The Shia-Sunni conflict is a societal divide going back almost 1400 years. Today, this conflict between Shias and Sunnis has evolved into an almost unmanageable Hydra-like geopolitical struggle for dominance in the Middle East, West Asia and parts of South Asia, none more so than in Pakistan.

Under Army rule in Pakistan, the promotion of harmony in society is on the decline and the country can no longer claim to be living on the principles of equality, unity, faith and justice. Modern-day Pakistan today presents to the world a reality that shockingly alarming, hostile and dismissive, especially when it comes to the treatment of its Shia community, which roughly makes up 10–15 percent of Pakistan’s population (around 25 to 40 million people).
Pakistan’s all powerful Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir’s very controversial remark to top Shia clerics to go to war-ravaged Iran if they loved that country so much, is a glaringly example of misguided governance amidst claustrophobic law enforcement. It has generated strong criticism from community leaders worldwide, and especially from the Shia leadership in Pakistan, which described the utterance as provocative and offensive.
The world community, led by India, has accused Field Marshal Munir of perpetrating the systemic violation of the rights of Shias and other minorities in Pakistan, notwithstanding the fact that Shias and Sunnis have been clashing with each other violently in Pakistan ever since the outbreak of the Israel-US war on Iran towards the end of February.
Over the past decade, the unprecedented violence between Shias and Sunnis in Pakistan has resulted in the loss of many people, including women and children, causing untold suffering for thousands of families, not to speak of the turbulent reshaping of the socio-economic infrastructure amidst escalating civic and economic ruin.
Claims by Pakistan of promoting inclusivity between Sunnis and Shias, besides other minorities, stand exposed. The Shias today see the government, the judiciary and the army with a great deal of distrust, and do not hesitate to blame them for failing to deliver justice to them, or to protect them.
It is often been said that when there is a vacuum between people and institutions, the disintegration of the state is assured. The prevailing trust deficit that exists between the Shias and all government-run institutions in Pakistan in the wake of recent killings of Shias is indeed alarming, and portends the possibility of people actively turning against the state and a period of societal disharmony within the country.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is on record, as saying that sectarian killings in Pakistan can never “assuage the pain of those directly affected and of the countless other Pakistanis who feel an acute sense of abandonment” by the government.
In a damning indictment of all state-run institutions, especially the Pakistan Army, it further states that, “ceaseless and senseless killing like this has led to suspicions that the security agencies either do not have a clue on how to stop the bloodshed or they are involved….”
While precise and comprehensive data about the number of Shias killed in Pakistan is hard to come by because of a deliberate controlled media narrative, or because of underreporting, the fact of the matter is that thousands of them have been eliminated in the last two-and-a-half decades.
Pakistan’s Shia population has faced systemic discrimination, targetted violence and been marginalised socially, so much so that violent attacks on them is today termed as normal, run-of-the mill happening.
These incidents have shaken the conscience of those looking into Pakistan from the outside. There is now a prevailing shadow of fear and instability within the Shia community. Bomb blasts and armed assaults, and threats by Sunni-dominant extremist groups on Shia gatherings, have only exposed the inability and unwillingness of the state authorities to safeguard and protect them.
It is now clear as daylight that anti-Shia and pro-Sunni elements fanning sectarian hatred have managed to carve out a place for themselves in Pakistan’s increasingly Islamic-dominant complex socio-economic and political landscape. They are for all practical purposes functioning in an unchecked manner in an increasingly intolerant environment.
As one report published in the public domain has aptly said, “For the victims and their families, justice remains elusive, further deepening their sense of alienation.”
The Shia protests in Pakistan has been met with a heavy hand. The global community has observed that Pakistan needs to seriously introspect and not always go on the defensive. It has urged Islamabad to move away from image management and address the root causes behind this unacceptable discrimination of Shias.
Ensuring the safety and dignity of all is not merely a political obligation, but a moral one.