Can Pakistan Ignore the Rise of the TLP & Its Rabid Islamism?
In 2006, Pervez Musharraf launched the Enlightened Moderation national programme with the aim of de-intensifying religious militancy at home and softening the international image of Pakistan, so as to enter the War against Terrorism. The programme performed a two-pronged function: promoting Sufism as the official version of Islam, and redirecting state patronage towards the Barelvis. Thus, a Barelvi religious scholar was appointed as the federal minister for religious affairs, and six Barelvis were appointed to the Council of Islamic Ideology, a constitutional body that advises the legislature whether or not a certain law is violative of Islamic principles. Major Barelvi organisations and leaders were quick to position themselves as natural allies in the battle against the Taliban. The popular Canada-based scholar, Tahir-ul-Qadri, portrayed himself as a link between the Barelvis and the establishment. Apart from criticising Taliban, he waged a charm offensive within the military. Qadri regularly described elected officials as systematically corrupt and extolled the military as the only organisation capable of securing Pakistans future. He also formed his own political outfit - Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). In 2012 and 2014, he returned to Pakistan with much hoopla and hype, soon launching mass movements against two different elected governments. Qadris religious influence notwithstanding, PAT was unable to gain support from a sizeable section of the citizenry. It was TLP that succeeded in making a meaningful impact on the Pakistani people.