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Sufis (Photo: Kamil Dayan Khan)
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Pakistan has a reputation as a hotspot for extremist Islam but most Pakistanis follow a gentler, more tolerant form of Islam based on Sufi mysticism and folklore.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan's Sufi foreign minister, recently suggested that his religion could be used as a counter to growing fundamentalism in the country. His views echo those of western think tanks such as the Rand Corporation, who recommend the mobilisation of Sufism to counter Islamist ideology and influence.
Barbara Plett reports from Lahore, a city steeped in Sufi tradition.
First broadcast 24 February 2009
