The Shias of Pakistan

The Shias of Pakistan are the world's second largest Shia community after that of Iran, but comprise only 10-15 per cent of Pakistan's population. In recent decades Sunni extremists have increasingly targeted them with hate propaganda and terrorism, yet paradoxically Shias have always been fully integrated into all sections of political, professional and social life without suffering any discrimination. In mainstream politics, the Shia- Sunni divide has never been an issue in Pakistan.
Shia politicians in Pakistan have usually downplayed their religious beliefs, but there have always been individuals and groups who emphasised their Shia identity, and who zealously campaigned for equal rights for the Shias wherever and whenever they perceived these to be threatened. Shia 'ulama' have been at the forefront of communal activism in Pakistan since 1949, but Shia laymen also participated in such organisations, as they had in pre-partition India.
Based mainly on Urdu sources, Rieck's book examines, first, the history of Pakistan's Shias, including their communal organisations, the growth of the Shia 'ulama' class, of religious schools and rivalry between "orthodox" "ulama" and popular preachers; second, the outcome of lobbying of successive Pakistan governments by Shia organisations; and third, the Shia-Sunni conflict, which is increasingly virulent due to the state's failure to combat Sunni extremism.

Andreas T. Rieck has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Hamburg and served with the UN Mission to Afghanistan before spending four years in Pakistan with the Hanns Seidel Foundation. Since 2007 he has been an advisor to the German Federal Criminal Police Office, Berlin.

1. General Historical BackgroundThe spreading of Shi'ism in North-West India until 1947Shia-Sunni issues from Mughal times to 1939The emergence of Shia communalism in British India2. Shias and the Pakistan MovementShia contributions to Muslim political awakening until 1939From the Lahore Resolution to the establishment of Pakistan3. Shias in Pakistan until 1958Communal reorganization and new internal divisionsThe struggle for constitutional safeguards and other Shia demandsShia 'ulamâ' and dînî madâris in the 1950sGrowing resistance against Shia religious ceremoniesThe demand for 'reserved seats'4. The Ayub Khan Era, 1958-1968The impact of martial law and secularismThe 1963 riots and their aftermathSayyid Muhammad Dihlavi and his new Shia movementConflicts between orthodox 'ulamâ' and popular preachersTowards official acceptance of Shia demands5. The Yahya Khan and Bhutto Era, 1969-1977New issues and partial successes in the interim eraThe Bhutto government and Shia demandsDivisions among the Shia 'ulamâ' at their climaxRe-emergence of the sectarian problemDecline of the Shia Mutâlabât Movement6. The Zia-ul-Haqq Era, 1977-1988The impact of Zia's Islamization policy and the Iranian revolutionThe TNFJ under Mufti Ja'far Husain, 1979-1983Sayyid 'Arif Husain al-Husaini and the radicalization of the TNFJThe challenge of Sunni extremism in the 1980s7. The Interim Democratic Decade, 1988-1999From TNFJ to TJP: Return to pragmatismThe sectarian vendetta in the 1990sDecline of the TJP8. The Musharraf and Zardari Eras, 2000-2013Escalating terrorist violence against the Shia minorityThe Shias of Kurram Agency under siegeResponses from Shia communal organizations9. Summary and Conclusion GlossaryBibliographyIndex