There is something profoundly unsettling about how deeply we, as Pakistanis, have internalised cynicism. After decades of political instability, abrupt power shifts, and chronic institutional mistrust, we have become conditioned to expect the worst in every situation. Conspiracy theories have become our default lens. Even routine decisions are viewed with suspicion, as if every action hides a motive and every silence conceals a plot. We no longer seek clarity; we instinctively look for instability.

Politicians and power brokers know this, commentators exploit it, and social media thrives on it. The result is a national psyche that prefers speculation to facts, sensationalism to patience, and perpetual drama to steady governance. The country’s well-being becomes secondary to the excitement of narrative-building.

No political force has taken advantage of this environment more deliberately than Imran Khan and the PTI. What began as a movement promising reform and institutional cleansing gradually transformed into a narrative machine powered by grievance and conspiracy. PTI realised that mistrust could be weaponised. Every setback, whether it was legal, political, or administrative, was shown as evidence of a vast plot against one man. Institutions were........

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