Publications Archive
Reversing Pakistan’s Drift Toward Radicalism February 23, 2011 / Hasan Askari Rizvi
The assassination earlier this year of the governor of Punjab is representative of Pakistan’s drift towards Islamic orthodoxy and radicalism. Radicalism has permeated society at large – including government institutions – and now represents the dominant worldview in the country. Pakistan’s Islamic groups include a wide range of entities, from right-of-center political parties to conservative Islamic clergy and militant groups. The social and educational changes advanced by the government of General Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s has severe implications for Pakistan’s domestic security and external relations today, and can only be reversed through a similar generational process involving educational reform, socio-economic development, and regional peace initiatives.



