For many people, particularly in times dominated by social media debates and political polarization, any initiative that seeks to engage young people with state institutions is often viewed with skepticism. Some see it as an education, some see it as public relations. Many dismiss it entirely as an exercise in narrative-building.

Apparently, as we live in an age where institutions are routinely questioned, narratives are contested, and trust has become an increasingly scarce commodity. Such skepticism may appear unsurprising, yet the comment also prompted me to consider a larger question:

What happens when institutions and citizens stop understanding one another?

The answer lies in what I describe as institutional distance: the gap between how institutions perceive themselves and how they are perceived by the societies they serve. Today, this distance is growing. People increasingly form opinions through short video clips, algorithm-driven feeds, social media commentary, and fragmented information. 

Institutions, on the other hand, often communicate through official statements, reports, and formal channels that struggle to compete in a fast-moving digital landscape. The result is a paradox of the information age.

The ISPR Summer Internship brought together thousands of students from universities across Pakistan. Participants were exposed to discussions on media, national security, economic challenges, regional dynamics, and the role of various state institutions. We not only listened to practitioners, policymakers, military officers, and communication professionals, but also had the opportunity to directly engage and question them. We visited places that most students only hear about through news reports or social media clips.

One of the moments that stayed with me was our interaction with a senior officer. During the session, he simply said that the discussion here would be under Chatham House rules, and asked whatever you want. And the students did. For such an institution, this........

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