Nazir-Ali calls on Pakistan to reform

by Jennifer Gold
Thursday, April 16, 2009

The outgoing Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, says his native Pakistan needs to reform if it is to win the war against terrorism.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, who is the first and only Asian to become a Church of England bishop, said that Pakistan had been vulnerable to religious extremism “throughout its history”, and said that “unless co-ordinated international action is taken as a matter of urgency, Pakistan may not survive [the rise of Islamic extremism]”.

Writing in The Telegraph, the bishop said that Taliban and pro al-Qaeda forces were becoming increasingly confident of taking power by force, whilst the recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore demonstrated the extent to which Kashmiri liberation groups were becoming emboldened. the rest