Taliban version of Islam poses severe challenge to Pakistan: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 17 (ANI): Taliban's orthodox perception of Islam is posing a great challenge to Pakistan as Islamabad has developed functional compatibility with the modern values of freedom and human rights which contradicts with group's ideology, Muhammad Amir Rana writes in Dawn.
According to the Author, the Taliban believed in religiously motivated violence and hatred that undermined the foundation of society, also forcing the establishment to revisit its ideologically oriented strategic thinking.
The orthodoxy is not only a matter of the Taliban regime's religious dogma and the ideological hassle it could cause to Pakistani society; the establishment also appears more concerned about the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other Taliban associates who have challenged its strategic views.
The Taliban and affiliated militant groups are testing the perception of Pakistan's strategic community that the Taliban's association with madrassahs in the country is the political capital of the state, the author said.
In a recent video, the head of the outlawed TTP, Noor Wali Mehsud, affirmed that his group was waging a 'jihad' that teachers in Pakistani Madrasa preached.
There are many Muslim-dominated countries in the world, including Pakistan, who are rightly worried about the Taliban's views on religion as most of them have developed functional compatibility with the modern values of freedom and human rights and this is the reason that they have openly condemned the Afghan Taliban's policies.
The Afghan Taliban's policies of rolling back the rights of women, including the recent ban on higher education for them, were also criticized by many Muslim countries and as well as by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Even after their criticism, Taliban leaders insist that their policies are based on Islamic jurisprudence.
Earlier, in 2018, a declaration by the name of Paigham-i-Pakistan was launched at the President's House on January 15, 2018. The declaration categorically condemned terrorism, sectarian hatred, armed sectarian conflict, and the imposition of one's ideology on others by force, as per author Rana.
Describing the context of the declaration, Paigham-i-Pakistan claims that "maximum legislation", according to Islamic teachings and principles, was in place. Interestingly, Ulema supporting jihad in Afghanistan had also signed the declaration.
TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud's statement cited earlier refers to Pakistani religious scholars' pre-Paigham-i-Pakistan fatwas and the general pro-jihad atmosphere that persisted in the Madrasa. In the video message, he says that the TTP jihad was launched in the light of the fatwas given by Pakistani ulema, and "if there is any deficiency, and ... omission from us in the implementation of this fatwa, or if we have changed our jihadi direction, then you guide us and argue, [and] we are ready to listen to your arguments". This is a serious issue for the ulema, as the TTP "consider[s] your silence in our favour [akin to] fighting side by side with us".
The author suggested that Pakistan needs to impose a new Afghan-based policy on cooperation and a pragmatic paradigm and in this, religious scholars can help.
The religious scholars can help by coming up with compelling arguments to counter the TTP narratives and deconstruct the Taliban's thoughts about their view of Islam. (ANI)