Pakistan

This chapter analyzes how “the militants” turned to autonomous action and imposed their own strategy while conserving their close connection with the Pakistani secret services (ISI). In order for the militants to regain their influence over the jihadi groups, the ISI had to orchestrate a split in their ranks or create new, rival groups. The chapter discusses the radicalization of the Deobandi movements, which can be traced to the policy of conservative re-Islamization instituted by General Zia ul-Haq. It also mentions the way in which mainstream parties patronized the movements without consideration of the strategies that played a decisive role in the rise of sectarianism in Pakistan, and describes the impact of state actors with foreign powers and local players in a multi-scalar approach.