The recent reports in Western media about Pakistan’s link to Jihadi groups fail to present a balanced picture about what is going on in Pakistan. These drive by reports, coupled with the analysis of the so-called experts on T.V. further confuse the situation.
It is difficult to imagine, but there was a time when there were no Jihadi elements in Pakistan. In fact, there is no evidence of anyone calling for Jihad or anything remotely similar by the time a democratically elected government was overthrown by a military dictator in 1977. By the way, a majority of Pakistanis believe this coup was orchestrated by the Americans to prevent Pakistan from acquiring nuclear capabilities. Ironically, Pakistan did become a nuclear power in the end, but in the process, the country also became a haven for right wing religious warriors who lacked the ability to co-exist with any other sect, religion or ideology different from their own. Actually, a very compelling case can be made that if the secular, progressive and left leaning government of Bhutto (just like Shah of Iran) had not been overthrown, Pakistan would not have become a global hub for Jihadi movements as it is today.
After Bhutto’s government was overthrown by Zia, the country started to regress. Unlike Bhutto, Zia was a deeply religious man, and he forced his world view on the country. In fact, Zia could be called the first Taliban in this part of the world. As a result, progressives, secular and tolerant segments of the society shrank to alarming levels and hard core non-tolerant religious people started gaining moment in every segment of the society. While Pakistan was going through this awful transformation, Russia invaded Afghanistan and the Americans and Saudis started recruiting people from around the word to participate in ‘Jihad’ in Afghanistan against a Godless enemy. These recruits were brought to Pakistan, given military training and flown to Afghanistan to fight against the Russians. Regretfully, this process of recruiting Jihadis was also the process of sowing the seeds for today’s Taliban and Al-Qaeeda movements. Moreover, this recruiting and training also made Pakistan the central point for global Jihadi movements.
Of course hindsight is 20/20, but it is amazing to note that while Jihadis were gathered in Pakistan to train and ship to Afghanistan what was then a noble cause, especially for the Western world, no one (in any Western country) was able to see the future once hundreds of thousands of men, trained to fight would become jobless and pose a serious threat to the security of the region once the Russians were gone.
There is no question that today’s troubles in Pakistan are the direct result of this massive recruiting effort to fight the Russians. Successive governments in Islamabad since the Jihad started and ended have dealt with the mess in Afghanistan differently, but there is one factor that stands out as the most devastating error by the Americans – Washington’s decision to abandon everything and walk away from Afghanistan once Russians were defeated and forced out of Afghanistan. Had Americans remained engaged in Afghanistan, it is impossible to imagine today’s Taliban ever emerging as any force in the region.
So, it becomes extremely frustrating to read stories in the Western press about ‘Pakistan’s links to the Taliban or other Jihadi groups’. Because Western journalists come to Pakistan for a brief period, and they mostly rely on ‘experts’ in Washington or ‘senior administration officials’, they don’t understand the complexity of the situation in Pakistan.
After Americans walked away from Afghanistan once Russians were gone, it was left to Pakistan to deal with millions of refugees who had to come to Pakistan because of the fighting in Afghanistan and while Pakistan was dealing with the crisis of refuges, the Jihadi element stayed back instead of going to their respective countries, they brought their families to Pakistan, they married local women, their children were born, raised and married in Pakistan and this changed everything. Now, it is difficult to differentiate between foreign fighters and locals when we talk about the Taliban. Yesterday’s fighters are today’s Taliban or their leaders, supporters and financiers. So, when people in Pakistan suggest that the situation here is complex vis-à-vis Jihadi elements or the Taliban, they are not exaggerating – they are simply telling the truth.
The recent operation in Swat and tribal areas has proved, once again, that Islamabad is serious about fighting and defeating terrorism. The war against terrorism has become Pakistan’s war and Pakistan has lost trillions of dollars in assets, and investment. The human cost of Pakistan’s bold decision to become the leader in the fight against terrorism is too high to even mention here. Therefore, it is not fair to accuse Pakistan of not being serious in confronting evil. Pakistan has done more then any other country in the world against the fight against the Taliban. All this could have been avoided if Zia, who was fully funded and backed by Washington, had not decided to get involved in Afghanistan. If Zia had not overthrown a democratic government (with or without American encouragement), it is doubtful that a democratic government in Islamabad would have opted to get involved in an ideological battle between Washington and Moscow. Zia needed west’s approval and acceptance as a legitimate leader once he seized power and he did whatever he was required to do by the West. Bhutto, who was voted in power, would have definitely taken a more cautious approach towards letting Jihadi elements gather in Pakistan. Interestingly, Zia was so close to the Americans that when died in a plane crash in 1988, he was accompanied by the American Ambassador who also died with Zia.
Going forward, it is important that Pakistan is believed and supported at a time when Islamabad has risked everything to push back the rising tide of the Taliban. This is not the time, or perhaps there is never a good time to criticize Pakistan as for as confronting the Taliban goes. Yes, there can be legitimate disagreement, but before arm chair critics in the West take a swipe at Pakistan, they should understand that the actual world is much more difficult and dangerous.
