on public welfare— The public has responded in unison. Men, women, children, rich, poor have all given their whole-hearted support. They have proven that they stand with the country and the institutions when it mattered most. Many are discussing the phenomenon of the “national crush” that Air Vice Marshall Aurangzeb has become. This is an interesting phenomenon. Some in psychology call this a hero complex. However, the insights are very interesting.

When asked why people find him a hero? The answers range from his team, i.e., the air force’s achievements in the sky. That his very composed and logical style of presentation was so professional, so compelling and so motivating. That unlike his Indian counterpart, he appeared at ease and in command. It is this quality of a man with highest sense of duty and execution that has won over the public.

Another reminder that what the public wants is to let their patriotism sentiments be fulfilled with our heroes on the frontline. The same Air Marshal in another role outside his domain may not command the same respect. This is a very important message to leverage public sentiments of renewed respect and love. The public wants genuine heroes and they are going to swoon over anybody remotely fulfilling this gnawing gap of finding people who are sincere to the cause and the public.

3. Stability and sustainability— People also want genuine development. Gone are the days when artificially boosted macro figures could fool people. Generation Z is too smart to be taken in by short-term gimmicks. In fact, they hate being considered stupid. They then become vicious in their attempt to expose the fake claims. The case in point was the recent reduction of Rs 7 in electricity prices. In a matter of hours it was mince-meated by the people who saw through the ruse. Development cannot be hidden under fake projects.

There is no way a government of a country run on loans can develop by having the highest government expenditure ever. There are more ministries than functions. There are more ministers than ministries. There are more advisors than functions. There are more committees than tasks. In social media era every notification is open to the public. Do not think they will be fooled. This is a recipe for making Gen Z frustrated and retaliatory.

The external focus due to the war has brought the nation together but the real issues of bad governance, reckless spending and a clueless government will undo this togetherness.

Exports, investments and industrialization remain a big challenge due to the instability in the country. These must be addressed to let the public know that this is not a diversion but a real genuine change. The window of opportunity is there. Leverage it before it closes down. As H. Jackson Brown says, “Nothing is more costly than a missed opportunity”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025