Why Pakistan Is Stuck in 7th Century?

Introduction

When Pakistan was created in 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned it as a modern, progressive Muslim nation. However, over the decades, Pakistan has increasingly drifted away from modernity and fallen into religious rigidity, political instability, and economic decline. Many observers today believe that Pakistan remains mentally and ideologically stuck in the 7th century — the era of early Islam.
This article explores the factual reasons behind this phenomenon.

1. Foundational Confusion: Islam vs Modern Nation-State

Pakistan’s birth itself was based on a confusing foundation:

  • It was created as a homeland for Muslims of the Indian subcontinent.
  • However, it was also expected to operate as a modern, secular state.

Unlike Arab Muslim countries, which evolved organically, Pakistan’s identity was artificially constructed — based not on ethnicity, language, or culture but purely on religion.
This created an identity vacuum.
Instead of rooting itself in the rich Indus Valley or Gandhara civilizations, Pakistan’s leaders increasingly turned towards Arabian Islamic models of the 7th century.

2. Khilafat Movement (1919–24): Root of Religious Politicization in South Asia

The Khilafat Movement played a significant role in shaping Pakistan’s ideological course.

  • After World War I, the Ottoman Empire’s Caliphate collapsed, and Muslims globally were emotionally tied to the idea of protecting the Caliph.
  • Leaders like Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali (along with Mahatma Gandhi’s support) launched the movement, seeking to preserve the Caliphate in Turkey.
  • This movement was largely symbolic for Indian Muslims but stirred religious emotions and set a dangerous precedent by associating Islam with political activism.

Impact:

  • Religious identity became politicized, creating the first seeds of Muslim separatism.
  • The idea of a “Muslim nation” was firmly planted, setting the stage for Pakistan’s creation in 1947.
  • This movement blurred the lines between religion and politics, which would later fuel Pakistan’s 7th-century mindset and push it away from rational, modern statehood.

3. Islamization Under General Zia-ul-Haq (1977–1988)

A major turning point came during the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.
Zia aggressively promoted:

  • Sharia-based laws
  • Hudood Ordinances (punishments like stoning, amputation)
  • Mandatory prayers in offices
  • Blasphemy laws with death penalty
  • Religious content in textbooks

Zia’s policies forced Pakistani society backward by centuries.
He re-engineered national identity: from a “South Asian Muslim” to a “7th-century-style Islamic warrior.”

This period also saw the birth of thousands of radical madrasas funded by Saudi Arabia to promote Wahhabi-style Islam, deeply harming Pakistan’s intellectual and religious diversity.

4. The Madrasa System and Education Collapse

Education shapes a society’s future, but Pakistan’s education system regressed terribly after Zia.

  • Madrasa boom: In the 1950s, Pakistan had fewer than 200 madrasas. By 2000, it had over 20,000.
  • These madrasas often taught:
    • Literal interpretation of religious texts
    • Hatred against non-Muslims
    • Conspiracies about the West, India, and Jews
  • Science and critical thinking were almost completely absent.

Even in public schools, textbooks glorified “holy wars” and promoted an Islamic supremacist worldview.
Young minds were taught that the solution to problems lies not in innovation but in religious purity, exactly as it was believed in the 7th century.

5. Blasphemy Laws and Death of Free Thought

Introduced and tightened under Zia, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are among the harshest in the world.

  • Even a minor accusation can lead to mob lynchings.
  • Courts hesitate to defend the accused out of fear.
  • Politicians who speak against blasphemy laws — like Salman Taseer — have been assassinated.

Result:
A culture of fear dominates society.
No intellectual debate, no philosophical exploration, no modernization of thought — the exact opposite of a progressive society.
This is the hallmark of a 7th-century tribal mentality, where religious offenses are avenged with blood, not legal reasoning.

6. Over-Glorification of Military Jihad

Since its involvement in the Afghan Jihad (1979–1989), Pakistan’s military and intelligence (ISI) have systematically glorified:

  • The idea of jihad against non-Muslims
  • Martyrdom as the highest goal
  • Fighting “holy wars” against India, Israel, and the West

Children grew up hearing about Ghazwa-e-Hind (the prophesied conquest of India), Taliban “heroes,” and “jihad” as a lifestyle.

Modern concepts like economic development, science, global citizenship were mocked or ignored.

Pakistan institutionalized a mindset where:

  • Conquering and destroying was considered noble
  • Building and inventing was seen as worldly and unimportant
    — a textbook 7th-century Bedouin war culture.

7. Economic Failures and Clutching to Divine Solutions

As Pakistan’s economy worsened due to:

  • Corruption
  • Lack of industrial innovation
  • Dependence on IMF bailouts

Instead of practical economic reforms, many leaders and citizens turned to religious solutions:

  • National prayers for rain
  • Dedicating nuclear bombs to Allah (“Islamic Bomb”)
  • Belief that piety alone would save the economy

This was identical to 7th-century Arabian beliefs, where societal success was attributed to divine favor, not human endeavor.

Meanwhile, countries like India, China, Vietnam, and Malaysia moved forward with education, science, and trade.

8. Export of Extremism and Global Isolation

Pakistan supported radical groups like:

  • Taliban (Afghanistan)
  • Lashkar-e-Taiba (India)
  • Jaish-e-Mohammed

While initially seen as “strategic assets,” these groups:

  • Created internal terrorism
  • Got Pakistan labeled a terror-financing nation (FATF Grey List)

International isolation worsened economic and diplomatic conditions.
Pakistan became associated with backwardness, terrorism, and religious fanaticism, not modernity.

Again — these alliances glorified militant Islam, similar to early Islamic tribal raids and battles.

9. Identity Crisis: Arabization of Pakistani Islam

In recent decades, a strange cultural shift occurred:

  • Many Pakistanis adopted Arab names, clothing (abayas, thawbs), and accents.
  • Local cultures (Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashtun) were sidelined.
  • Speaking Urdu with Arabicized terms became fashionable.

Result:
Pakistan drifted further from its South Asian roots and sought to recreate a 7th-century Arabian identity that had little to do with its native history.

This artificial Arabization further disconnected Pakistanis from rationalism, Sufism, and the regional pluralism that had made their ancestors prosperous.

The Role of Jinnah’s Vision: A Flawed Secular State

Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan was to create a state for Muslims that would allow for religious freedom and secular governance, where Muslims could practice their religion freely without the interference of Hindu-majority politics. However, he fundamentally misunderstood the implications of creating a state on the basis of religious identity.

By making Islam the foundation of Pakistan’s national identity, Jinnah inadvertently set Pakistan on a path where:

  • Religion became inseparable from the state.
  • The state’s very existence was tied to Islamic identity, which made it nearly impossible to maintain secularism in practice.

Jinnah’s expectation that Pakistan would be a secular state while being founded on a purely religious basis was a monumental contradiction. The Islamization of the state through Zia-ul-Haq’s policies in the 1980s compounded this issue, ensuring that Pakistan would remain on a trajectory toward religious orthodoxy and a 7th-century style of governance.

Conclusion

Pakistan today struggles not because of a lack of potential — it has brilliant minds, a rich culture, and strategic geography.
It struggles because it trapped itself inside a 7th-century mindset where religious orthodoxy, militant pride, and rejection of modernity dominate thinking.

Escaping this trap will require:

  • Educational revolution
  • Complete separation of religion from politics
  • Intellectual courage to accept South Asian pluralism
  • Promotion of science, technology, and rational debate

Until then, Pakistan may remain physically in the 21st century, but mentally and ideologically in the 7th.