A Historical Context of Radicalization in Pakistan through Media and Education During Zia ul Haq Era

Abstract

This study focuses on the fact that the era of General Zia ul Haq remains significant period in shaping the socio-political discourse of Pakistan based on religious identity. The notion of Islamization was coined to rejuvenate the religious, socio-cultural, and political landscape of Pakistan. There is a common narrative that how the policies of General Zia were embryonic in setting the roots of indoctrination and radicalism. The objective of the study is to analyze how the media and education sector were controlled by the government of General Zia to bring a controlled particular version of Islam. Following the contextual nature of radicalism, this paper explores the ways through which soft means including education and controlled media were used by a military dictator for indoctrination. With in-depth interviews and qualitative data analysis, it was observed that media and education were controlled, exploited, and articulated by the state with a radical rhetoric by the state.