Islamabad: Pakistan's problem of religious extremism is likely to worsen in the near future unless the state adopts a gradual policy shift toward the separation of religion and politics, said an Islamabad-based think tank.

This argument was made in a report published by the security think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

In a report titled "How Youth in Sindh View State, Society, Religion, and Politics", the think tank said Sindh has been seeing an upsurge in incidents of violence against religious, sectarian and ethnic minorities since the beginning of the 21st century.

The second-largest province of Pakistan is also grappling with issues like forced conversions of Hindu girls and vandalization of Hindu temples, The News International reported citing the study report.

This is based on two-day workshops in three cities of the province--one each in Karachi, Sukkur and Hyderabad.

The report also emphasises a massive need to upgrade the education system and suggests that the curricula must be sensitive about the portrayal of minorities and the assessment should not be based on rote-learning but should encourage critical and rational thinking.

Slamming the poor handling of interfaith issues in the education system of Pakistan, the report recommended civil rights organisations must take action to fill the gap, organising workshops and training at campuses on the subject across the country.