The Islamic fault lines in the state widens with extremists attacking minority sects

Amir Mir,

War on The Kafirs, the broad Sunni-Shia division does not explain all of it

• Most Sunnis adhere to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. Only 5 per cent of the country’s population belongs to the Ahle Hadith sect or Wahabis.

• The Sunnis are subdivided into the Barelvi and Deobandi schools of thought

• The Deobandis and Wahabis consider the Barelvis as kafir, because they visit the shrines of saints, offer prayers, believe music, poetry and dance can lead to god

20 per cent of the population effectively considers the remaining 80 per cent as kafir

• Barelvis constitute 60 per cent of the population. Deobandis and Wahabis together account for 20 per cent

• Another 15 per cent are Shias, again considered kafir and subjected to repeated attacks

• Since 2000, the Sunni-Shia conflict has claimed 5,000 lives

Others considered kafir are the religious minorities—Christians, Ismailis, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Ahmadias, etc, who account for 5 per cent of the population

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