Pakistan’s officially declared “Day of Love for the Prophet Muhammad” devolved into deadly violence in major cities on Friday as tens of thousands of Pakistanis angrily demonstrated against an Islam-mocking YouTube video. At least 20 people died and more than 150 were injured in the protests in Pakistan, authorities said — the highest one-day death toll since protests began over the video on September 11. Pakistan is facing a myriad of domestic problems, including a plummeting economy, power shortages and cities beset with dysfunction. Since independence in 1947, the country has swung violently between military rulers and civilian governments criticized for cronyism and mismanagement.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2012/09/201291911596965552.html
The following article in National Geographic talks about the ongoing "struggle for the soul of Pakistan":
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/09/pakistan/don-belt-text
"This is also where two conflicting forms of Islam meet: the relatively relaxed and tolerant Islam of India, versus the rigid fundamentalism of the Afghan frontier. Beneath the surface of Pakistan, these opposing forces grind against each other like two vast geologic plates, rattling teacups from Lahore to London, Karachi to New York. The clash between moderates and extremists in Pakistan today reflects this rift, and can be seen as a microcosm for a larger struggle among Muslims everywhere. So when the earth trembles in Pakistan, the world pays attention"
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