Who Turned Religious Ideology into Crisis? Waseem Altaf |

In this thought-provoking analysis, writer and thinker Waseem Altaf examines the rise of what is commonly described as the “Kharijite threat” in Pakistan and questions whether it can be understood purely as an external phenomenon. The discussion looks critically at the historical relationship between the Pakistani state, religious actors, militant groups, and regional power politics. Rather than accepting the familiar narrative of an entirely foreign-created threat, Altaf asks a more uncomfortable question: how much of today’s crisis is connected to policies, ideological narratives, and strategic choices made within Pakistan itself? The analysis also explores Pakistan’s long and complicated engagement with Afghanistan, religious movements, militancy, and the use of religious narratives in politics and national security. Waseem Altaf examines how groups once viewed through different strategic or ideological lenses can eventually become threats to the state itself, and whether simply labeling them as “Fitna” or an external conspiracy avoids the deeper question of responsibility. The central question is provocative: if today’s crisis is partly the consequence of our own political and ideological choices, can it honestly be described as entirely “external”? #religion #extremism #islam #muslim #history #pakistan #afghanistan #ideology #faith