Moderating Extremism in Pakistan (April 2011)

With support from the US Institute of Peace, The Institute for Inclusive Security and its local partner in Pakistan, PAIMAN Alumni Trust, launched the “Women Moderating Extremism” program during a five-day workshop in Islamabad. As Pakistan struggles to contain rising radicalization, achieve political stability, and uphold the rule of law, engaging women to moderate extremism offers some hope of a more peaceful future. Recognizing this need, Inclusive Security and PAIMAN have begun a two-year initiative to increase the visibility and elevate the voices of Pakistani women working to build peace and curtail extremism. Bringing together women from diverse provinces, backgrounds, and professional sectors, the first “Women Moderating Extremism” workshop set out to build a national coalition equipped to advance the role of women in addressing the causes of extremist violence in Pakistan.

From April 6 to 10, the Institute and PAIMAN convened 16 Pakistani women leaders from the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh, as well as from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, to share their experiences in building peace, social cohesion, and unity within their communities. Laying the foundation for a sustainable coalition, the workshop increased the interaction, trust, and a sense of a common purpose among these leaders. After mapping their current efforts and being introduced to key aspects of the women, peace, and security framework, participants discussed the contributions of Pakistani women to peacebuilding and developed arguments for women’s inclusion in the country’s peace and security processes. They then analyzed the underlying causes of extremism in Pakistan, highlighting the role women play in combating these forces.

Participants were introduced to the benefits and challenges of working in a coalition and were provided with examples of effective group advocacy from around the world. After identifying their mutual concerns and priorities, the women developed a goal to unite their efforts as a national coalition. Deciding to advocate for the full integration of women into Pakistan’s policy discourse on extremism and social cohesion, the nascent coalition outlined its objectives for their work together. To advance women’s leadership in Pakistan’s policies and processes related to rehabilitation, reconciliation, and peacebuilding, the group created action plans on the provincial and federal levels with activities to be implemented over the immediate and longer term. In the fall, the Institute and PAIMAN will reconvene the coalition to design policy recommendations and interventions to respond to the drivers of extremism in Pakistan. Until then, Inclusive Security and PAIMAN will support the coalition as it works to implement its shared agenda for collective and individual action over the next six months.

For more information on Inclusive Security's work in Pakistan, please contact Allison Shean.

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