Dr. Divya Anand*
 |
| Image Source: Chanakya Forum |
Pakistan’s political discourse has always been marred by the close nexus between its dominant and all pervasive institution, the Army, and right wing religio-political groups. Seen from a sectarian prism, the Pakistani state has always centred its economic, political, and social opportunities and benefits on the hardline Sunni-Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith religio-political and militant groups to achieve its domestic and foreign policy imperatives with regard to India and Afghanistan.
In contrast to such austere, strict, and literal interpreters of Islam, the Sunni-Barelvis, known for their Sufi mystic and peace-loving practices, remained on the fringes of strategic importance for the Pakistani Army. Right-wing religio-political groups of different sectarian ideological dispensations have always claimed an independent political role for their supported militant outfits. The Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam, a Sunni-Deobandi religio-political group, has kept a distant profile from Sunni-Deobandi militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, despite providing them with a well-established support base.
Full Article at: http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/the-rise-of-barelvi-militancy-in-pakistan-with-armys-tacit-support/
*Dr. Divya Anand teaches at Amity Institute of International Studies, Amity University, Noida.
