The word ‘Pakistan’- originating from the Hindi and Urdu language literally means ‘Pure Land.’ But to what extent does the Pakistani society provide justice to it? Pakistan is on the brink of collapsing socially, politically and economically. While Jinnah earned the land on the basis of an ‘equal state for all’ and laid the society’s foundation on- “Unity, Faith and Discipline,” the Pakistani government and the public have not adhered to any of the pillars laid down by Jinnah (Khalid). Since 1947, Pakistan has been caught up in a storm of conflicts ranging from losing half its territory to several years of martial law (Bhutto). Even after holding an imperative geo-political position, Pakistan has failed to represent itself as a sovereign and secure state, with strong law and order. Where a country’s national security aims to protect its citizen from internal and external deviant forces, Pakistan’s national security is plagued by severe internal and external evils (Khan). The last two decades have been unfortunate for Pakistan’s national security, which has been vastly damaged due to internal stigmas rather than external ones. Internal threats include unstable governance, weak law providing institutions, corruption, natural disasters and extremism (Ahmed) while external threats include India’s constant activities against Pakistan, US Drone Attacks and Afghanistan’s terrorist spilling in Pakistan (Akram). However, the most important force fueling the internal conflicts within the state is “Sectarianism.” Sectarianism is defined as “Narrow-minded beliefs that cause prejudice, discrimination, cruelty and ill-will towards members of a religious denomination” (Peters). How sectarianism effects Pakistan is rooted in the fact that the 94% Muslim majority is divided according to the school of thoughts they follow. The groups are: Barelvi, Ahle Hadith, Deobandi, Jamaat-e-Islami and Shia. Sunnis include the former four schools and have little religious differences unlike the Shia school of thought who are 20% of the total population, thus making them a religious minority (Nishapuri). These religious differences have provided a crack for sectarian differences to seep into the society while the state and media have actively discriminated the minorities and have aired the fire of sectarianism within the state (Hussain, Salim and Naveed). However sectarianism doesn’t halt to inter-religion clashes but instead it also takes other religious minorities such as Hindus, Christian’s and Ahmadis under its shade. It is one of the most gruesome monster that Pakistan faces as a nation and a core element that has made the survival of Pakistan as an independent state difficult. Although some critics argue India to be a greater threat to Pakistan’s national security, however it is sectarianism which has damaged it the most because sectarianism has led to the development of extremist groups within the state, leading to foreign funding of these groups by different countries to achieve their own goals and has stigmatized the society through violence and terrorism resulting due to it.
In conclusion, the accelerating rate of the sectarian violence’s has enveloped each individual in a state of terror and fear, the very fabrics of the society are caught up in the fire of sectarianism and this fire must be extinguished before the community burns to ashes (Spearheadresearch.org). Therefore, it should be the top priority of the Pakistani government to protect its citizens, eradicate extremist groups and strengthen the national security of the state. The extermination must begin at the micro level by the introduction of tolerant literature in the educational curriculum (Forest), after which the government should abolish places of worship that promote hate language; which incite public emotions against any sect and arrest religious leaders who pass fatwas (Islamic ruling) against or for any religious faction. After which the civilians facing the consequences of sectarianism must be brought to justice, to do this, Pakistan requires a strong judicial and law enforcing system to eradicate sectarianism. Whereas the role of the army is as important as that of the judiciary, the Ex-President and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf said: “Religious militias calling themselves Sipahs, Jaishes and Lashkars cannot exist parallel to the army…our army is the only Sipah and Lashkar in Pakistan” (International Crisis Group). The army must continue its operations in regions more inclined to give birth to extremist forces and obliterate these inhumane militants from the face of Pakistan. A strong need to implement a powerful and resilient national security is imperative for Pakistan to pull itself out of this storm, or else Pakistan will transit towards an ugly majoritarian state (Rafiq).
Aqsa Mughal's Blog 