Pakistan continues to deal with numerous domestic and external sources of strife. A limited conception of Pakistan's national identity has encouraged extremism and intolerance of diversity and dissent, endangering the possibilities for social cohesiveness and stability in the nation. Because state institutions frequently fail to offer peaceful solutions to problems, some groups have turned to violence as a solution. Following the 2013 and 2018 elections, the nation saw peaceful political transitions. However, the nation continues to struggle with a shaky economy and widening domestic polarization as it gets ready for expected elections in 2023. The country's agriculture and health sectors have been put under strain, and the terrible flooding that swept through Pakistan in 2022 exposed the country's vulnerability to climate disasters as well as serious flaws in governance and economic stability.
Regional tensions between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan have increased due to a revival of terrorist groups along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Although the Line of Control in Kashmir was proclaimed to be in a state of truce in 2021, relations with India are still stale and susceptible to crises that endanger regional and global security. As a major state and close friend of Pakistan, China's presence and influence in the region has the power to both ease and worsen a number of internal and international issues.
Since the 1990s, the U.S. Institute of Peace has done research, provided analysis, and encouraged discourse in Pakistan. Since 2013, the organization has an office there. The Institute strives to improve social cohesiveness and counteract Pakistan's rising intolerance of diversity. Using media, the arts, technology, dialogues, and education, USIP supports regional organizations that create cutting-edge strategies for fostering peace and advancing narratives of inclusion.
USIP collaborates with government agencies in an effort to help them better respond to the demands of the public, which can help to lessen the need for violence to settle disputes. The Institute promotes efforts to develop inclusive democratic institutions and governance, advance increased access to justice, and enhance connections between police and communities.
The public and Pakistani police have a strained relationship that is marked by mistrust and abuse, which has made effective policing difficult. Through training, capacity building, and social media engagement, USIP has partnered with national and provincial police departments to support improving police-community relations and policing in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, there are almost two-thirds of people under the age of 30. Higher education-educated youth have disproportionate influence in society. But Pakistan's compartmentalized educational structure forbids connections between various groups or campuses, which breeds intolerance and, in some cases, radicalism. In order to combat the growing intolerance of diversity on college campuses, USIP has teamed up with civil society organizations and government agencies to fund initiatives that create long-lasting frameworks for communication, critical thinking, and peace education.
USIP assists local cultural leaders, members of civil society, artists, and others in revitalizing customs and discourses that foster tolerance for difference, foster communication, and confront societal change. Additionally, USIP encourages the creation of media that presents opposing viewpoints to extremism and religious fundamentalism, such as theater, documentaries, and anthologies of short stories.
Pakistan's interreligious relations have deteriorated, and there have been some cases of violence or other types of exclusion. USIP supports local peacebuilders' initiatives to advance interfaith harmony, peaceful cohabitation, and the fair inclusion of minorities (of gender, ethnicity, and religion) in all facets of public life. These peacebuilders include religious scholars and leaders.
USIP promotes technical assistance to state institutions, initiatives to strengthen local governments, and aid to relevant civil society actors in their efforts to promote greater inclusion of excluded groups in order to enable democratic institutions become more responsive to citizens. This project's main focus has been gender, as it has been throughout all of USIP's Pakistani programming. Through research, advocacy, and capacity building, these programs enable women to participate in democratic and peacebuilding processes.
Asadullah Sarmad
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