Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak

The Conflict Within
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legal mechanism or a long-term strategy in place, the administration
was unable to prevent the flow of funds to unregulated madrasas
and other religious groups involved in extremist activities. The
government’s failure to curb the jihadist madrasas had largely been
responsible for fuelling Islamic extremism.
Most religious schools continued to preach hatred and intolerance.
As a consequence, the ranks of sectarian extremists swelled. After
the failed attempts on Musharraf’s life, the administration launched
raids on some radical madrasas, but such half-hearted and piecemeal
measures could hardly improve the situation. Security agencies had
raided sectarian seminaries only to back down under the pressure
from Islamic parties. In August 2004, the police raided a mosque and
a madrasa in Islamabad to arrest the prayer leader and his brother
for their involvement in terrorist activities, including collaboration
with al-Qaeda. The two were not only released and charges dropped,
but they also retained their government jobs despite a long history of
inciting sectarian hatred.
While Musharraf was praised by the international community for
his role in the war on terror, the frequency and fierceness of sectarian
terrorism continued to rise. The sectarian conflict in Pakistan was also
a consequence of the military government’s policy of marginalization
of secular democratic forces. Despite his close alliance with the USA,
Musharraf continued to rely on the religious right to counter the liberal
opposition. The politics of expediency was also a major factor in his
government’s failure to curb religious extremism and sectarian forces.