Pakistan

Stephen P. Cohen and Others, The Future of Pakistan

Post 9/11, the regional strategic discourse in and on south Asia has been overwhelmed by Pakistan and Afghanistan. The past 10 years witnessed Pakistan’s degeneration into a violent, terror-infested state with diminishing authority of the civilian set-up. Moreover, its role in abetting terrorism as an instrument of state policy became known and was acknowledged internationally. The prevailing situation in Pakistan is grave and the likely future scenarios dismaying.

Vision for a Secular Pakistan?

This article will bring to light the transformation of the Pakistani state from a relatively tolerant to an unstable state dominated by militancy and violence. In the formative phase of Pakistan, the notion of religious extremism was almost non-existent as the founder of the country, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, made it clear that the new state would not be theocratic in nature.