Background

Violent extremism in the past few decades has been perceived to be associated with the Muslim world. However, in recent years, the world has witnessed a new wave of violent extremism that has taken the lives of many innocent people of different faiths, races and nationalities. Since the beginning of the 21st century there has been more than a nine-fold increase in the number of deaths from violent extremism and terrorism, from 3,329 in 2000 to 32,685 in 2014. 2015 saw a decline but with 29,376 deaths it was still the second deadliest year on record. OECD countries however saw an increase in terrorist related deaths from 77 in 2014 to 577 in 2015. It clearly shows that violent extremism has become a global challenge.

Pakistan has been especially hit by the wave of global extremism. Despite a 41 per cent decrease from previous years, as many as 20 incidents of sectarian incidents occurred during 2017 in Pakistan killing 74 and injuring 106.  Vulnerable groups – religious minorities, women, disabled and youth – also lack political space and feel ignored, disenfranchised and exploited. The absence of institutional support and mechanisms for meaningful inclusion power deprive these groups from equitable access to the political process. Research highlights the seemingly small events can create a deadly environment for minorities and calls for more analysis of the risks faced by minorities and for those who attempt to speak on their behalf. While the violence against minorities has been controlled to a great extent, there remains a need to debate its root causes. Moreover, recent violence indicated a rising trends towards vigilantism. All of the above has had an evident impact on Pakistan’s economic, social and political life, affecting key areas such as rule of law, economic productivity, and institutional development.

An analysis of the most cited research papers shows that the root causes of violent extremism are complex, multifaceted and intertwined. These often relate to the structural environment in which radicalization and possibly violent extremism can start to take hold. Violent extremism is the product of historical, political, economic and social circumstances, including the impact of regional and global power politics. Growing horizontal inequalities are one of the consistently cited drivers of violent extremism. Critically, unemployment or poverty alone is not the only push factor inciting violence and extremism: perceptions of injustice, human-rights violations, social-political exclusion, widespread corruption or sustained mistreatment of certain groups, are also considered important push factors. When all these horizontal inequalities come together for a particular group, radical movements and violence are more likely to erupt.