World

Islam Alone Cannot Unite Pakistan': MJ Akbar

Published: 14 August 2026 · 1 min read

What Happened

Veteran journalist and former Union Minister M.J. Akbar said Pakistan's attempt to build national unity around an Islamic identity is failing, arguing that religion alone cannot serve as the basis of modern nationalism. Speaking at a policy discussion, he described Pakistan's core challenge as the "idea of Pakistan" itself.

Key Takeaways

Akbar's argument is that shared religion has not been sufficient to create lasting national unity in Pakistan, pointing to regional tensions and internal divisions as evidence of deeper structural challenges.

Sources

WION