The surprising electoral success of a number of religious parties in the 2002 national elections in Pakistan brought the question of religion and politics to the forefront in an unprecedented fashion. The main issues are: the extent to which this demonstrates a break with the past; the relationship between violent extremism, terrorism and politico-religious groups; and the implications for regional and international relations. The subsequent victory of more secular mainstream political parties in the elections of 2008, following the dramatic assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, holds the promise of reversing Pakistan's slide towards extremist politics. But at the same time jihadi groups are redoubling their efforts inside Pakistan and in the border areas with Afghanistan. The two main political parties have only a tenuous power-sharing agreement at the center, the resurgent secular Pashtun National Awami Party (NAP) in the North-West Frontier Province has been a prime target for intimidation and attacks by religious radicals and remains highly vulnerable, and the prime minister and parliament are having to “co-habit” with a hostile President Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan is at a critical juncture.

None of these trends can be understood without a deeper analysis of the evolution of politicized Islam in Pakistan. In Pakistan, as in neighboring countries, we find a wide spectrum of general political sentiment, from secularism to religious extremism. Most importantly, within the context of religio-political groups in Pakistan, we find notable variations even among groups with common origins and overlapping sympathies. How can we understand these divergences?