TALIBAN WANTS ISLAMIC SOCIETY

TALIBAN WANT A ISLAMIC SOCIETY

It is hard to argue against the notion that Pakistan is a fertile ground for extremist Islam, its causes and conflicts. Pakistan’s status as an ideological state has resulted in the proliferation of Islamic political groups of all kinds. The country’s constitution states that it is an Islamic state, religion is a way of life the indoctrination and no other competing ideology, is allowed. Moreover the national policies since Pakistan’s creation have set the country’s trajectory away from the tolerant, syncretism and peaceful strands of Islam and towards a harsh, literalist and limited version of Islamic values, extremism is also driven by pernicious mix of cultural and religious factors.

Extremists with different strategies flourish in Pakistan, while the writ of the state continues to weaken. Extremists can argue that because Pakistan is an Islamic state, actions aimed at imposing Islamic sharia across the country, even by force of arms are consistent with the writ of the state. The Pakistani Taliban several extremist groups have received state patronage or at least tolerance at one time or another. Others have operated independently or with the support of fellow Islamist groups outside the country. The Pakistani leaders publically flaunt their own piety and support the deeper islamisation of institution and society. The Pakistani state’s approach to militant Islamism is a combination of a state  of denial lack of clarity and intransigence in accepting past strategic mistakes; a specious distinction between good and bad Taliban is still made in official circles, politicians are often part of expedient political alignments with islamist groups etc.

It is somewhat point what pointless, therefore, to keep harping on about the existential threat to Pakistan from extremist violence and terrorism if society itself has stopped viewing the grip of extremism as ultimately self-destructive. Sadly trends do point to the Pakistani state and society continuing in a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self pity, poverty and oppression, with all that implies for horrible and troubled future. It is difficult if not impossible, to seed how the Pakistani state and society can disengage itself from the suffocating embrace of extremism, generally it would require that society abandon grievance settle its differences and join its talents energies and resources in a common Endeavour to combat extremism for its own sake and by its own choice. The state has to stop projecting Pakistan as a citadel of Islam, and must curtail the freedom of organization, funding and movement of extremists. The political will has to be found to firmly push back against the religious groups who are demanding the establishment of a theocratic state. Another step should be to rally the public behind the broader rollback of religious legislation that strengthens religious absolutism and obscurantism, at the expense of individual rights, freedom and liberty.

As a result, there is no guarantee that it will work but looking at the fundamental trend lines in Pakistan, it is hard to be optimistic if things continue the way, Taliban are now.