In the late 90s, on August 14th (Pakistan Independence Day), Pakistan Television Network ran a special in celebration of the event.

In this special, they talked to several people about their feelings on the day. One of the women interviewed after praising Pakistan as a country said “We thank Allah that we are not like Afghanistan.”

I remember as a little child being curious and asking the adults around me why she would say that. The response I got was that Afghanistan is a poor, backwards country unlike Pakistan, which despite its issues, was still much more developed, advanced, and free comparatively.

This was right around the time the original Taliban government had taken over and implemented their “backwards law” on the people, enforcing the burqa’ on women, restricting their education, heavily restricting media, especially television and music, and they ruled by Shari’ah as strictly as they were able to.

In hindsight, I think any Muslim with an intellect can understand that it was Afghanistan who was truly “free” at this time, while Pakistan’s “modernization” was what shackled it.

Pakistan: Basic History, Islamic Identity, and Base

“Pakistan ka matlab kya? La ilaha illallah” (What is the meaning of Pakistan? There is no god but Allah).

This is a famous phrase coined by Allama Iqbal, considered the mastermind behind the founding of Pakistan by many. The phrase is used by many Pakistanis to this day. Pakistan, from its very beginning, was seen as an Islamic homeland for the Muslims in the Indian subcontinent. Some Pakistani liberals will argue that it was actually supposed to be secular, but it doesn’t make any sense to make it a secular country when India, before its partition, had already promised secularism. Rather, the “Two Nation Theory” explicitly put forth by Allama Iqbal was very clear that Muslims needed their own homeland so they could live under Islamic law.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, also referred to as “Quaid e Azam,” i.e., “the Great founder of Pakistan,” was a somewhat controversial figure in terms of his views on Islam. However, he too had made indications of wanting Pakistan to function like the original Madinan state under the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Many Muslims in India saw Pakistan as an opportunity to live under the Shari’ah and to exist in peace with other Muslims. They left their homelands in India precisely for this reason. They sacrificed their status, money, being close to their families, and some even sacrificed their own lives, just so Muslims in the region could live under an Islamic government.

Problems and Corruption/Alliance with US (and Indirectly With Israel)

Very early on, Jinnah spoke harshly against Israel, and even till today the Pakistani passport does not allow its holders to travel to Israel. Unfortunately, very soon after Jinnah’s death, the Pakistan government made the fatal decision to ally with the USA. This was in reality also an indirect alliance with Israel since the US has constantly acted as a proxy state for Israel.

In addition, despite the efforts of many scholars and Islamic parties, the country was pushed towards functioning in a non-Islamic way, with the British relic political system. This was paired with the slow but sure ideological modernization of the country, step by step making the overall population more and more disconnected from Islam.

While today many Pakistanis still consider themselves devout Muslims, many are unable to recute basic facts about Islam, with the severe throttling of Western-backed media taking over the hearts and minds of many. As a result, moral corruption has spread throughout the country through the years at so many levels, making many parts of the country completely unsafe even for seasoned locals, as well as making the economy unsurvivable for much of the population.

All of this corruption has left Pakistan open to foreign agents influencing and destroying the country from the inside. The military, which has essentially been in control of the country for most of Pakistan’s history, along with other members of popular political parties, are constantly pressured and forced into actions and policies that are against the people’s interests and benefit. Any politician or leader that does try to benefit the people is either quickly corrupted or taken out.

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Pakistan vs Afghanistan: Current State

If we are to honestly compare the current state of Pakistan and Afghanistan in terms of not just Islam but even in terms of general stability, law enforcement, and corruption, Afghanistan comes out on top every time by several metrics.

Is this because Pakistanis are inferior in some inherent way?

No. It is simply because the current government of Afghanistan has decided to locally implement the laws of Allah, while the current Pakistani government has no interest in doing such a thing, despite the Shari’ah being a part of the constitution.

Islam elevates people and nations. Turning your back on the teachings of Islam will only result in disgrace and corruption.

The other aspect of this is Afghanistan having a strict control of sectarian conflicts and violence and minimizing it, while many religious Muslims in Pakistan are unfortunately much more interested in fighting and attacking each other rather than than recognizing the threat of being open to constant instability and attacks from greater internal and external threats because of the lack of an Islamic government.

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Solution and Steps

We needed a Caliphate yesterday. This is really the only final and permanent solution. An overarching Islamic state that prioritises the interests of the Muslims. But in the meanwhile, since we don’t have that, the only thing that makes sense is the unity of Muslims who are clear targets for the enemies of Islam and Muslims, like the US/Israel coalition.

Pakistan and Afghanistan both have extremely rich histories in terms of their relationship with Islam. Pakistan has produced some of the most prominent scholars, thinkers, and reciters of the Qur’an in the last century, while Afghanistan has produced their own too, as well as some of the bravest fighters and leaders in the Muslim ummah in recent times.

Both populations have extremely devout Muslims who love Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The one thing that truly holds us together is Islam. There is not much else. But if Pakistanis don’t care about this basic fact and stick to nationalism instead, then we need to realize that Pakistan itself is composed of many ethnicities and cultures; and that, without Islam, there is nothing holding them together either, creating yet another target and pressure point for the enemies of Islam to take advantage of.

The religious Pakistani Muslims need to get seriously involved politically, not for their own sect, or for their own personal gain, or for the sake of nationalism. Instead, it must be for the sake of Allah and the greater good of the Muslims. They should place pressure on the government to behave Islamically. Despite our disagreements and grievances with any other Muslim country, we must resolve things in a peaceful way rather than acting like brainless attack dogs for US/Israeli masters.

There is deceit in politics and news everywhere, as predicted by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in multiple ahadith, and we need to not have a severe knee-jerk reaction to any anti Muslim news shared and propagated online. Rather, we need to have some wisdom and act in a measured and balanced way, keeping the Qur’an and Sunnah as our judge and guide.

Conclusion

Let’s return back to what Pakistan was actually supposed to be: a beacon of the light of Islam within the Indian subcontinent. Pakistan is a country full of potential and people who are deeply loyal to Islam. In fact, Muslims all over the world cheered for Pakistan’s domination over Indian offensive jets in 2025. Muslims all over the world support Pakistan’s side in the Kashmir conflict. Muslims all over the world appreciated Pakistani fighter jets assisting the Arabs against Israel decades ago, and Muslims all over the world rejoiced when Pakistan developed nuclear capabilities.

Pakistan has the resources and the ability to become a powerful country that is ready to be a strong wilayah within a Caliphate. However, if the current government is just allowed to keep on acting in lieu of US/Israel interests, as they have been doing recently, then Pakistan will never be anything other than a failed state that is heading towards its own oblivion and dragging other Muslims down along with itself, especially in the currently rapidly escalating situation the Greater Middle East, where the US/Israeli aggression seemingly has no end in sight.

Iran is being attacked as I write this article in early March, 2026, and Pakistan and Afghanistan are at each other’s throats. It is almost as if the Israelis wrote this script, to make sure Muslims cannot unite in this bloc in any capacity whatsoever. If Iran falls, it is all but guaranteed that Turkey and Pakistan will be next on the chopping block, leading to a complete collapse of all significant Muslim military powers.

May Allah protect the Muslim ummah from a fate of destruction; and may He open up the eyes of Muslims to the simple reality of unity for the sake of Allah being an insurmountable strength. Amin.

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌۭ كَبِيرٌۭ

 

As to those who disbelieve, they are allies of one another. Unless you act likewise toward one another , there will be widespread persecution in the earth and great corruption. (Qur’an, 8:73)

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