Conflict Management and Vision for a Secular Pakistan: A Comparative Study

Description

This book aims to examine the vision for the state of Pakistan as perceived by the founders of the country. It argues that conflicts, particularly those at sectarian and communal levels, can be effectively managed by following a secular approach. This would require the adoption of a secular ‘toolkit’ primarily composed of tolerance, neutrality in religious matters, religious freedom, good governance, and the rule of law. A secular approach does not imply anti-religious thought or practice, rather a neutral and unbiased way of understanding that can be perceived as just and fair. The adoption of non-secular approaches favoured by the various regimes of Pakistan from 1947 until today has augmented the sense of insecurity and instability in the country, particularly among the socially and ethnically marginalized communities. This study argues that the issue of religious militancy and violence can be successfully dealt with by introducing a secular order. It aims to develop a secular approach and mindset that will unshackle the process of conflict management in Pakistan, based on the experience of European, Turkish, Indian, and Indonesian experiments with secularism.

Table of Contents

1. List of Acronyms
2. Preface
3. Foreword
4. Introduction
5. In the World of Secular or Secularism
6. Secularism and Pakistan
7. Learning from the Experience of Europe
8. Models of Secular and Secularism
9. Vision for a Secular Pakistan
10. Bibliography

Author Biography

Dr Moonis Ahmar is Professor of International Relations at the University of Karachi and the Director of the Programme on Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. His field of specialization is conflict and security studies focussing on the South and Central Asian regions. Dr Ahmar has 29 years of experience as an academic in Pakistan, and in different foreign universities and research think tanks. He is the author of two books, four monographs, and has edited fifteen books on different themes of International Relations. He has published his research in international journals and has worked on several research projects related to terrorism, conflict, and security studies.