Pakistan's Army at odds with Islamist groups it once nurtured: Report

Islamabad, Oct 17 (IANS) Pakistani military, once the self-proclaimed protector of the country’s ideological frontiers, is now in conflict with the very radical Islamist groups it helped cultivate, a report said on Friday.

It added that the internal contradictions in Pakistan’s strategy are stark, with Army generals preaching moderation to Western audiences and promising to curb extremism, while simultaneously using religious nationalism to suppress democratic opposition at home.

“The violent protests by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and other Islamist groups in recent weeks reveal how deeply divided the country has become between its Western-facing rulers and its religiously charged street movements. Pakistan’s military establishment, led by Field Marshal Asim Munir, has failed to take its own ideological allies, the right-wing Islamist factions, into confidence as it seeks to rebuild ties with Washington and quietly back the Israel-Gaza peace process. The result is deadly unrest, mass arrests, and open rebellion on the streets,” a report in 'Greek City Times' detailed.

“The most recent protests erupted in late September and early October 2025, when TLP activists clashed with police across Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi after reports emerged that Islamabad had quietly agreed to support Western-backed negotiations aimed at normalising the Israel-Gaza situation,” it added.

The report stressed that thousands of TLP supporters took to the streets in cities across Pakistan, raising slogans against the military and accusing the generals of “selling out Islam for dollars.”

According to the report, the protests turned violent as police resorted to tear gas, rubber bullets and eventually live fire to disperse the crowd. Citing human rights groups and local media reports, it said several people were killed and dozens were injured, including young TLP activists.

“The core of this anger lies in the perception that Pakistan’s military establishment has abandoned its ideological commitments for self-interest. The same army that once used Islamist movements like the TLP and other Barelvi or Deobandi outfits to mobilise support on religious issues now treats them as enemies when they challenge its policy direction,” the report stated.

“For years, the TLP served as a convenient pressure valve for the military, used to counter liberal and democratic movements and to maintain control over the political landscape. But today, as the generals seek Western approval and economic aid, the TLP has become expendable,” it noted.

The report emphasised that the Pakistani military’s increasing repression to maintain control is likely to intensify protests by religious and political groups. Its attempts to align with the West while suppressing domestic dissent will deepen polarisation, and Pakistan, which exported extremism, is now grappling with it

“The Pakistani Generals may believe they can manage this storm through force, but history suggests otherwise. Pakistan is entering a new and dangerous phase, where its rulers’ obsession with power and foreign approval may finally destroy the fragile balance that has kept the country from collapse,” the report asserted.

--IANS

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