THE problem of extremism in Pakistan dates back to the 1980s when the country, with the backing of the United States, engaged itself in the war between the erstwhile Soviet Union and Afghanistan. This led to the emergence of radical ideolo-gy in seminaries along with easy availa-bility of arms across the country. Extremist factions culminated into indigenous groups and unleashed a reign of terror whose effects on society are quite clear.

The Global Terrorism Index 2020 ranked Pakistan eighth. The country has been a victim of thousands of terrorist attacks, and, as reported by South Asia Terrorism Portal, more than 70,000 people than have been killed since 2000. Also, Pakistan allocates a large component of its budget to counterterrorism efforts.

Extremism perpetuates sectarian violence. The fault lines have resulted into frequent confrontations that have had a negative effect on the economic development and the general image of the country.

Pakistan’s ideological, political, and economic problems have persisted, and the battle against extremism is not over. Extremism can be tackled through awareness about the value of tolerance.

Eman Chaudhry
Haripur

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2025