Religion has played a double role in a society like ”world maintaining and world shaking”. Sometimes it has been used to legitimize power, getting privilege or liberty, and sometimes it is used to dethrone the rulers. The dictation of religion was misinterpreted, and religion was misused by the officialdoms of the state to justify their rule as well as to orchestrate the social settings of the society before and after the European imperialism in the Subcontinent. Pakistan has a colourful history of religious exploitation where religion is being exploited either by theologians or ruler elites to serve their interests, before and after Independence.
The division of the Sub-continent was based on the ”Two-Nation Theory” propounded by Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan that was entirely based on religions (Hinduism and Islam); it means nationalism was created in the name of religion to advocate the Muslim interests of India. However, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah underscored the cultural differences between Hindus and Muslims rather than the religious dissimilarities between them.
Religion inherently fosters the prosperity of human beings without any discrimination of caste, colour, or creed; however, its positive impact depends on its proper use. Prevention of such manipulation is achievable through a profound understanding of the true spirit of religion which neither allows exploitation nor permits individuals to be exploiters
Nevertheless, the same vision had been observed by the Muslim Leaguers. Even the Quaid’s 1940 and 1947 speeches have differences in emphasis. In 1940 the Quaid’s main argument was to create a separate Muslim state for Muslims only, but when his object was fulfilled in 1947 his view seems to have changed, and he welcomed all the people from different religions and walks of life in the new-born state. If the Muslim League’s goal was only to establish an Islamic state, then Maulana Maududi, the founder of Jamaat e Islami, and Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madani, a renowned Indian Islamic scholar, were not against the Pakistan movement. Thus, the two-nation theory failed when East Bengal seceded from Pakistan in 1971.
Since the inception of Pakistan, the political gains have been accomplished by exploiting the religion either by religious or political parties and this exercise has been observed in both military as well as in civilian governments. Hence, the first time this religious card was played by Mufti Mahmud against Fatima Jinnah by declaring that “women do not have right to contest the election” during the presidential elections of 1965, when she contested in the opposition to Field Marshal Ayub Khan.
Similarly, Z. A. Bhutto replicated this to appease the Ulema by raising the slogan of Islamic Socialism during the first-ever general elections of 1970, and then by declaring Ahmadis as non-Muslim through Parliament, as well as organizing the second Islamic Summit in 1974 to remain in power.
Moreover, in 1977 after the second general elections alleged by the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) led by Mufti Mehmood against Z. A. Bhutto thus, the political demonstrations were converted to demand the implementation of “Nizam-e-Mustafa” by using religion to depose Bhutto’s government. Even Bhutto declared Friday as a public holiday instead of Sunday to stabilize his power, but he could not succeed.
Furthermore, religion was tremendously manipulated during the Afghan Jihad of the 1980s against the USSR, that had posed an adverse impact on Pakistan’s politics and social life under the umbrella of General Zia’s Islamization. According to Arif Jamal, author of Shadow War, the Jamaat Islami had played a decisive role in the Afghan Jihad along with the military and later in creating the insurgency in Indian Occupied Kashmir in 1990s under the rubric of holy war. Besides, the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad was founded by former ISI chief Lt Gen Hameed Gul during the 1988 general elections to oppose Benazir Bhutto, exploiting religion to assert that “women could not be accepted as the Prime Minister of a Muslim state.”
In recent decades, the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), led by Maulana Tahir ul Qadri, misused religion twice, against the PPP in 2012 and the PML(N) in 2014 to destabilize their respective governments. Additionally, Tehreek Labaik Pakistan led by Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi organized a massive Dharna (sit-in) against the PML(N) in 2017 and PTI in 2020 to pressurize their governments. Similarly, during the campaign for the 2018 elections, Imran Khan exploited the religious card in the name of establishing the “Riyasat-e-Madina” to manipulate the masses for political gains. Similarly, the JUI(F) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman also exploited madressa students during its Azadi March of 2019, and then in 2022 under the umbrella of PDM to overthrow the PTI’s government.
Consequently, individuals can be easily manipulated in the name of religion due to a lack of awareness regarding the authentic essence of religion as elucidated by the Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah. Religion inherently fosters the prosperity of human beings without any discrimination of caste, colour, or creed; however, its positive impact depends on its proper use. Prevention of such manipulation is achievable through a profound understanding of the true spirit of religion which neither allows exploitation nor permits individuals to be exploiters.
