Everyone acknowledges the achievement of the government in bringing peace in the valley of Swat. But no one knows how long will it last? Critics, politicians and the international community all have reservations and apprehensions regarding the issue of Talibanisation in Pakistan. While no issue can be resolved completely unless and until the root causes are addressed.
Our history is sated with incidents of violence between the groups on the basis of holding different opinions, religions, languages, colours, gender or region etc. The bug of sectarian violence has taken up millions of innocent lives. It has deteriorated the infrastructure of our country. Ethnic aggression is not less than terrorism. It poses a great threat to the integrity of our nation. As Abbas Bayati quotes, "Political tension itself cannot lead to civil war. Sectarianism is the one possible cause."
If we dare to recall the history of sectarian terrorism we will be ashamed to know that our leaders ourselves began this gory business. Our society has witnessed many incidents of sectarian violence invoked by leaders or the policies they introduced.
As per records, the number of Madrassahs in Punjab alone exceeds 2,500 with more than 200,000 students. Every sectarian group vies to prove itself the standard bearer of Islam. Our politico-religious parties also play a considerable role in aggravating sectarian antagonism. Their monetary support, irresponsible statements and in-furious lectures ignite the spirit of violence in their followers.
Observations reveal that such militant sectarianism involves deprived individuals looking for a proximate identity, economic betterment, for political power and security in an environment where the government is not dependable. They are well-trained, armed with latest weapons and supported by political parties, bases across border and pecuniary support from foreign countries. The bomb of sectarian violence can explode anytime. We need to develop a multidimensional plan to counter it as soon as possible.
The Punjab government initiatives to address the root causes of the issue are indeed praiseworthy, eg, introduction of madrassah reforms, provision of food through schemes like food support programme and sasti roti, stipulation of quality education through the establishment of Danish School System, wheat procurement drive to improve the socio-economic condition of the farmers, efficient provision of justice through change in thana culture and increase in salaries of police officers, etc. No wonder, it is appreciable but a lot needs to be done to rectify the mistakes of our past. It is expected that the federal government learns a lesson from the Punjab government and take concrete measures to wipe out the roots of sectarian terrorism from Pakistan.