Abstract
Pakistan had remained at the centre stage of Cold War, Afghan war and Global War On Terror for more than five decades. Few countries have been in the forefront to help the Western world in first countering the Soviet threat and then fighting an extremist ideology. Face of terrorism, over the last seven decades has changed dramatically. If we compare the Irish problem, the Palestinian issue, the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), The Red Army Faction (RAF), The Red Brigades, The Japanese Red Army or even the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with Al-Qaida, Taliban or Daésh, there is clear distinction in the modus oprendi, reach, spread and level of violence. Terrorist organisations today have become corporate entities. These have franchise all across the globe. Having an ideological appeal, their reach is almost unlimited. In the recent times, their use of latest technology for spreading their ideology, propaganda, recruitment, funding has been unmatched. Attracting and radicalising, both the educated and uneducated youth has been their biggest success and a significant threat. Pakistan is not the only country affected by militancy, extremism and terrorism. Winds of terror have swept all across the region and the world. Countries in the region have seen some of the worst terrorist attacks in history. A whole civilisation has seen nothing but war, destruction and mayhem. Be it religious extremism, right-wing extremism, politico-religious extremism or left-wing extremism, innocent people have been the target. The evolution of extremism and terrorism in Pakistan can be divided in two distinct phases. The first phase can be referred to as the era of upheavals starting from the Afghan war until 2001, whereas the second phase started with the beginning of Global War on Terror (GWOT) after the 9/11 attacks.