Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Pakistan at a crossroads

by Praful Bidwai from The International News

India has a big stake in a Pakistan that pursues political and religious moderation, is strongly pluralist and inclusive, and is firmly committed to subordinating its military to civilian control. Contrary to what India's Right-wing "security experts" never tire of saying, Pakistan is not destined to be a military dictatorship, nor a wahabi-salafist society. Pakistan's Islam, like all South Asian Islam, is marked by Sufi influences and diversity. It's eminently amenable to moderation and the idea that different religions and non-religious traditions can coexist and enrich one another. Pakistani Islam's literalist Wahabi reinterpretation is recent and must be combated -- even as enlightened rationalism is promoted and the scientific temper fostered. Ultimately, we must remember, Pakistan's and India's destinies are bound together.

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