Saad Hafiz

Clearly Pakistan’s decades’ old tryst with state-sponsored Islamism has been a miserable failure. Faith has been unable to reverse the country’s slide into chaos, fragmentation and turmoil. In fact, the historic kowtowing to religious groups has strengthened widespread militancy and factionalism in the country. Pakistan now finds itself at the crossroads in its existential struggle […]

The abhorrent practice of child marriage continues to thrive despite the prohibition on marriage by almost all countries before the age of 18. Around the world, 10 million girls a year are married off while they are still children. With a rising population, this will increase to 14 million per year over the next decade, […]

Pakistan is classified as a rentier state, trading its strategic utility for military and economic assistance. Its tiny ruling elite has regularly rented out the country’s strategic location and burgeoning military strength to the highest bidder to maintain the economic and political status quo. The country’s early evolution into a rentier state skewed its politics, […]

There is growing realisation that the struggle against extremism cannot succeed by military means alone but also with education, healthcare, economic development and the values of democracy. Religious extremism and radicalism are a socio-economic challenge as much as they are a security problem. If vulnerable states are unable to educate their children or provide healthcare […]

Despite repeated reports about the influx of ‘foreign’ fighters to its ranks, it is only a matter of time before Islamic State (IS) becomes irrelevant as a military force. But the extremist ideology and fanaticism that inspires its followers may prove far more difficult to eliminate. Historically, weird cults like IS have attracted adherents who […]

These are difficult times for Muslims. The murderous campaign launched by Daesh or Islamic State (IS) has intensified the friction between Muslims and the west. There is also trouble within Islam itself, the Shia-Sunni schism having widened due to the conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The Islamic ummah or nation that comprises a fifth […]

Arguably, the inability to build a forward-looking or modern political system has contributed greatly to the civilisational decline of Muslims. Currently, many Muslim countries remain authoritarian states devoid of transparency, rule of law, an independent judiciary, fully contested political pluralism, freedom of expression, press and the media, and an institutionalised separation of civilian and military […]

For a time, the US and Pakistan were in danger of running an important bilateral relationship aground atop a mountain of mutual suspicions and recriminations. Indeed, polarising issues increasingly dominated mutual ties. The chorus of accusations levelled at Pakistan included being a nominal ally in the war on terrorism, using violent non-state actors to de-stabilise […]

The lynching of an Indian Muslim for allegedly possessing beef has received wide press. Although the Indian Constitution protects religious pluralism and freedom, there is growing international concern over the future of pluralism and diversity in India. Is the lynching incident an aberration in the country’s good record of religious tolerance and freedom? Is it […]

Choking off financing is a critical part of the battle against international terrorism. It is as important as disrupting and degrading terrorist operations and capabilities. But it is not an easy undertaking as Pakistan is finding out in its existential struggle against domestic terrorism. A huge challenge is the massive inflow of funds to sectarian […]