Abstract
The failure of the state of Pakistan in effectively dealing with the menace of
extremism and militancy - ethnic, sectarian or religious - has not only caused
the deepening of societal polarization but also aggravated its economic
predicament. This paper examines how Singapore has been able to prevent
extremism from threatening the state and societal structures and why
Pakistan has not been able to successfully deal with it. The new state of
Singapore under the dynamic leadership of its Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
embarked on the road to progress and modernization. Singapore encouraged
the process of nation-building by promoting ethnic and religious harmony in
the post-independence period. Now, 46 years after its emergence as a new
state, Singapore, despite its small size, is an economic giant and is considered
a model of ethnic-religious harmony. Singapore is much ahead of Pakistan in
the human development index, and the quality of life of the people living in
that South East Asian country can match the standard of any developed
state. Whereas, in 1965, Pakistan was ahead of Singapore in terms of
industrialization and economic growth, it now lags far behind that country in
literacy ratio, per capita income, GDP and GNP. The role of leadership,
particularly, of its first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew (1965-1990) was
decisive in the transformation of Singapore from a developing to a developed
state.
Moonis Ahmar. (2011) The Challenge Of Extremism In Pakistan: Are There Lessons To Be Learnt From The Experience Of Singapore?, IPRI Journal, Volume-11, Issue-2.
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