Literally meaning the 'land of the pure', Pakistan has been in the grip of extremism of one sort or the other - ethnic, linguistic, sectarian and religious - almost since its birth. Six decades after independence, we continue to struggle with basic issues relating to identity, democracy and constitutionalism. Elections are always a saga of fraud and violence. Student militias and weaponry were introduced into our universities under the garb of student unions in the 70s, the rampant murders of political opponents and deteriorating law and order situation transformed Pakistani society into a fertile ground for what has become one of our biggest headaches. Contrary to popular perception, radicalization is not confined to religion alone.
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