Explained: Why Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan can gain momentum with shift vigilance in Afghanistan
Pakistan sees Afghanistan as a strategic partner in its conflict with India and is therefore willing to accept Kabul's power, even in the face of major international clashes.
As the Taliban launched their domination project, countries such as China, Russia and the UK have shown a willingness to work with the group. However, no country has openly expressed its support as former sponsors of Pakistan. Recently, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed the withdrawal of an emergency U.S. military on the rise of the Taliban, wiping out his country's hands in any case. He also described members of the Pakistani sect as "just ordinary people" and even suggested that the group's repatriation to Afghanistan was tantamount to breaking "chains of slavery."
Pakistan sees Afghanistan as a strategic partner in its conflict with India and is therefore willing to accept Kabul's power, even in the face of major international clashes. While some groups within the Pakistani Government claim to be anti-Taliban, most of them appear to accept the Taliban as an important ally in Islamabad or the necessary evil to retain control of the region. However, Pakistan's figures in relation to the Taliban could indicate a dangerous path, especially if its emergence gives courage to activist groups such as Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.
Pakistan support for the Taliban
In the 1980s, the CIA and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) donated weapons to Afghans fighting the Soviet Union and helped weaken and recruit young people from all over the world to take part in jihad. In 1988, Pakistan began to open religious schools for its nearly three million Afghan refugees. The madrasas continued to train students to join the Taliban, 1.5 million of whom returned to Afghanistan after the Soviet departure.
When the victorious mujahedeen finally set up a government in Afghanistan in 1992, Pakistan was unhappy with the new leadership Islamabad saw as extremely friendly with India. Thus, when the Taliban began gaining ground in the mid-1990s, Pakistan was quick to fund the movement.
Following the US-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, leaders from the fallen Taliban regime sought refuge in Pakistan. Streams of Taliban and Al Qaeda militias have flowed into the ethnic areas of Pakistan along the Afghan border. Most of the Taliban militants have been locked up at the border when the Pakistani government has been successfully trying to keep them out of the country since 2003.
Pakistan's ISI, the first Taliban supporter, continues to exercise its influence on the party. According to a report from the Carnegie Endowment Fund, ISI was "a Taliban foreign supporter who reportedly provided him with financial resources, training, weapons, material support, and (above all) a safe haven in Pakistan."
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Explained Home Explained: Why Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan can gain momentum with vigilant change in Afghanistan
Explained: Why Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan can gain momentum with vigilant change in Afghanistan
Pakistan sees Afghanistan as a strategic partner in its fight against India and is therefore willing to accept the power of Kabul, even in the face of a major global explosion.
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Written by Mira Patel, Designed Designed |
Updated: August 20, 2021 7:29:34 am
Pakistani and Taliban flags flutter in the opposite direction as people march through the border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Chaman, Pakistan (AP)
As the Taliban launched their domination project, countries such as China, Russia and the UK have shown a willingness to work with the group. However, no country has publicly expressed its support as former sponsors of Pakistan. Recently, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed the withdrawal of an emergency U.S. military on the rise of the Taliban, wiping out his country's hands in any case. He also described members of the Pakistani sect as "just ordinary people" and even suggested that the group's repatriation to Afghanistan was tantamount to breaking "chains of slavery."
Pakistan sees Afghanistan as a strategic partner in its fight against India and is therefore willing to accept the power of Kabul, even in the face of a major global explosion. While some groups within the Pakistani Government claim to be anti-Taliban, most of them appear to accept the Taliban as an important ally in Islamabad or the necessary evil to retain control of the region. However, Pakistan's figures in relation to the Taliban could indicate a dangerous path, especially if its emergence gives courage to activist groups such as Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.
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Support for Pakistan by the Taliban
In the 1980s, the CIA and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) donated weapons to Afghans fighting the Soviet Union and helped weaken and recruit young people from all over the world to take part in jihad. In 1988, Pakistan began to open religious schools for its nearly three million Afghan refugees. The madrasas continued to train students to join the Taliban, 1.5 million of whom returned to Afghanistan after the Soviet departure.
When the victorious mujahedeen finally set up a government in Afghanistan in 1992, Pakistan was unhappy with the new leadership Islamabad saw as extremely friendly with India. Thus, when the Taliban began gaining ground in the mid-1990s, Pakistan was quick to fund the movement.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the US-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, leaders from the fallen Taliban regime sought refuge in Pakistan. Streams of Taliban and Al Qaeda militias have flowed into the ethnic areas of Pakistan along the Afghan border. Most of the Taliban militants have been locked up at the border when the Pakistani government has been successfully trying to keep them out of the country since 2003.
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Why Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan can gain momentum in Afghanistan
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Pakistan's ISI, the first Taliban supporter, continues to exercise its influence on the party. According to a report from the Carnegie Endowment Fund, ISI was "a Taliban foreign supporter who reportedly provided him with financial resources, training, weapons, material support, and (above all) a safe haven in Pakistan."
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The importance of ISI to the Taliban well represents the appointment of Sirajuddin Haqqani as one of the 2015 Taliban deputy leaders. Haqqani, the head of the Haqqani network, once described by US intelligence as "the true arm of ISI," maintains close ties to Al-Qaeda. Although some Pakistani leaders have distanced themselves from the Taliban publicly, Pakistan's failure to integrate military, intelligence services, and political resources means that even if its Prime Minister and military chiefs refuse support, it is possible for Pakistan, through ISI, to continue supporting the organization.