FEAR and anxiety have deeply penetrated Pakistani society, undermined social cohesion and eroded the social fabric.

One of the major factors responsible for this state of affairs is religious bigotry, which continues to persist across the country. Uncertainty and scepticism are two major expressions of growing fear, and ordinary folk who have already lost trust in the state’s delivery system are now losing belief in each other.

The state has managed sectarian-related violence in the country. Still, the sectarian divide is not only persisting but also expanding in its ugliest form, where mobs and individuals alike take the law into their own hands and are ready to kill anyone who does not belong to their faith and breach their privacy whenever they want.

In this regard, two points warrant further exploration. The first pertains to the strength of violent religiously inspired groups and how effectively they use legal tools; the second is about how the majority itself becomes insecure.

Organised violent groups have undergone a transformation and changed their tactics. There is a visible pattern in most cases. The leadership of these groups encourage people to take the law into their own hands and then surface after a violent incident in which religious minorities have been targeted, taking up the matter and engaging with the local administration and the legal community.

Their engagement with the police and local administration is confined to providing impunity to the culprits who are not charged with the heinous........

© Dawn