Pakistan’s Ethnic Parties’ Religious Narratives and Practices

Abstract

Based on the secondary sources, this paper examines the link between ethnic political parties and religion in Pakistan, focusing on case studies of BNP-M in Balochistan, ANP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and QAT in Sindh provinces. ANP aimed for freedom from Punjabi political dominance without challenging religious sentiments. However, they faced opposition from Pashtun Taliban, perceiving ANP as a threat to religious narratives. ANP's liberal stance was seen as a threat to religious practices and contributed to their loss in the 2018 general elections. BNP-M has appeared neutral on the state's religious narrative and seeking inspiration from leftist transnational political parties in neighboring countries. BNP-M avoided affecting religious sentiments and focused on common social, political, economic, and human rights issues related to the local people. QAT openly adopted a liberal and leftist ideology, taunting religious groups, which negatively impacted local sentiments and hindered their popularity.

Keywords:

• ethnic political parties
• religious narrative
• Sindh
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Balochistan
• Pakistan

Notes

1 In these provinces, some other groups are dwelling and contesting for their economic and political rights such Siraiki in Punjab, Mohajirs in Sindh, and Hazaras in KP.

2 We apologise if we are hurting the sentiments of those who do not feel comfortable with term ethnic political parties because members of these parties call themselves nationalist political parties.

3 Military operations were not conducted because ANP’s wish but keenress of the establishment and international community’s pressure to eradicate safe heavens in tribal areas of Pakistan (Akhtar 2020; Yousaf 2020).

4 In 2018, a mass gathering of predominantly young individuals marched towards the national capital triggered by the extrajudicial killing of a tribal boy named Naqibullah Mehsud in Karachi. This gathering eventually evolved into a full-fledged movement known as the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) (Movement for the Protection of Pashtuns), led by Manzoor Ahmed, popularly known as Manzoor Pashteen.

5 It should be kept in mind that this is not only criteria to assess success of a political party. Yet, it offers a clear understanding about the trust Sindhis have on the left-oriented political movement.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Abdullah Khoso

Abdullah Khoso is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG) at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University). He earned a PhD in Sociology and Cultural Studies from the University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. During and after his PhD, Khoso taught various courses at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM. He has a MSc in Anthropology from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. Khoso has also taught at the International Islamic University, Islamabad and in different capacities worked with Save the Children International and other organizations.

Muhammad Rovidad

Muhammad Rovidad is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG) at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University). He holds a PhD in International Development from University of Vienna, Austria. His PhD focused on socio-economic consequences of microfinance investment in Pakistan. Rovidad initially stepped into teaching at University of Vienna, as a teaching assistant; however, after his return to Pakistan he has frequently taught various courses in various universities.