For Young Pakistanis, Democracy's a Drag

Muhammed Muheisen / AP

According to a survey, both Shari'a and military rule hold more appeal than democracy for young Pakistanis

If a country's future is determined by its youth, Pakistan's is grim. In a recent survey of Pakistanis aged 18 to 29 (a demographic making up nearly half the population), 94% said the nation was going in the wrong direction. More alarmingly, few had faith in democracy's ability to set things right — ironic, considering that polls on May 11 will see, for the first time in the country's 65-year history, a transfer of power from one democratically elected civilian government to another. According to the British Council's Next Generation Report , only 23% of the 5,271 youths interviewed believe democracy has...

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