The Express Tribune: Nadir Hassan.
The politicisaton of religious identity can be traced back to the Objectives Resolution and, after that, the anti-Ahmadi riots of the 1950s. Groups like the Jamaat-e-Islami and others, who had opposed the creation of Pakistan, suddenly found themselves with a political niche in the new country. The strategy they devised to carve a role for themselves, involved invoking religious sentiments against the Ahmadis and positioned themselves as the true champions of a certain interpretation of Islam. Rather than restricting themselves to the mosque, these groups chose direct action over sermons because their true goal was political, not religious.
