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>From TheFreeRepublic
> Pakistan's proxy war in Afghanistan
>
>
> Foreign Affairs Opinion (Published) Keywords: PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, TALEBAN,
> ISLAM, MUSLIM, TERRORISM, WAR, TALIBAN Source: The Hindu Published: Tuesday,
> September 7, 1999 Author: By Qamar Agha Posted on 09/06/1999 14:57:03 PDT by Jai
>
>
>
>
> Pakistan is engaged in yet another proxy war in Afghanistan, where the
> Islamabad-backed Taliban militia is fighting a bloody conflict with the forces
> of Mr. Ahmad Shah Masood, a Tajik leader belonging to the Northern Alliance
> opposed to the Pashtoon- dominated Government. It is a fight to the finish for
> the Taliban which wants to eliminate the Opposition control in the remaining
> territory of Afghanistan. The Taliban's ``summer offensive'' in Afghanistan was
> also designed to make up for the losses the Pakistan army and the militants
> suffered in Kargil. Islamabad hoped that the Taliban victory would boost the
> morale of its forces and the militants and help contain the growing anti-
> government sentiments in Pakistan.
>
> So far, the Taliban has not been able to wrest much of the territory from Mr.
> Masood. Initial victories turned out to be a nightmare as over 1,000 Taliban
> militants were killed and the Islamabad militia had to make a tactical retreat''
> from the captured territories. Still, the Taliban controls more than 80 per cent
> of the territory but it does not enjoy popular support among the people in
> Afghanistan. It is not the product of a national movement. The Taliban
> essentially was created by the Pakistan security forces. Its members are mainly
> Pashtoons living in Pakistan, having studied in Saudi-funded religious
> seminaries there. These madrassas are run by the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat
> Ulema-i-Islam belonging to the Deoband school of thought. Both the organisations
> subscribe to the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. Being conservative,
> they are opposed to any meaningful role for women outside their homes and they
> nurse a strong anti-Shia bias.
>
> The Taliban has been maintaining its hold over the vast territories through
> sheer repression. It treats the non-Pashtoon areas as occupied territory. This
> time when it advanced towards the Shomali region, north of capital Kabul, more
> than a lakh civilians fled because for fear of the Taliban. The Taliban indulges
> in all sorts of crimes including the massacre of innocent people living in the
> non-Pashtoons areas. It adopts the ``scorched earth'' policy to maintain its
> hold and is accused of torching homes and levelling apple orchids, vineyards and
> farmlands. The terror tactics include the use of heavy-artillery fire.
>
> The Taliban's first largescale massacres were committed against the ethnic
> Hazaras, Shia minority living in Mazar-e-sharif, Bumiyan and other towns. But
> these massacres were not condemned even by the liberal Sunni Muslim religious
> organisations in Pakistan as well as in India. The conspicuous silence of the
> Barelies and the various Sufi sects has all the more encouraged the Taliban and
> it now indulges in similar acts against its own co-religionists, belonging to
> the Tajik, Uzbek and other ethnic minorities. The liberal Sunni Muslims of the
> entire Indian subcontinent failed to realise that they were the main target of
> attack. In Afghanistan, the Taliban is systematically targeting the Dargahs and
> the Khankhas of the Sufi saints, and imposes restrictions on the Taziadari
> during Moharram. It describes these practices as anti-Islamic.
>
> Pakistan is not bothered about the plight of the innocent civilians. It is
> estimated that over a million have been killed and some seven lakh women made
> widows, in addition to the millions who became refugees or were internally
> displaced. Pakistan is basically using religion to gain control over
> Afghanistan. It wants to use the Afghan territory to reach the newly-independent
> Central Asian republics where large deposits of natural gas, oil and other
> resources are found. Its game plan is to bring oil and gas through pipeline to
> Pakistan via Afghanistan and isolate Iran in the region. Islamabad has neither
> the technology nor the resources. Therefore, it is using religion to gain
> influence in these republics where the people are trying to rediscover their
> religious identity after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Taliban was
> created basically to serve Islamabad's regional ambitions as well as the U.S.
> interests, which included the containment of Iran.
>
> Teheran was perceived as a hostile launching-pad for anti- American terrorist
> activities, but the Taliban has not been able to contain Iran because it has
> failed to establish itself as a credible political force that could bring about
> order, stability and national reconciliation in Afghanistan. Therefore, Pakistan
> is recruiting its own nationals to help the Taliban gain territory and
> counter-balance Osama bin Laden's influence in the organisation so that, in case
> if he is arrested or killed by the U.S., it will have more control over the
> Taliban. Pakistan is desperately trying to see that the Islamic militia gains
> control over the entire Afghanistan as that will help Islamabad with the other
> ethnic minorities living in the country, thereby increasing its bargaining
> capacity with the Afghan neighbours.
>
> The Afghan war is a big burden on Pakistan's fragile economy. The latest round
> of the Taliban offensive is continuing but without any breakthrough. Mr. Masood
> still remains strong in the Panjsher Valley and his forces continue to inflict
> casualties on the Taliban. The war is also bringing Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran
> and Russia together and if an amicable solution is not found in the near-future,
> these countries may form a strategic alliance against Pakistan and the Taliban.
> There are chances of the war spilling over to the neighbouring countries.
> Therefore, in sheer desperation, Pakistan has offered to mediate between Mr.
> Masood and the Taliban. However, the Tajik leaders have rejected Islamabad's
> move declaring that Pakistan is not ``neutral'' and cannot be an ``arbitrator''.
> Mr. Masood is demanding an interim Government in the place of the Taliban
> administration.
>
> The international situation is also not favouring Pakistan. Russia, bogged down
> in its own domestic, economic and political crisis, is no more posing a serious
> threat to West Asia's interests. The U.S. is no more interested in the
> containment of Iran whose ties with the Western nations are improving. Public
> opinion in the U.S. is also turning against Pakistan and the Taliban because of
> the killing of American citizens in Karachi and the suspected involvement of
> Osama in the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Now, the U.S.
> has imposed sanctions on the Taliban and is demanding the arrest of Osama and
> the containment of the anti-American, Islamic militant organisations in Pakistan
> and Afghanistan. The U.S. is also backing U.N. moves to set up a broadbased
> coalition representing various ethnic minorities to replace the Taliban. The
> U.S. has its own agenda for the strategic region of Central Asia, where
> seemingly inexhaustible oil and gas reserves are found.
>
> There is also a noticeable change in the attitude of Pakistan's allies in the
> Gulf, specially since the U.S. started acting tough with Islamabad on the
> question of Islamic militancy. The Gulf nations do not want to annoy Washington
> which is providing security to these countries which are facing a threat from
> Iraq. Saudi Arabia, though recognising the Taliban Government, is also not happy
> with the Islamic militia because of the presence of Bin Laden in Afghanistan. He
> was accused by the Saudis of involvement in the killings of Saudi and American
> defence personnel in the Kingdom.
>
> Thus, while Pakistan is isolated internationally and is facing a serious
> economic and political crisis at home, the latest Pak- Taliban offensive will
> not help solve any of its problems. On the contrary, it will create more
> problems for Pakistan. The Taliban will not be able to maintain its hold on
> Afghanistan for long and that would be yet another setback to Pakistan.
>
> (The writer is a specialist in West Asia affairs.)
>
> Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational purposes of
> research and open discussion.
A<>E<>R
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