When the Afghan Taliban captured Kabul in 2021, it created a ripple of excitement among the non- democratic forces in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The triumph of this fanatical band of extremists even prompted our civilian leaders to demonstrate their imprudence by welcoming these dark forces of modern times. A euphoric Khawja Asif openly welcomed the turban wearing holy warriors’ conquest who turned the war-torn country into a graveyard of human and women rights.
The policy makers here thought that their puppets in Kabul would do their biddings, obeying their orders within a blink of an eye. They lobbied other states to recognize these medieval warriors who were presented as reformed clerics and moderate religious scholars. This approach boomeranged on them. The appeasement of these fanatical outfits turned out to be catastrophic because the fall of Kabul emboldened ideological comrades of the Islamic Emirates who wreaked havoc in the land of pure, attacking security forces and civilians. Suicide attacks witnessed a phenomenal surge and the TTP started regrouping.
The recent statement by the spokesman of Afghan Taliban Zabi Ullah Mujahid indicates the height of ungratefulness. We thought that we did a great favour to these mullahs by hosting millions of Afghan refugees and facilitating Afghan Taliban Quetta and Peshawar Shuras. Their statement seems to suggest that they believed it was the responsibility of Islamabad to bear the burden of these refugees who had been forced to leave the war-torn country after the holy warriors plunged it into death and destruction in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of 1979.
Our policy makers refused to listen to veteran politician Wali Khan who warned us against celebrating the fire next door. We not only celebrated this conflagration but did everything in our power to add fuel to it. We threw blanket support behind these retrogressive elements who fiercely opposed progressive reforms during the 1970s and 1980s in that country.
Instead of opposing that government politically, the militants with the help of Pakistan and other countries, unleashed a reign of fear and death upon Afghanistan. Millions were decimated, maimed and forced to flee the country. After the end of the communist government, different militant fractions started a new wave of terror, this time against their fellow Mujahideen.
Instead of finding any political solution, the imprudent policy makers of Pakistan started training and helping another monstrous outfit to capture Kabul. Some of our people proudly announced that Mullah Omar and other fanatics were trained by us and we were the ones helping this dark force of medieval times to capture Kabul in 1996. Within no time, they banned women education, persecuted religious and ethnic minorities and defied international laws.
Soon we started to reap what we had sowed. The Islamic Emirates under Omar started harbouring Pakistan sectarian outfits’ leaders. Sectarian militants would commit killings in Pakistan and would seek refuge in the Islamic Emirates. We sent delegations pleading to the caliph to handover these bloodthirsty terrorists but our pleas fell on deaf ears.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Pakistan faced an existential threat. An enraged America could have gone to any extent to avenge the killings of innocent people who were decimated in the barbaric attacks on the twin towers. Islamabad was being viewed with suspicion in western capitals. Some elements in the US advocated punishing Pakistan for supporting the Afghan Taliban.
But the holy warriors refused to understand our predicament. We again tried to appeal the leaders of Islamic Emirates not to pick a fight with the international community by refusing to hand over global terrorist Osama Bin Laden who was wanted for the 11 attacks but the stubborn Taliban not only rejected Islamabad’s appeals but they also refused to pay any heed to their mentors and teachers, who had taught them at various seminaries in Pakistan.
After the American attacks on Afghanistan, Kabul’s Pakistani allies unleashed a reign of terror against Pakistanis targeting mosques, schools, military check posts, police stations and markets. Despite all these attacks we continued our support for the Afghan Taliban whose ideological comrades were decimating Pakistanis. The result was catastrophic. Over 30000 Pakistanis were killed and infrastructure worth billions of dollars was destroyed.
Pakistanis thought such destruction would have taught a lesson to our policy makers and they would invest their all energies in creating a democratic Afghanistan. But we chose to help those who wanted to impose a theocratic system on the Afghans. The clerics sitting in the power corridors of Kabul not only created embarrassment for their own people by banning women education and stifling dissenting voices but for Islamabad as well.
They went beyond this embarrassment creating another headache for Islamabad by sheltering TTP militants who are now emerging as a big threat to our national security. So, our disastrous Afghan policy that we implemented in 1979 is now haunting us. We need to change it and stop being hypocritical. If we want democracy and human rights in Pakistan, we should wish to see the same in our next door.
This is the time that we persuaded the Afghan Taliban to put an end to this system of fear and death. If the clerics of Kabul are so confident of their popularity then they should contest elections and let people decide their fate. If the godfathers of Afghan Taliban like Maulana Fazl ur Rehman can contest elections then why can’t his disciples ruling the war-torn country do the same. Dual standards will create not only problems for Afghanistan but Pakistan as well. Therefore, we should give up this policy of appeasing these obscurantists, making a pledge to promote democracy and inclusivity in the landlocked state. Anything short of democracy would be catastrophic for Afghan, Pakistan and the region. The sooner our policy makers realise it, the better it will be. Otherwise the mistakes of today will haunt us tomorrow as the blunders of 1979 are doing now.
