“Is Pakistan safe?” is the number one search autocomplete when you type in “Is Pakistan” on Microsoft Bing. Globally, Pakistan is among the names most associated with terrorism and extremism. This perception is so ubiquitous that “bomb jokes” are the go-to genre of humor targeted at Pakistanis, primarily over the internet. Sidestepping the blatant racism, it is a matter of great worry that this linkage has established itself as mainstream.

We need to nip the evil in the bud with the bud being the merciless and ignorant beliefs.

Over the years, this image has also been reinforced by the global reports, according to which Pakistan has consistently been of the worst-impacted countries by terrorism. Pakistan, despite being a nation of great diversity in terms of people, language, culture, flora, fauna, and much more, seems to be somehow overshadowed by and being written off due to this cancerous appendage. Before we ask ourselves how to cut this away, we must know how we got it.

The Global Terrorism Index 2024 report defines terrorism as a unique phenomenon due to its unpredictability and high casualty rates that are a direct cause of significant social and geopolitical consequences. It places Pakistan as the 4th most impacted country from terrorism in 2023. According to the report, Pakistan had the highest number of incidents (490), with the fatality rate increasing by 35%. There are factors at play both inside and outside the country that led to these painful numbers.

One of the major external sources of terrorist activities in Pakistan has been the confluence of leakages in the borders shared with Afghanistan and the rise to power of the Taliban militant group in the country. The groups responsible for violating peace from within the country are Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as well as the Baluchistan Liberation Army with the former carrying out the deadliest terrorist attack of 2023 at a mosque in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the latter carrying out the latest attack by hijacking Jaffar Express train just 3 days prior to writing.

Another disease that lies within is sectarian terrorism. According to 2023 Census carried out by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics 96.28% of Pakistan’s population is Muslim which further branches into 85–90 percent Sunni, 10–15 percent Shi’a, and 0.2 percent Ahmadi with smaller populations of Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Baha’is, and Zoroastrians (Mohammad and United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2022).

Pakistani media might be guilty on this front by promoting the agenda of spreading terror itself.

The complex, unbalanced relationship among various sects has been further upended by the soft proxy wars launched by the Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Shia Islamic Republic of Iran throughout Pakistan’s history (Abbas and Syed 2020). During his regime, General Zia ul Haq not only turned a blind eye to these activities but actively supported the promotion of Wahhabism while stifling the Shi’a community to fulfil the wishes of the KSA (Mohammad-Arif, 2004). We also witnessed the state-backed sectarian injustice and violence as the unlawful settlements tore the Shi’a community of Parachinar from that of Gilgit Baltistan (Abbas and Syed 2020).

Treatment to this ailment is multifold, which requires all hands on deck. Collaborative and simultaneous efforts by all sectors of society and the government alike are required to create a tolerant and terror-free Pakistan.

The first remedy lies in the understanding of the phenomenon itself. Terrorism is a potential consequence of extremism. Simply put, it is when intolerant and extremist thoughts, ideas and beliefs fester and wound the social fabric. The acts of violence and terror can have a political, religious, or ideological motivation (Admin 2024). Hence, we need to nip the evil in the bud, with the bud being the merciless and ignorant beliefs. Schools are one of the major institutions contributing to the cognitive development of the impressionable youth of a country.

Therefore, they play an integral role in either promoting or hindering dangerous thought patterns and belief systems. One way to dismantle extremism form the youth is to restructure the institution of school to be more “tolerant.” Unfortunately, Pakistani schools are inherently intolerant as it is common to exchange stories of being severely punished for a minor mistake in school. We are currently minimizing the quota of individualistic populations and interesting personalities by actively suppressing the practice of being different and it would be hypocritical to preach acceptance while your own institute puts students in an embarrassing detention over a thing as trivial as a colored hair tie.

Such a strict system has consequences such as run-ins with the law. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research also shows that schools with higher suspension rates have substantial negative long-run impacts. Students assigned to a school that has a higher suspension rate are 15 to 20 percent more likely to be arrested and incarcerated as adults (Bacher-Hicks, Billings, and Deming 2019). Hence, this attitude needs to be completely erased. Effective action is organized not just by preaching tolerance and adding a lousy chapter in books that is numbingly crammed by bored children rather by leading with example and becoming a tolerant institution.

Effective action is organized not just by preaching tolerance but by leading with example.

The restructuring of Madrassahs is also crucial when it comes to the education sector, as they have been exploited as the breeding grounds for promoting extremist values. The government would need to keep an eye on the funding and the curriculum of these institutions to prevent the participation of non-state actors in inciting any kind of propaganda of violence (Abbas and Syed 2020).

Secondly, we should be looking at evolving and more balanced policy action. The horrible news that Pakistan woke to on 16th December 2014 jolted the government into action and the National Action Plan was formulated to counter terrorism and extremism in the country. This was a comprehensive plan as it covered the sectarian terrorism to the Afghan refugee problem. Initially this plan translated into successful military operations like Zarb-e-Azab that dismantled terrorist groups in the country, ultimately lowering such incidents.

However, with time, it also broke the terrorist networks into smaller, gender-inclusive, fluid and cellular networks, allowing them to evolve, which called for a focus on non-kinetic aspects of counter terrorism to desiccate the agenda at the root. These could entail the inclusion of women in the anti-terrorism awareness efforts. It is also noted that NPA should have also included provisions for de-radicalization and rehabilitation of repentant militants (“Critical Evaluation of National Action Plan (NAP),” n.d.). Furthermore, the strengthening of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) by better allocation of resources and funding.

There are various other policy actions that can counter the sectarian terrorism in Pakistan. A study suggests the adoption of a neutral and balanced foreign policy when it comes to bipolar Muslim nations like KSA and Iran. Economic relations with other emerging Muslim economies should also be strengthened, and while doing so, one eye should be kept on the activities of banned terrorist outfits (Abbas and Syed 2020).

The biggest asset for terrorist and extremist groups is an average Pakistani who is not tolerant of ideologies and beliefs different than theirs and is vulnerable due to a lack of proper education to avoid falling into their traps. Media, the unofficial fourth pillar of the state, must uphold its duty of guarding the citizenry against misinformation as well as disinformation. A study conducted in 2011 by the Glasgow University Media Group of UK pertaining to the news coverage and attitudes and beliefs about a specific topic revealed that when there was evidence, the media coverage combined with the processes of logic and claims of knowledge about specific cases resulted in the development of beliefs about that certain topic (Happer and Philo 2013).

This heavily underlines the mere value of this tool in our societies. Raphael F. Perl, head of Anti-Terrorism Issues in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), while speaking at an event, discussed that the media has the responsibility to report events of terrorism accurately, rapidly and in an unsensational manner to prevent panic and confusion. This must be followed by investigative journalism to debunk any misconceptions regarding such events. He also considers that strong cooperation and effective communication between the government and the media is the key to preserving democratic values that form the foundation for counter-terrorism efforts (International Press Institute (IPI), Center for International Legal Studies (CILS), and Perl 2009).

It is with strategy and patience that we shall reach a tolerant and terror-free tomorrow.

Pakistani media might be guilty on this front. In reporting against the acts of terror in an extreme and inciteful manner, ironically media ends up promoting the agenda of spreading terror itself. However, responsible reporting can help dispel the glorification of extremist beliefs and actions.

Our young and green nation has long been plundered by liars and oppressors dressed as saviors and messiahs. However, there is still time to win back our nation against all evil. The first step in this fight lies in the cultural revolution, either through the sustainable enlightenment of the young minds or the honest contribution of the cultural powerhouse of media. It is with strategy and patience that we shall reach a tolerant and terror-free tomorrow.

References:

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Author

  • Tooba Tahir

    The author is a scholar of Public Administration from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, and has a keen interest in public policy, economics, data analysis, and literature.

    View all posts