KARACHI, Pakistan -- My first encounter with this city was 10 years ago as a stopover on my way to cover the war in neighboring Afghanistan. American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped here then executed by his abductors, who released images of a decapitated head for the world to see.

So it was with some apprehension that I recently embarked on a 10-day journey with eight other journalists across three cities in a nation inextricably linked with the ongoing “war against terrorism.”

The trip, sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based International Center for Journalists, was part of a binational program to strengthen ties between American and Pakistani journalists as a way to help improve journalism standards in a relatively young and booming industry in Pakistan and broaden the scope of coverage media outlets in both nations give to each other. The effort comes at a time when U.S.-Pakistan relations are strained.

For me, it was an opportunity to try to understand a place and a population many associate only with violence. Before we left, State Department officials and Pakistan experts warned that we would find a “vociferous internal debate” about U.S.-Pakistan relations and “widespread national resentment” about U.S. policy and actions. They were right.

But I also found an immensely hospitable and proud people caught in a web of misperceptions, misunderstandings and long list of challenges, especially for the next generation.

ISLAMABAD

In this vibrant capital city, the government’s own think-tank acknowledges that perhaps the most pressing issue for securing its future is preparing its youth.

Pakistan has a huge “youth overhang,’’ said Nadeem Ul Haque, deputy chairman of the government’s planning commission.

Sixty percent of an estimated 180 million people are under the age of 30. Half are 20 years old and younger. And 50 percent of school-age children are not getting an education.

“Education is very, very limited,’’ Haque said. “So what are these kids going to do?”

Unfortunately — like in many developing nations — many children end up on the streets. That is a dilemma for a country that is itself going through growing pains — politically, economically, emotionally and psychologically.

“Pakistan is in transition, a country that is trying to do things in its own shoddy ways,” said respected TV anchor Talat Hussain.

Maj. Gen. Najmuddin Shaikh, of the National Defense University, said Pakistan is going through a “special phase.”

A civilian government is in place and headed to its first democratic handover following elections next year. The judicial system is gaining strength, though it remains a weak institution. And the media industry, particularly broadcast news, is booming though also criticized for being “too sensational.”

Still, it is “America’s war” in neighboring Afghanistan and Washington action or inaction in relation to Pakistan’s role in the so-called “end game” that seems to consume all other issues. That “vociferous debate” is reflected in newspapers, Internet sites and TV news and talk shows.

The United States has had a fragile relationship with Pakistan since the latter became a nation in 1947. Military and economic assistance has been awarded then pulled in response to various upheavals, including persistent conflicts with neighboring India, nuclear tests by both nations and domestic political turmoil.