Extremism and extreme narrative has been a major issue of Pakistan for last three decades. There
has been a conflict on both, National and Local levels in its resolution. It does not even take an
instant for it to become hate speech in a society in which intolerance has its root deep down the
ground. A discussion with a close group of friends resulted in a realization that the definition of
the term extremism varies from person to person based on the exposure and so does the measures
to counter it. And on a student level, it is highly advised to be familiar with ways to counter
extremism of any form in the surrounding.
To understand this scenario, a focused group discussion was conducted among 18 students from
different institutes of the city between the age of 18-25. The discussion was later joined by two
of the most renowned public speakers and trainers of Karachi as well. All the participants

belonged from different social backgrounds and educational institutes perusing different fields of
education (for instance, Law, Public Administration, Engineering, Space Sciences, Arts etc.)
The participants were first asked to present their point of view and definition of extremism as per
their understanding on which around 9 new and different types of definitions came up. The
common thing in all of these narratives was that extremism is harmful as it emphasizes on
imposition of certain ideas on others. However it is independent of class or social backgrounds as
it exists in both Rightist and Leftist mindset and stances from conservative religious preachers to
progressive liberal activists.
After the session, a list of ideas were shared with the participants as case studies on how to
counter extremism in educational institutes. A post-event feedback was also taken in which most
of the participants of the session shared how they now have awareness on how to identify and
counter extremism in their institute and they promised to spread the word as well.