Sustainable Prevention Pathways, Policy Gaps, And Drivers Of Countering Violent Extremism In Pakistan

Abstract

Violent extremism has always been a challenge to the national security of Pakistan, social cohesion, and development of the country. Years of various manifestations of extremism have been experienced in the country that has led to substantial loss of life and displacement as well as a breakdown of trust in society. This paper is a critical analysis of the socio-economic, political and psychological factors leading to violent extremism in Pakistan and assesses the efficiency of their respective counter-policies namely the National Action Plan (NAP) and Paigham-e-Pakistan. Though such initiatives have been valuable in policy frames, their tendency [1]of being more security based oriented has restricted their ability to deal with root causes especially those that are marginalized. By using purposive sampling with workers and leaders to collect information in a qualitative study based on an interpretivist research design, the study will use semi-structured interviews, focus groups, field observations, and document analysis as methods of studying the phenomenon. Thematic analysis is used to reveal frequent patterns and situational processes that contribute to radicalization as the context. Results show that poverty, unemployment, lack of access to quality education, political instability, and poor governance still form the major facilitators of extremism that are often augmented by sectarianism and feelings of alienation. The paper reveals the necessity of integrated, grass-root measures that integrate social-economic growth, education, and community dialogue to establish long-term resiliency to extremist groups.