Pakistan |

Published by Seth Oldmixon on June 6, 2022

Pakistani Politics and the Rhetoric of Sacred Violence

Following his removal from office by way of a no-confidence vote by Pakistan’s National Assembly in April, former Prime Minister Imran Khan has described his effort to return to power as “jihad.” In response, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz told her party’s supporters that stopping Khan’s effort was tantamount to jihad. To many onlookers, especially…

Published by Liberty South Asia on November 24, 2019

“Reimagining Pakistan: A Global Perspective”

Remarks delivered by Seth Oldmixon on November 23, 2019 London Pakistan finds itself in a tough spot right now. But it has a choice: It can either approach this situation defensively, as a threat, or positively, as an opportunity. Allow me to explain: Last June, Pakistan was added to a what is commonly known the…

Published by Saghir Shaikh on October 29, 2019

Will Pakistan’s Renewed “Grey List” Status with FATF Result In Meaningful Change?

Earlier this month, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) formally announced that Pakistan will remain on its Grey List, noting it still had “serious concerns with the overall lack of progress” the government had made in addressing issues of money laundering and terror financing. In the same vein of concern that other international bodies have…

Published by Liberty South Asia on August 31, 2019

Kashmir: Religion and the State Before Partition

“The State has not known of any religious movements worth mentioning. With an eminently Hindu Government conservative in its views and keenly imbued with respect for the tenents and the traditions handed down to it with a spirit of infinite toleration towards the numerous religions of which the different classes of its subjects are the…

Published by Liberty South Asia on May 3, 2019

EU Parliamentarians Threaten Pakistan Over Religious Persecution

“I have just sent a letter, signed by 52 MEPs, to the Prime Minister of #Pakistan urging him to take measures to dismantle the constitutional and institutional structures that have resulted in the persecution of religious minorities in the country,” wrote EU parliamentarian Marijana Petir on 30 April. The letter, posted below, goes far beyond…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on March 27, 2019

Pro-ISIS Cleric Leading Prayers in Islamabad Raises Concerns about Pakistan’s Latest Crackdown on Extremists

Maulana Abdul Aziz has the distinct notoriety of being one of the few Islamist clerics who is too radical for even the Pakistani state. As the head of Pakistan’s Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), Aziz waged an armed battle against Pakistani troops in 2007 – a battle the cleric famously tried to escape by dressing as…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on May 4, 2018

How Secularism Protects Religion and Culture

In a recent interview with the Economist, Pakistani politician Imran Khan expressed his support for women, like his wife, who choose to wear a veil that fully covers their face. “The amount of clothes a person wants to wear – how much they want to wear or how little they want to wear – is a…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on February 8, 2018

Echoes of Pakistani Extremism Ring Out In Indian Politics

In her indispensable book, Purifying the Land of the Pure, Farahnaz Ispahani details the tragic history of Pakistan’s descent “into internal violence as the search for Islamic purity set Muslims against non-Muslims, Sunnis against Shiites and Ahmadis, and various Sunni sects against one another.” Today, echoes of this tragedy can be heard ringing out in…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on December 20, 2017

Pakistani Newspaper Alters Report on Religious Minorities

On December 13, The Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper affiliated with The New York Times, reported on a Supreme Court case pertaining to the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. According to the original report, “the top court has expressed its anger over the Punjab government’s failure to ensure the the presence of Hindu idols…

Published by Liberty South Asia on December 18, 2017

Pakistan Cabinet Official Makes Inflammatory Statement About Religious Minorities

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb, told reporters on Friday that “Jews and Hindus” are secretly funding an opposition political party for the purposes of “halting the way of Pakistan’s prosperity.” The most recent data available from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics lists Pakistan’s Hindus as just under 2 percent of…