Sectarianism in Gilgit Baltistan: An Analysis

Abstract

Educational institutes are the backbone of society because they built an individual’s narrative toward society. Pakistan is an Islamic republic that was established on the ideology of Islam. Like other Islamic countries of the world Pakistan also got entangled in the wave of sectarianism, the major reasons were the rising sectarian conflicts in neighboring countries like Iran and Afghanistan. The Islamization policy of General Zia-ul-Haq instantly gave birth to sectarianism in Pakistan. Gilgit Baltistan also got entangled in the wave of Sectarianism after the Iranian revolution. Afghanistan’s invasion by the Soviet Union is also the cause of the rise of sectarianism in mainland of Pakistan. Consequently, it resulted in a weakening political system and religious extremism within educational institutes throughout the province. The theory of Constructivism is applied to this research. Constructivism is a social theory. Social Theory is concerned with the study of the relationship between agent and structure within a society and other patterns in world politics. This research has been explored through quantitative research methodology. The researcher selected students, civil servants, and academia as a unit of analysis in the universe of Gilgit Baltistan. The total sample size was 118 respondents. Primary data has been collected for this research. The data was analyzed through the cross-tabulation method which showed that the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted. This study has been a revelation for the future of the youth studying in educational institutes across GB and learning sectarianism.