A picture cropped from the original by Rehan Khan/European PressPhoto Agency in The New York Times
The New York Times has an excellent story today along with a highly instructive video about how conspiracy theories have become the mainstream fodder in Pakistan.
It was only a matter of time that a country buffeted by growing violent religious radicalization in the midst of a poorly defined nationhood would fall prey to reflexive denial about everything. What is surprising for me personally is that Pakistan’s 103 million people below the age of 25, or 63 % of its total population, do not seem to seem to act as a strong counter against the forces that overwhelm the country’s psyche.
It is in nobody’s interest that tens of millions of young people in any country anywhere grow up so fundamentally disillusioned and disenchanted.