RESILIENCE TO RADICALIZATION ASSESSING COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES TO COUNTER VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

In the Countering Violent Extremism strategy, Pakistan had to change its conventional militarized and intelligence approach to counterterror and embrace a more subtle approach of working with communities where traditional CVE is promoted. They comprehend that violent radicalism is not only a security problem rather a complex sociopolitical issue caused by ideological, financial, and complaint-based pressures. This study examines how to explore the growth, implementation, and effectiveness of the community-based approaches to CVE in Pakistan, otherwise known as grassroots mobilization, ideological counter-narratives, and youth mobilization, gender work, and internet literacy. It is worth noticing that the relevant state and civil society initiatives at the higher ranks of the state and in the civil society itself that pertain to efforts in the religious fatwa called Padgham-e-Pakistan, endorsed by the country as a whole in an attempt to condemn violence contaminated by Islam are brought into critical assessment in the article. It singles out the newfound role of young people as fragile subjects and essential stakeholders of peacebuilding, the risks of online radicalization using social media, and the underutilized ability of women in CVE initiatives. Government reports, academic research, and program reviews have been utilized in qualitative content analysis in shaping up major strengths and weaknesses of the CVE ecosystem in Pakistan, as the research highlights. Experience has shown that CVE programs which are accompanied by community-based approach in Pakistan have been forming a consistent pressure towards the development of resilience, religious tolerance, and civic awareness among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Explosion of interventions is also a problem besides its sustainability, enhancement of collaboration between the agencies, and integration of such activities into greater national security policies. The article draws the conclusion that localization, inclusiveness, and context sensitivity of the CVE in Pakistan should become the priority, with a focus on preventing rather than responding and the longer social cohesion as a priority.