186: Extremism: Pakistan in Search of a Solution
Shahid Javed Burki, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISAS
28 March 2014
Pakistan is in agony. In almost 67 years of sovereignty, it has never had political leadership that
could foster a national feeling among all citizens. And now a relatively small segment of the
population has taken up arms to challenge the authority of the state. When we view Pakistan's
experience with extremism through a wide-angle lens, we see that its rise and stubborn presence
are the consequences of the coming-together of a number of complex circumstances. It is also
clear that the country will not be able to make economic progress unless the various groups that
have taken up arms against the state are made to obey the law of the land.