ABSTRACT
60 years after its traumatic birth, religion and politics remain inextricably linked in Pakistan. In a nation deeply divided along ethnic, linguistic, economic and sectarian faultlines, both state policy and public discourse focus on the relationship between Islamic and national identity. In the face of regional and domestic instability, politicians, the military hierarchy, religious leaders and average Pakistanis grapple over the roots of Islamic authority and authenticity and, by extension, religion’s proper role in the ideology of the state. What are the parameters of Islamic orthodoxy and who rightfully speaks for the tradition? What is the role of religion in framing the nation’s educational, legal, economic, social and administrative policies? Beyond the geopolitical realities of passports and maps, what does it mean to be Pakistani, and who represents the nation?
