The government’s announced Vision Azm-e-Istehkam shines a spotlight, once more, on Pakistan’s growing problem of extremism, much of it emanating from wrongful interpretations of Islam. Over the years, the state has taken some steps to raise awareness about the issue, yielding minimal results in the absence of a long-term strategy or dedicated leadership committed to eradicating extremism. The primary adherents of this radicalization are the members of the general public most likely to fall prey to it, with the problem compounded by the ambivalent perception of domestic terror as an external trespass, allowing the state to wash its hands of any responsibility. Yet, it is the very state that must act against the proliferation of jihadist literature in the vernacular press, social media and madrassas if it wishes to dampen the messaging of extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Despite being a frontline state against terrorism, Pakistan has struggled to implement anti-terrorism programs without controversy, attracting criticism from human rights groups and some religious leaders. Non-governmental organizations have noted that, historically, anti-extremism policies have attributed the rise of militancy to certain communities, over-emphasizing religious figures or organizations, and failing to tackle the socioeconomic conditions that encourage such mindsets. Unfortunately, their views have found little support, as NGOs and rights organizations often encounter mistrust from the Pakistani state and general public, which accuses them of toeing the line of Western states in exchange for foreign funding. Intelligence agencies, too, have accused various NGOs of misusing funds, leading to several having their functions either severely restricted or shutter entirely.
Despite this, Pakistan still has an opportunity to correct course by building and developing upon its original national strategy of countering extremism even when it springs from religion—or the state’s own wrongly interpreted ideology—or from an inability or unwillingness to protect all communities making up the country’s population.