Shadows Behind the Pakistan–Afghanistan Tension

By Nisar Ahmad

Pakistan has always repeated its own mistakes, and every time it has been Pakistan itself that suffered in the end. After the defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, a joint government of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Professor Rabbani was formed. To weaken that government, the Pakistani establishment used Nawaz Sharif as a tool, and the government fell. Later, in 1992 during Benazir Bhutto’s time, the plan for the Taliban was introduced.

The real problem was that the Pakistani and American establishments were afraid of communist ideas, but they were also afraid of the Afghan leaders who followed the Muslim Brotherhood style of thinking. Many educated young people from colleges and universities supported Hekmatyar, and this worried both Pakistan and the United States.

Because of this fear, a new group called the Taliban was created so that the government would fall into the hands of strict and rigid religious elements who would not threaten establishment interests. Then, during Musharraf’s rule, action was taken against the same group on America’s request, and once again Pakistan helped in changing the government in Kabul.

Even though the Doha Agreement happened in Qatar, America again wanted the Taliban to return to power, and Pakistan played a role in bringing them back. This is why Imran Khan openly praised the Taliban. Today, the same Taliban that were brought into power with so much effort are now in conflict with Pakistan again.

At this point, the question of who is right and who is wrong has become meaningless. Both are under the influence of the same powerful force. The Taliban receive millions of dollars from America every month, and Pakistan is also tied to American financial interests. Both are playing the same game, while ordinary people are the ones who suffer.

To me, this whole war feels like a drama, just like the recent tension between Pakistan and India. In the background, the real interests were different. One important reason was the public pressure on the Pakistan Army to do something for Gaza. The conflict pushed that demand aside and people’s attention moved elsewhere.

Even today, the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan is helping both sides achieve their hidden goals. It also includes trying to ease the pressure on Iran from the United States and distracting the public from real problems.

Also, the Taliban are only one group in Afghanistan, not the majority. But this conflict has increased their support inside the country, and slowly the label of being “Pakistan’s creation” is fading.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Post

The Afghan War & its Stack-holder

By Nisar Ahmad
Image
It is widely assumed that when Russia attacked Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Afghan government at the time did not oppose the attack, despite the fact that the general public (common civilians) who had ideological differences with Russia and communism came forward and began defence to protect their land from communist invasion. Later, when Pakistan and the United States recognised that this force (the Afghan Mujahiddin) was fighting Russia's aggression with very limited resources, they began to provide resources to them. However, because they were already at odds, the United States played a critical role in defeating Russia in Afghanistan. After the victory, the Afghan fighter leaders wanted to establish a peaceful government, but the US was not interested in the peace process and began a political intervention to disperse the Afghan leaders, which they accomplished with the assistance of the CIA. However, at the time, Pakistan went against the secret agenda of the United...
Read more

My 3rd Visit to Karachi ✈️

By Nisar Ahmad
Image
After 12 years, for the 3rd time, I visited Karachi (mini-Pakistan) for 3 days. This time travelling was light through air, I felt that I just travelled from one village to another, but the big difference was the temperature. I was waring winter stuff in Islamabad while in Karachi I felt that it is summer, fan was on, and the temperature was in between 24 to 27 °C 🥵 while in Islamabad it was in between 10 to 17 °C. When I boarded the plane from Islamabad Airport, I had strange vibrations of sensations running inside me. I was dying to see the mini-Pakistan and the sea. Some apprehensions were there at the back of mind regarding the law-and-order situation there and the stories appearing in the papers. I had heard so much about Karachi culture that I was getting almost dizzy in anticipation. I was honoured to have a city like this in my country. “Kharachi, Kharachi, Kharachi I am coming”, .....this was what I was humming. As the plane was hovering above Karachi airport to land, I was...
Read more

Rewinding Memories

By Nisar Ahmad
Image
Being a final year student when I move back to the glorious past I realize that the world is moving so fast that who ever stops will be crushed in the race of survival. I can not forget the magnificent four years I spent at DCS that filled my life with precious experience and the exciting moments with friends, the way I learnt and experienced, the way the university polished me and enabled me to face the challenging times. My time is almost over here but the splendid image of these golden moments will remain captured in my memories. Hail “Home Sweet Home” but hostel life has its own charm. The greatest blessing there is independence. Unlike home we did what we wanted, hanging out with friends, sharing and caring for each other, plowing through exams, pulling on all-nighters. They’re such fun memories but there were also the cons of distance from loved ones, managing all affairs on my own, cooking and washing and what not, but overall I really enjoyed that sort of life. I joined ...
Read more