In the contemporary era, with growing advancement and technological innovationsin every field, we have to ask ourselves:why areindividuals in our societybecoming more violent and radical in every sense?Most people in Pakistan are adopting increasingly extreme political, socialand religious ideals and aspirations.Within the last decade, increasing tendencies of extremism and violence have been witnessed in Pakistan. Disruptive socio-political and economic structures, a backward and biased education system anda weak governance system within the country provide perfect breeding grounds for radical ideas to grow, and so is the case with Pakistan.
There are several countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and othersthat launched their deradicalisation plans and succeeded to a great extent along with some shortcomings. Pakistan has also taken several initiatives but has yet to launch a comprehensive, vigourous, area-specific programme and homegrown deradicalisation policy todisengage the youth and individuals from committing such atrocities. The experience of other countries could be studied but a viable national approach to counter radicalisation and enforce an innovative policy has to be formulated keeping in mind the cultural sensitivities and socio-economic background of the areas involved. This will not be successful without proper planning, political will, effective administration and implementation.
Radical elements seem to be fully engaged in our society at all levels. Suicide bombings, increased target killings and murders of people belonging to others sects, and targeting police officers and army personnel, all this shows the intolerant and radical behaviour of a few individuals who, after being brainwashed, carry out these activities, like the killings of innocent polio workers or the Mastung incident. They believe themselves to be on the right path by doing so, which no doubt they are not. Instead, they are not only endangering their lives but the life hereafter.
These people have their own version of religion. Religion has been used as a means to achieve ends. Madrassas (seminaries) have now become places where the true purpose of imparting religious education instead of extremist ideologies seems to be lost. The government should make all possible efforts to fulfil the task of registration of madrassas, most of which have been working for a very long timeas recruiting agents for extremist organisations by inculcating wrong ideologies in their young, impressionable minds. Effective monitoring of madrassas is required on the part of the government.
Reforms within the prison structure are a very important step towards deradicalisationas our prisons are schools of extremism. The conditions of prisons in Pakistan are such that the radical beliefs held by one person flow very easily to others.Most criminals come out as hardened criminals instead of changed individuals. The services of well-informed and well-respected religious scholars need to be utilised. They should play their role in drawing a clear line of distinction between the true concept of jihad in Islam, terrorism and suicide bombing.
With the increasing radicalisation of society and the deteriorating socio-economic conditions, the youth have become vulnerable to the discourse extremists adopt. According to the youth ministry, almost 60 percent of Pakistan’s population is under 25, a ratio higher in areas such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. The unemployed and illiterate youth serve as perfectrecruiting material for extremist groups.Reforms in the education sector and curriculum revision must be carried out in good faith with emphasis on peace education, which must be taught as a separate subject. Besides, cultural exchange programmess should be launched at the national level to overcome the rising differences among different ethnic groups and to create better understanding among people belonging to different sects. Frequent peace seminars should be held in the country and awareness campaigns should be launched in the rural and tribal areas.
The media, with tremendous powers at hand,should become fully engaged in this regard and create awareness among people about this less talked about but important issue. Political parties have to rise above their differences at least on issues related to national security and the future of Pakistan to bring about a positive change.Recently, while addressing a gathering at the northwestern Swat valley deradicalisation centre, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that his government wantedan atmosphere of peace, harmony and goodwill to prevail all over the country and that the deradicalisationprogramme should be extended to other parts of the country, where the youth have adopted such a path and need attention.
The deradicalisation plan launched in Pakistan should be extended to the urban areas as well. Some realistic steps should be seen on a practical level as early as possible to save the coming generations from falling prey to extremist elements. There is a dire need to counter this phenomenon and to take pragmatic steps to deradicalise this society. An attempt is needed to change the ideologies held by these extremists and disengagethem from their activities. Though such plans or steps will not bring immediate results or an overnight change, it is a long-term process involving political will and state-societal efforts.
However, in the end, we have to cut the extremists’ recruiting lines and stop them from exploiting the prevalent conditions of Pakistan. There are external factors as well but it is important to put our own house in order first. We need to see an improved socio-economic status of the country along with the deradicalisationprogramme. The coming generations will, hopefully, see a Pakistan that is peaceful, free of sectarian killings and suicide bombings.
The writer is a researcher and has a Masters degree in International Relations