The religion has hurt Pakistan more than it has benefited or will ever help. The religion was indeed the necessary spark for Pakistan to come into existence. However, religion is now the primary spark igniting the country.
It is utterly true that religion formed the national identity of the people of Pakistan, and it was indeed a quintessential social fabric to hold the people together. The religion was used by the state to ward off threats posed by enemies. Invoking the religious fervour among the masses paid rich dividends in fighting against the Soviet Union and India. But the rising Islamic extremism is one of the contemporary national security threats that Pakistan is facing in recent times. The religious lens for everything keeps Pakistan weak and vulnerable to exploitation.
Time and time again, the clerics and extremists have not only challenged by forced the state to surrender to their demands. It is a sign of worry for the public, for sure, but it is a bigger threat to the power of the state. The recent and ongoing violent protests by Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) should be taken as an opportunity to finally deal with the issue, and this opportunity must work as a catalyst for long-lasting change in Pakistan. The violence against fellow fellow-Muslims must ring a bell, and the state must comprehend that the extremism is a ticking bomb which can be used against the state by any state and non-state actors. The extremism, derived from the self-explained version of Islam as one deems fit to a specific agenda or the version preached by the clerics to serve their own vested interests, is hurting Pakistan.
Now that the snake has become so gigantic, it has essentially started to dine on its own Children- The citizens.
The question that arises is: Why did the state not take any significant action against the extremism and those who provide a breeding ground for it? It is an important question, as the recent violent incidents are not the first of their kind. There are several occasions on which the people turned violent, from the sectarian conflict in Gilgit Baltistan to insurgencies in KPK, the massacre of the Hazara community, to the murder of Mashal Khan, lynching, and burning the non-Muslims alive. All of these are modest instances of religious fanaticism. The answer might not be as simple, but there is a general understanding that the ruling class of this country uses religion to gain political mileage. Some of the events are even considered to be sponsored, where these religious fanatics were employed against a certain political party. Then that political party, when it came to power, used the same elements against another party. Thus, every political party has its hands painted with using the extremists for their own benefit at the country’s expense. Furthermore, the state is also afraid to take action against these extremist elements because it fears that after its strong action, the violent events will snowball into something like the Arab Spring. It observes that the countries affected by the Arab Spring have not yet recovered, and those countries had much more resources than Pakistan. Hence, the state is always reluctant to take any action and stays reserved when it takes some action.
But this very reluctance is the solid fuel for enemies like India and the Terrorist Regime in Afghanistan (IEA). This reluctance paves the way to exploit internal fault lines. Even these days, a nefarious plan is in motion as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is riding the shoulders of extremist TLP to target the state of Pakistan and other political parties. While at the same time, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA/IEA), along with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), are targeting the people and security forces of Pakistan. At the same time, the reports suggest that India is preparing to attack Pakistan. PTI, especially the ex-chairman Imran Khan, is also a staunch supporter of the foreign-sponsored Islamist terrorist organisations like TTP, and is using the narrative of their support to attack the country. This is the time when the internal fault lines are clearly being exploited while the external forces are regularly attacking Pakistan. Hence, there is an issue of playing dirty politics by political parties, and the issue of willingness, along with true resolve, which binds binding state’s hands to its back. This is what Islamic extremism is being exploited in the country.
Now that we have made a modest effort to answer one question, we have another question at our disposal: Is religion a problem itself? The answer, that is generally deemed appropriate, is: The religion is not a problem itself, but the way people are using the religion and are being used by the clerics. The violent incidents are not the only problem, but if one tries to contemplate, one can easily come to the conclusion that these incidents are pointing towards a few greater problems in our society: Rising Intolerance and Extremism. This is driven by a distorted version of Islamic interpretations. Religious fanaticism and intolerance have become the norm in our society, and extremist ideas have not yet been dealt with. Rather, they are often floated so that the incompetence and corruption of the political parties can be veiled. The state has been reluctant, as explained before. So, the religion is not a problem itself, but the people using it for their own vested interests. This is why dealing with the existing malice requires an iron rod in one hand and the true explanations of the religious text in the other. These two must work in synchronisation. Otherwise, no other solution can work.
Now that the question has been answered, we must go an extra mile to explain the implications of extremism on Pakistan. The extremism not only hinders economic progress but also helps to exacerbate the existing inequality. The rising inequality must be dealt with.
With Pakistan labelled as an abode for the terrorists and a “Terrorist Country” by the international media, the image of Pakistan has already been tarnished to a large extent. Resultantly, the investors are reluctant to invest in Pakistan, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has dwindled to record lows. This way, Pakistan loses billions of dollars every year. It does not stop here. Pakistan has tremendous tourism potential, which has not been actualised yet. Furthermore, Pakistan has large reserves of untapped minerals and rare earth minerals. This industry requires investments and technology transfers, but there is not much of an investment despite recent mineral deals, because the mines that are being discussed are only a fraction of what Pakistan actually holds. Pakistan can become the Australia of South Asia. The reason for that is nothing more than extremism and the reputation across the world. Due to extremism, Pakistan does not have a conducive environment for large investments in a multitude of sectors like Technology, Mining, and Tourism. This has a very high cost for Pakistan.
This is only the tip of this chilling iceberg. The impacts of radicalisation go way beyond. The more divided a society is and the more extremism there is, the more chances of exploitation of these fault-lines by the enemy. Any step that the state takes in the right direction, which can help the country, would be blocked by these radical people. This can also easily lead to a civil war. The fear of a civil war keeps the state of Pakistan away from taking the right steps, and this is then exploited by the enemies. Furthermore, this keeps Pakistan doomed to poverty and religious extremism. This weakens the state of Pakistan, exactly the aim of the enemies. As touched upon above briefly, A recent example, or rather a prophecy, would be: the 2nd round of the May 2025 Indo-Pak war is approaching, and there are indications that India is exploiting the internal fault lines of Pakistan. It is sponsoring terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) on one hand, using TTA/TTP to attack Pakistan, and then using the internal extremist elements like PTI/TLP on the other. Hence, Radicalisation and Islamic Extremism are being used as a weapon against Pakistan, and by far, it can be the most effective one. Pakistan will have to pay a very high price. This sentence below captures it in its true essence:
Radicalisation charges the state a very high price, and it is often paid in Blood.
Not only is extremism impeding the actualisation of Pakistan’s economic progress as a connectivity, economic, minerals, and tourist hub, along with providing the enemies an excellent gap to exploit, but the extremist narratives are hindering the participation of women in the economy, which resultantly exacerbating the inequality and gender gap. There are stereotypes that are compelling women not to participate in the growth of the economy. The stereotypes also hamper women’s ability to enrol in educational institutions. The clerics preach that women belong in the kitchen, and should to participate in the economy or education. Here, again, religion, among other things, is used to control women. The women are constantly fed the idea that participating in the economy is not for them, along with higher education. They present arguments from different self-explained versions of the religion, and the women, already ‘kept in their place’, do not dare to question the logic of such arguments. The recent report published by the UN paints a bleak picture of the gender inequality in Pakistan. Pakistan is ranked 148th out of 148 countries on the gender parity index. Pakistan has hit rock bottom. This depicts the reason for Pakistan’s economic woes. The extremism is affecting the economy and the productivity of the country. Yet, there is some optimism. Despite these circumstances, the number of women enrolling in higher education and getting jobs has increased, which is an excellent development, but the percentage has to increase even more. But the rising extremism, if not dealt with, can evaporate all that good work which has been done.
It is not the only kind of inequality that is rising, but the minorities and other non-Muslim groups are feeling the heat of extremism, and they are menaced as the extremist considers them “infidels”. Though the ongoing protest by TLP has nothing to do with the minorities but it also has everything to do because TLP thrives on the narratives against the minorities. This also gives rise to other groups to target minorities; this actually snowballs. A very recent example would be: As the TLP protests are ongoing, a man went in front of the worship place of the Ahmadi Minority and killed those guarding it. As terrorism and extremism are on the rise, which the enemies are surely sponsoring, it will have a spillover effect. The barrel of the gun will be turned towards the Minorities.
Furthermore, it points towards the intolerance in society, which would be faced by not only the Muslims from different sects but also by the Non-Muslims. The non-Muslims are already marginalised economically, and many of them do not make it to the educational institutes. They are looked upon and treated as second-class citizens. The intolerance would render them stripped of their lives and livelihood. I can vividly recall an incident in Peshawar, in which a Christian man was killed just because he bought a house in a Muslim neighbourhood. Also, the TLP mob burnt a Sri Lankan factory manager, Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana, alive on false blasphemy charges. The destruction of the temple in Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar is the prime instance of intolerance. These kinds of acts would further marginalise the minorities.
What we have discussed above are the issues and contemporary perils of Pakistan, but it would be unfair to criticise the state and describe only the issues. One must also provide the necessary steps that the state me take to improve the condition of the country. Hence, the following paragraphs illustrate the solutions:
First, the state needs to treat all its citizens equally. There should not be any differentiation based on colour, creed, class, status, race, or religion. The citizens of this country must be protected, given equal economic opportunity, and also, freedom to practice their religion. A national identity based only on religion creates chaos in society. We essentially need to redefine our national identity as just “Pakistani”, rather than being just Muslim or Christian, or Hindu, etc. The citizens must be treated equally. One who has been born here is entitled to all the privileges and must be treated as a human first. The country for the poor and the rich should be the same. There should be equality in the application of the law despite the social status of an individual. All the means of division in society must be thrown out of the window, and then it should be ensured that nobody picks up those divisionary elements again.
Secondly, the state is to educate its people. A major chunk of the population does not have access to education, let alone quality education. Their understanding of society and everything else is based on what the extremist clerics have told them and what they have watched on social media as norms of “True Muslim”. The clerics, being extremists and radicals themselves, turn the people of Pakistan into extremists and radicals. They can only see through the lens of religion. The socio-economic conditions did not allow them to have quality education, and a thinking mind that can ask a question, whatever is going around or being poured down their throats. How they would be educated is not the only problem, but the “Quality Education” is near non-existent in Pakistan. The education system does not enable people to think logically, research, or develop a thorough understanding of a lot of simple and way more complex issues. This, as explained before, has been proliferated by previous governments as well. Education is one of the least spent on items in the budget, and the curriculum is ridiculous, to say the least. In this scenario, both the people and the governments are to blame. Educating the people must be the priority for the state. Without proper, deradicalised quality education, the problem of extremism cannot be tackled.
Thirdly, the concept of freedom must be taught to the masses and to their rulers. Once the masses know the concept of true Individual and collective freedom, the country would progress tremendously in the right direction. We need a free society in every aspect. The pursuit of happiness and individual freedom, as long as they don’t hurt the country or its citizens, should be allowed and protected. These are the basic human rights of the people. The state has to guarantee these, but the people need to change to deserve these rights. It is a two-way street, and both the people and the state have to take on their obligations and responsibilities.
Fourthly, the state should be disciplining the clerics and compelling them to tone down their opinions. The Madrasah/religious schools must be registered, and many have to be abolished. These were established during the “Afghan Jihad” project with Saudi money, but their useful life has long ended. Ideally, the whole Madrasah setup should have been closed after the war was won against the Soviet Union. Here, the debate of whether these should’ve been here or not is deliberately ignored. But these schools have become terrorist and extremist factories. In many parts of the country, the terrorists are using the cover of these schools to make weapons and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the basements. Although the state has taken some initiatives like Zarb-e-Azb against the extremists, It has not taken initiatives against those who provide the breeding ground for extremist ideas like TLP and many other extremist groups (And Even the operation Zarb-e-Azb was also reversed by the ex-Prime Minister, now in jail, Imran Khan and his team by resettling the TTP and other terrorists in KPK along with DI Khan). The people are bloodthirsty, which in modern times is not beneficial for any country. The extremists have turned into giant snakes and are now engulfing the state along with the citizens. This requires careful planning and decisive action. The upfront cost might be high, but the long-term piece, the integrity of the country’s borders, and the social fabric of the society will be protected.
Last but not least step that the state needs to take is to bring comprehensive civil services, judicial, and political reforms. The concept of good governance has to be implemented in its true spirit. The issue of corruption is eating the country from within. The issue of wanting all the power and no responsibility, along with the crown throwing the officer under the bus as soon as things get a bit tough, is hindering any progress. It does not stop here. The civil servants have budget issues, and they are often expected to just create resources from thin air for projects. There are even more issues that the government officers face and then which result in the exploitation of both the officers and the people. The system is designed for rent-seeking and exploitation. This breeds hatred, mistrust, depression, and a sense of not belonging to the country.
This, as a consequence, gives rise to extremism where the people lose sense because they know the state is not standing behind them. They feel as if they have no stake in the country. Thus, they choose a different form of violence. This is a broad subject, and explaining it further would take it out of this article’s scope. But the issues are persistent and must be taken care of. The reforms must be brought in various sectors, and digitalisation can be a great way to do so. The state, if it has some willingness, can employ Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet-of-Things for better governance and bringing out reforms. These reforms might seem expensive, but if done right, they are not expensive and can be self-sufficient with their own revenue-generating models. But there will be resistance because those who benefit from this corrupt system would not like it and let these reforms happen.
To conclude all of the above, it can be fairly said that extremism is on the rise in Pakistan. And, it is being sponsored and exploited by the enemies. This is a newly divulged enemy; “newly: because many still are unable to recognise the threat it poses. TLP is the latest example, and it could become a much worse terrorist organisation than TTP. The timing of the latest protests and many other elements point towards the exploitation of this weakness by the enemies. A trap has been laid by the enemies. If the state does not take decisive action against it, it would mean that the state would be fighting terrorism not only in KPK, Balochistan, GB, and AJK but also within central Punjab. The enemies would “cherish it dearly”, as it keeps the state of Pakistan weak and helps their dream of the Balkanization of Pakistan. The only way to win against all this is with resolute and decisive action. The hard and decisive actions have to be constant. The policy must be continuous and should not change, no matter what happens or where the pressure comes from.
While the challenge might seem trivial, and even the state of Pakistan might want to downplay it publicly, and even hides it so that there is no hopelessness. Yet, it knows privately that extremist factions like the TLP, its alignment with PTI can and most likely will turn into a fireball. Then, the political parties can try to play ice hockey with it by blaming it on one another, but the situation will be a lot worse and virtually uncontrollable. If the country does not want to see itself fighting another civil war, it is high time to take action against extremist forces and listen to the sane voices in the country.
The policy of appeasement, negotiations, and diplomacy does not work with the terrorists and extremists because the psychology of the terrorists/extremists has only been designed and they have been inculcated with only one thing: “To Kill or be Killed”. One may ask if they were such rational or sane people, they wouldn’t be indulging in what they are. They have an inherent malice. With these people, one cannot negotiate but must act swiftly to eliminate them.
The peace against the terrorists and extremists can only come from a barrel of a gun, for this is the only language they understand.
The concept of “peace through strength” is especially a vital policy against terrorists. But it has to be combined with some other elements that must be in place. The extremism and terrorism can only be dealt with by taking strong collective action- Addressing the concerns of the populace, educating the citizens, bringing reforms, de-radicalising the education system, and bringing much-needed reforms.
Without the hard action, even the battles cannot be won, let alone wars. But to win the wars against terrorists and extremists, the tap has to be closed both outside of the country and within. The breeding grounds have to be destroyed. Only then can one win against the terrorists.
If the State of Pakistan takes strong action against the terrorists and extremists attacking it constantly, the country will become an epitome of progress and success. It will strengthen the state like never before. Pakistan will receive more and more FDI and global support. It sits on billions and trillions of dollars of minerals, along with a very strategic location. It is in the interest of the country to get rid of the extremists, and some steps are being taken. Yet, much needs to be done. The state of Pakistan should be relentless in the elimination of extremists and terrorists. The narratives are of no use if the people are suffering every day. Furthermore, if the state takes strong action, it will mean that the enemies can no longer exploit the fault lines. The enemies are banking on the reluctance of the state.
Thus, the state now needs to tarnish the extremist narratives, maintain harmony and tolerance in society. But for this to happen extremely strong willingness is needed. If the action is not taken now, the religious extremism is and will become an even more existential threat to Pakistan.