The Durable Narrative of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan
FIRST INSTANCE: The Zia-ul-Haq Era and the Weaponization of Sectarianism The institutionalization of sectarian divisions in Pakistan can be traced with precision to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the subsequent Soviet invasion of Afghanistan . General Zia-ul-Haq's military regime, in an effort to suppress internal dissent and align with US interests in the anti-Soviet Mujahideen campaign,
actively promoted a Sunni-centric, ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. This included state-sponsored madrassas that propagated sectarian hostility and the enactment of discriminatory Hudood Ordinances (1979) , disproportionately affecting Shiite and other minority communities. The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) further exacerbated these tensions, with Saudi Arabia and Iran extending their
geopolitical rivalry into Pakistan, funding proxy groups that fueled violence. A notable early instance of this pattern was the Ashura bombings in Karachi in 1983 , which killed over 20 people and was immediately attributed to 'sectarian elements,' a convenient shorthand that sidestepped government failures and external manipulation (BBC Archives, 1983). REPETITIONS: Recycling the Blame This
playbook of attributing violence solely to 'sectarianism' has been recycled consistently: Lahore, 1997: A series of bombings targeting Shiite processions killed dozens. Government statements, echoed in international media (e.g., Associated Press, 1997), focused on arrests of 'sectarian militants,' rarely exploring the funding networks or intelligence failures that allowed such groups to operate