Islamabad July 17 (IANS) There is plenty of evidence that "a radical mindset (is) taking root in Pakistan s higher institutes of learning" a Pakistani newspaper said on Monday.
"The internet has made it even easier for extremist elements to ensnare naive impressionable young people including women " the Dawn said in an editorial.
"A case in point is Noreen Leghari an MBBS student from Hyderabad who was arrested in April on suspicion of being involved in terrorism; she later confessed she was to be used as a suicide bomber.
"Aside from educational institutions families too must be made aware of the warning signs which indicate that their younger generation is on the path to embracing a dangerous Manichaean ideology " the daily said.
The editorial said that for a long time it was held that militants in Pakistan usually came from Islamic seminaries or were illiterate and belonged to an impoverished background.
But the conviction of Saad Aziz a graduate of one of Pakistan s top business schools for a massacre and rights activist Sabeen Mahmud s murder shows "the militant landscape in Pakistan has evolved considerably".
While the savage violence carried out by Saad Aziz may be an exception "there are umpteen indications of a radical mindset taking root in Pakistan s higher institutes of learning" the daily said.
--IANS
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