A New Paradigm of Pakistani Society! (Part 1)

By Dr. NADIA KHAN

The rise of Malala Yousufzai especially in America and West, with the success of her book "I am Malala" it is evident that the gulf between university-educated Pakistani youngsters' and the traditional Quranic-Madrasah students is widened to maximum. These two approaches are running side by side and getting widened over day by day. 

For one segment, she is hero and symbol of progressive Pakistan whereas other feel that she, though a traditional Swati girl, is being used by Jews and anti-Pakistan lobby. The core of the conflict is liking of United States of America and hatred against US over many known issues. 

As 2014 is approaching, it is understood in Pakistan that US is finding an easy way, by using Pakistan route, to be out of Afghanistan where it has failed to achieve complete victory and leaving the war-torn country in distress to avoid further war expenses. Beside other political forces, it is better understood by Karachi-based Mutahidda Qoumi Movement (MQM) to encash the situation by extending logistical support to out-going US and Allied forces through Karachi.  

Though Imran Khan has failed to win landslide victory is recent elections but his campaign in favor of Jihad is still in continuation. His party's vocal stance over the inclusion of Jihad based Quranic verses back again in KPK school curriculum, is rather a sign of political scoring than a real effort to re organize the education curriculum that was seriously mismanaged during Musharraf's era upon the wishes of US based NGOs.

So we could say that the political & religious paradox in Pakistan is quite colorful. While Altaf Hussain secular MQM is in favor of US but Imran Khan PTI is indirectly trying to gain the sympathies of hardcore religious forces including Taliban. Likewise, Barelvis, a group who follows Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi school, is totally against of Taliban, who predominantly follow Deubandi interpretation of Holy Quran & Hadith.

In this context, could we say that "Jihad (using automatic weapons against non-combating non-Muslims)" is part of every Pakistani's agenda? While we find the answer of this question, if we look at the Pakistani society, we would see that every second male in Pakistan has grown beard (no matter he is fundamentalist or not) and he -probably- became more conservative towards religion in last two decades due to number of external factors.

So the answer is quite simple - every Pakistani, knowingly or unknowingly, is drifted towards sectarianism with the tide of events happened in Pakistan or in neighboring areas. This has resulted two segments in Pakistani society; a group of people who think progressively and a group of people who believe in hardcore religious teaching in which Jihad is having fundamental value.

Further, the polarization of religious segment of society, elevated a heightened disagreement among each other leading to fierce conflicts that some time took Pakistan as hostage of sectarianism.