Pakistan and the Challenge of Foreign Fighters

Abstract

There is a dearth of literature on foreign fighters before the rise of ISIS in the Middle East. Hence the structural composition of these fighters and their spatial networking is not exactly known. Since the participation of mosaic of fighters as mujahedeen in Afghan jihad, the phenomenon of foreign fighters persists in different theatres of war. In the backdrop of Shia – Sunni split in the region and with an appreciable Shiite population in the country, the trend of raising private militias pervades through rank and file of Shiite groups as well. Moreover, the definitional quandary of ‘foreign fighters’ has also made it difficult to distinguish them from other such actors or elements in the available literature. The challenge of returning foreign fighters involves multiple complexities including prosecution, imprisonment, deradicalization and post penalizing phase re-settlement where social repulsion and indifference may push them back to their original mindset. The paper suggests different proposals for reintegration of these returnees on account of their mode of apprehensions and detection so that the state and its institutions especially the Criminal Justice System can provide a permanent remedy for their re-education, re-cultivation and resocialization.