In October 2002, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, a sizeable share of the population voted for religious parties. Some Pakistanis, and most Western analysts, interpret this as signaling the rise of a major fundamentalist religious movement. The article suggests, however, that in large part, this phenomenon can be viewed as a protest vote, made as a rebuke to the major political parties, which have failed so far to provide any solutions to Pakistan’s poverty and misery. This article examines the viewpoints of various analysts, representing various schools of thought in Pakistan.
