New Delhi, Feb. 21 -- The recent general elections in Pakistan, the results of which are yet to be finalised, gave birth to distinct themes echoing with clarity and significance. Among these a resounding message becomes apparent: the Pakistani populace, especially its dynamic youth, opposes the coercive methods of the state apparatus and refuses to adhere to predetermined narratives dictating the country's trajectory by the military leadership.

The defeat of the establishment-backed Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) at the hands of mostly relatively obscure and youthful candidates like the top tier of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lays a promising foundation for a more democratic trajectory forward. ...