A recent analytical report has called on the international community to confront Pakistan's systematic instrumentalisation of religion for political and strategic ends, warning that the practice fuels extremism, destabilises the region, and undermines peaceful coexistence. The report, published by Strat News Global, argues that Pakistan's decades-long history of state-backed terrorism and religious radicalisation has materially deepened global associations between Islam and violent extremism.

DG ISPR's Remarks on India–Afghanistan Ties

Pakistan's discomfort with the strengthening India–Afghanistan relationship was laid bare by a statement from Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who reportedly urged Afghanistan not to engage with India on the grounds that it is a Hindu country. The remarks came after Afghan Agriculture Minister Mawlawi Ataullah Omari described India and Afghanistan as sharing 'the same DNA'. According to the report, Chaudhry went further, questioning whether Afghans could be considered Muslims if they claimed shared ancestry with Indians.

The report described this selective invocation of religion as 'profoundly hypocritical', noting that Pakistan has conducted airstrikes inside Afghanistan — reportedly killing and injuring civilians, including women and children — without any corresponding religious objection from its own military leadership.

The Kabul Strike and Amnesty International's Call

The report specifically cited the strike on Kabul's Omid Drug Rehabilitation Centre, which reportedly resulted in civilian casualties. Amnesty International has called for the incident to be investigated as a possible war crime. Critics argue that Pakistan's silence on its own military actions — while simultaneously invoking Islamic decrees to restrict Afghanistan's diplomatic choices — exposes a calculated double standard. 'This blatant hypocrisy clearly exposes that Pakistan invokes religious decrees as instruments of political convenience whenever things cease to go its way,' the report stated.

Army Chief Asim Munir's Religious Rhetoric

The report identified Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir as a central figure in the growing trend of religious rhetoric within the country's military establishment. According to the report, Munir has repeatedly drawn on Islamic references, scriptural themes, and religious framing in public statements addressing national security, the Kashmir issue, and Pakistan's ideological identity. 'When Pakistan's military leadership issues such sermons and proclamations, they act as if they are the thekedars (sole contractors) of Islam in South Asia and beyond, claiming a fabricated moral authority to lecture others,' the report noted.

Rising Internal Violence: The Data

Citing independent data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the report flagged a sharp escalation in domestic violence. A total of 2,786 terrorism-related fatalities were recorded across Pakistan during the first seven months of 2026. July 2026 emerged as the deadliest single month, with 606 people killed amid intensifying clashes — a figure that, critics argue, sits in stark contrast to the military's posture as a guardian of Islamic values.

International Community Called to Act

The report concluded with a direct appeal: the international community must recognise and actively challenge the political instrumentalisation of religion by state actors. It argued that allowing such behaviour to go unchecked not only emboldens extremist networks but also corrodes the prospects for regional stability across South Asia. With 2,786 terrorism-related deaths recorded in Pakistan in under eight months of 2026, the report's authors contend that the cost of inaction is measurable in lives.