Islamabad : Sectarian violence has been on decline in Pakistan. In 2018, only 12 incidents of sectarian violence were reported from across the country, most of which were of minor nature. This was in contrast with 2013, when 220 such incidences were reported and have been plummeting since then.
These findings are shared in a report by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS) on improving sectarian harmony. The report is the outcome of a daylong closed roundtable PIPS held on sectarian harmony. Renowned and credible religious scholars of all Islamic schools of thoughts as well as experts on the subjects participated.
The report says that sectarian persecution and violence are eating into the vitals of Pakistani state and society. They need to be eradicated to achieve security and stability, which will help in bringing foreign investment in the country.
While sectarian differences among people may continue to persist, the way forward is in learning to live with those differences. Above all, the state should unpack how sectarian identity has been institutionalised through a range of administrative measures, such as compulsion of seminaries to affiliate to sect-based boards.
The report terms the problem, deep. It says that, apart from violent sectarian groups, most of other militant groups are also deeply sectarian in nature, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), its splinter groups as well as the Islamic State (IS) group, also known as Daesh. However what compounds the problem is the fact that faith-based discrimination and violence has gradually been penetrating in individual behaviours as well; group thinking is reported in professional bodies like media and state institutions. Even political spectrum of the country is getting a sectarian colour. Veteran religious-political parties and their leaders are considered ‘traditional’ compared to the recent ones with a clear-cut sectarian agenda.
The report says that achieving sectarian harmony is a pre-requisite for achieving socio-economic development. More immediately, the country needs to ensure sectarian harmony to capitalize upon the socioeconomic projects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, which are the entry and exit points of CPEC, respectively, inside Pakistan, and which often see attacks on Shia populace, cannot afford disruptions.
Any discussion on sectarianism often asks for overcoming the differences. This is a conventional approach, which fails to make any impact. In reality, sectarian harmony is about learning to live with each other, with those differences in existence. “Tolerance, one participant noted, is not indifference. It is something you do not agree with, but you accept.” Differences have been there and, in their positive connotation, have been part of intellectual debates.
