PAKISTAN has banned the TLP again. It is the second time in four years that the violent religio-political group has been outlawed. The action has been taken by the federal government after the group had turned Lahore into a virtual battlefield, destroying public property and attacking law-enforcement agencies. Several people, including policemen, were killed and wounded.

It was the worst incident of violence perpetrated by a religious group in Lahore in recent times. The government says the state will not succumb to any kind of threat or blackmail this time. The crackdown on the group, which has strong mass support in Punjab, has been intensive. But given its past record of appeasement, there are still doubts over the seriousness of the latest government action.

There is also the question of the policy dealing with violent extremism that is now so deeply entrenched in society. The TLP is just a symptom of a menace that threatens our social fabric and the state’s unity. The rise of religious extremism in Pakistan is, to a large extent, the result of the state’s own policies.

In fact, the TLP is a product of the impunity allowed by the state to extremist ideology. Has there been a genuine shift in state policy towards religious extremism? Just banning the TLP won’t solve the problem of religious extremism in the country. There is no indication of the state willing to completely root out violent extremism.

It is necessary to address........

© Dawn