Embedded below is my full report (109 pages + endnotes) on the resurgence of sectarian violence between Sunni Deobandis and Shias in Pakistan.
The report aims to explore the causes of the surge in sectarian violence between Sunni Deobandi and Shi‘i Muslims in Pakistan since 2007, identify the networks behind it, and offer solutions for rolling back the surging tide. It focuses on the most active zones of conflict between the two groups since 2007: Punjab, Baluchistan, the Kurram Agency and nearby regions, and Karachi.
The report then identifies five trend lines in Pakistan’s Sunni Deobandi-Shi‘i sectarian conflict, which, with the exception of one, are all negative. Finally, the report concludes with a series of recommendations, mainly for the Pakistani government, that will help it reduce and eventually eliminate the scourge of Sunni Deobandi-Shi‘i Muslim violence.
Sunni Deobandi-Shi`i Sectarian Violence in Pakistan: Explaining the Resurgence Since 2007