Rise in Terror‑Linked Violence Highlights Pakistan’s Selective Faith Politics

A freshly published analysis details how Pakistan’s leadership repeatedly leverages religion for strategic objectives. The document cites Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary’s claim that Afghanistan should avoid ties with India because the latter is a "Hindu nation," and his challenge to Afghan Agriculture Minister Maulvi Ataullah Omar’s statement about shared DNA between Indians and Afghans, arguing it conflicts with Muslim identity. The report describes this as a stark double standard: civilian casualties from air strikes in Afghanistan—women, children and non‑combatants—are seldom evaluated through the same moral lens. It also references the bombing of the Omaid drug‑rehabilitation centre in Kabul, after which Amnesty International demanded a probe into possible war crimes. General Asim Munir’s tenure has seen an increase in Islamic framing of issues ranging from national security to the Kashmir dispute. Statistics from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies record 2,786 deaths linked to terrorism in the first seven months of 2026, with July registering the highest monthly death toll of 606. The analysis concludes with a call for the global community to confront Pakistan’s religious politicisation, noting its potential to fuel extremism, destabilise the region and threaten peaceful coexistence.