Understanding and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) among University Students: A Peace Building Perspective

Abstract

Campus violence and rising trends of extremism in Pakistani society is an alarming problem. The violent behavior of youth on campus is viewed as a product of sociopolitical, economic and cultural structure of the state. The purpose of this research is to analyze the root cause of violence and extremism on campus in the view of academia and it also studies the causal impact of imposition of legal punishments in deterring future crime in the case of Pakistani society. Descriptive design has been used and semi structured interviews were conducted from the political science, sociology and criminology academic experts working in leading universities in Pakistan to identify the major factors behind increase in extremism among university students. Secondary data was collected from books, journals and articles. Through analyzing deterrence as a theory of punishment and social control theory and applying Nested model for conflict analysis, it was concluded that incidents of campus violence is not only a social disorder faced on campus but a threat to national interest of the state. Based on the data collected the peace building approach has been analyzed and it has been recommended that the government, criminal justice system and civil society need to adopt a sensitive policy towards the problems of campus violence and extremism and if cured can represent the soft image of Pakistan on global forums.