McGill Journal of Political Studies 2014 April, 2014 | страница 62

Abstract
Sixty-six years after it’s independence from India, Pakistan stands today a divided nation, rife with internal conflict. Strong sectarian and ethnic identities have emerged in
the nation-state, those which Islam has not been able to unify. A examination of the
country’s history and the demographic balance of its peoples sheds light on possible reasons
and ramifications of this phenomenon.

T

The Failure of Civic
Nationalism in Pakistan
By Zoha Azhar

hough not originally founded on an
ideological premise, the creation of
the state of Pakistan was originally
fuelled by religious notions of identity.
The ‘Two-Nation Theory’ that justified the
formation of Pakistan and its secession from
the British Indian Empire, was based on
the notion of a separate homeland for the
Muslim population of the subcontinent.
Religion has played a major role in both
the domestic and international spheres
of Pakistani politics, and political Islam
was, and still is, propelled into cultivating
a civic nationalism which would adhere to
pan-Islamic identity that would cut across
the different ethno-linguistic cleavages
in the country. The failure of the state to
develop and maintain this civic nationalism,
coupled with the way in which religion has
been promoted by the state has led to the
fragmentation of Pakistani society, mainly
along lines of religious sect and ethnicity.
This paper will explore possible explanations
as to why religious identity could not unify
the peoples of Pakistan in the post-partition
era, and examine the implications of such
for the country in recent years.
A distinction between ethnic nationalism
and civic nationalism is vital to the
subsequent discussion. A nation, as defined
by civic nationalists, is “an association of
people with equal and shared political
rights, and an allegiance to similar political
procedures. The nation is a political entity,
inclusive and liberal. Anyone can, so to
speak, join through becoming a citizen1.”
Henry Srebrnik, “Civic and Ethnic Nationalism,”
December, 2011, Accessed at http://www.journalpioneer.com/Opinion/Columns/2011-12-28/arti1

Keywords: Pakistan, Ethnic Conflict, Sectarianism

Civic Nationalism does not have ethnicity
as its prime determinant, but rather tries to
subdue the ethnic identities and propagate
allegiance to the “Country.” By contrast,
ethnic nationalists define the nation in
terms of a shared heritage, which usually
includes “a common language, faith, and
ancestry. They base membership on descent
or heredity. It is clearly a more restrictive
form of nationalism2.” In Pakistan, statepromoted religious nationalism was
intended to act as civic nationalism and
displace other nationalisms rooted in
ethnicity or language.
Historical Background
Borne out of the quest for a Muslim
homeland, Pakistan and its relationship
with Islam is a strong determinant of how
domestic politics unfolds in the country. As
stated by Ahmed, “the social and poli ѥ