Karl Marx's description of religion as the "opium of the masses" is one of the most quoted — and often misunderstood — phrases in modern political thought. Marx was not simply dismissing religion as falsehood and dangerous. Rather, he was warning about its potential misuse as a sedative: a means of keeping people docile within unjust systems. This insight, while shaped by 19th-century European struggles, resonates uncomfortably with the way religion has sometimes been used in Pakistan.

I hold no hostility towards faith. I believe religion, in its true spirit, is essential for individual moral and intellectual growth and for the health of society. The ethical framework, compassion and sense of accountability it inspires are irreplaceable. The West's gradual abandonment of religion has inflicted moral and social damage that cannot easily be reversed. But Marx's warning becomes painfully relevant when religion's soul is turned into a mere instrument of power.

One way this happens is........

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