Violent tendencies in Pakistan's youth show extremism rooted deep within society
Feb 26, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], February 26 : The participation of Pakistan's youth in acts of violence demonstrates how extremism exists deep within the heart of Pakistani society, local media reported.
The country's Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights was aghast on the instances of this extremism that is ingrained equally in the educated as well as illiterate, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The meeting, which commenced with criticism of the Mian Channu incident, discussed how violent tendencies were mostly reported in 19 to 30-year-old people mostly influenced by social media forums.
Notably, a mob comprising men mostly in their 30s lynched a mentally-unstable man for burning Quranic scriptures in Mian Channu, the publication reported citing Human Rights Secretary Inamullah Khan.
Khan further informed the senate body members that in the murder case of Sri Lankan national in Sialkot, 120 out of 130 suspects were between 18 and 20 years of age.
The committee stressed that religious forums must spread the true spirit of Islam and its stance on tolerance to help avoid the occurrence of such incidents.
As many as 14 to 15 cases of violence have been reported in Pakistan since the start of this year, the Pakistani newspaper reported citing Additional IG Sahibzada Shahzad Sultan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's influence of extremist ideology has increased with radical elements dominating the violence in the society.
The threat from extremism in Pakistan comes from the Taliban insurgency to militant organizations to individuals who wish to join a mob-burning a man alive without actually getting into the depth of why the person was being targeted, according to an opinion piece in News International.
The youth bulge of Pakistan's population between ages 15-24 is estimated at 36 million, while a staggeringly high number of 58 million individuals are below the age of 15. The above youth population gravitates towards radicalization because there is high unemployment and income disparity innate in the Pakistan society, the article noted.
