US duplicity in Afghanistan

The Frontier Post,
September 6, 2000
By Muhammad Ahsan Yatu

... The problem of Afghanistan, however, will not be solved so easily to the satisfaction of Americans who maintain duplicity towards the over all scenario prevalent out there. In fact they want to maintain anarchy in Afghanistan but at the same time they would like to make others believe that they are doing all possible to bring peace and moderation to the Afghan situation. And that is because situation in Afghanistan is part of a well thought strategy that brought together twenty-five thousand Arabs, thousands of Pakistanis and tens of thousands of Afghan youth.

They received military training in Pakistani camps and the aim of their mentors was to prepare them for taking control of Afghanistan. It was a joint venture project of Americans, western countries and Pakistan. That is why when finally the trained warriors known as Taliban were inducted into Afghanistan they faced little resistance because majority of the other fighting groups were asked to surrender in their favour and, thus, within days 90% of Afghanistan was won. Americans were well aware that Taliban would not be able to capture whole of Afghanistan due to resistance from the people bordering central Asian States; and due to opposition from, Iran, China, Russia and CARs. And that was what Americans wanted. Afghanistan should remain under volatile conditions.

Pakistanis were, however, not aware of that eventuality, in fact they never thought or planned Afghan policy keeping in view their own interests. Or they thought that America will keep on funding them for their services and Afghanistan will remain a state under their will. Not much happened in favor of Pakistan because Taliban established links with their mentors particularly with other American channels and became almost independent of Pakistani influence. Now present scenario is that America is pressurizing Pakistan to influence Taliban in three areas: terrorist activities, drug trade and Islamisation of society. Pakistan in return has repeatedly told the Americans that they should directly contact Taliban. And that is where truth lies because Pakistan, though a little bit late, has come to know the other links of Americans and Taliban.

By terrorist activities American mean only targeting Osama Bin Laden and the rest is fine with them. By Islamisation they means that Taliban should be lenient on working women and specifically on those who are working with Western NGOs; and by drug trafficking only God knows what they mean because they have simply been watching the growth of drug production to four hundred percent since Taliban came and they are protesting against that only now.

Why Americans first helped Taliban to be inducted into Afghanistan and why they are now opposing them and that too very softly? Answers lie in the overall game plan that America has for the region since decades. After the withdrawal of Russians from Afghanistan, situation could have returned to normalcy, had America or Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian States wished so because all of them could influence their sponsored groups to sit on negotiating table and form a moderate government, which could be friendly to the Afghans and to the regional countries. However, that was not done and instead Taliban were launched successfully to avert any possibility of formation of a liberal government. This simply means that Americans want to keep the region turbulent and volatile so that a regional bloc comprising of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Central Asian states and Russia is not formed. And in this regard even a fraction of ever lasting peace coming to the region will not be tolerated. Americans are true to their national interests because one can imagine if it happens that way and regional block is formed or peace returns to an area stretching from Bengal to Baltic Sea, then the monopoly of America would reduce to only one third of planet earth. So Taliban are sitting at a right place, and doing a right job for the Americans.

They have locked the entry of regional countries into each other's areas. This is a job, which Pakistan used to perform previously. And apart from that Taliban have actively engaged the societies of these regional countries into countering religious militancy. Hence, the economies of these countries are under stress, as they have to spend more on defense than on productive sectors. And to meet the requirements for other sectors they have to turn to the west or to America for help. Thus presence of Taliban is helping the Americans and damaging the interests of regional countries on many fronts. It looks strange that Taliban are surviving without producing a fraction of national wealth needed to run a country. Not only that they also have modern armament, which is being used against the northern alliance. Who is supporting them financially as well as militarily; and who is helping them to sell drugs to the outside world? It cannot be China, Russia, Iran and central Asian states. They have almost sealed their borders with Afghanistan and question of things going out or coming in from the borders of these countries is impossible.

Now only one out let remains and that is of Pakistan. Pakistan is not in a position to help them financially because a country, which is fighting for its own economic survival, cannot do so. Accordingly Pakistan cannot assist them even militarily because it is itself under tension on Indian borders and will prefer to procure things for itself and not for the others. Thus, Taliban are getting financial and military aid from other sources and these sources cannot remain hidden from American eyes unless they are American themselves. And how can drug trafficking continue from one border only if it is not being allowed by the superpower herself? For a moment let us assume that Karl Inderfruth's asking of Pakistan to stop Taliban from unwanted deeds is genuine? Then again the control of even Pakistan's activities is with Americans and if seen through the economic pressure, which is being applied by donor agencies, Pakistan would have long before acted and done something about Taliban. But the fact is that Things are not at all in its control and Americans know that clearly. Yet they are bent upon making poor Pakistan scapegoat. However, Pakistan has for the first time in its history retaliated and exposed the Americans.

Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar has disclosed the figures of twenty five thousand Arabs that were given to Pakistan for training By Americans and for onward posting in Afghanistan. Though years before even Benazir Bhutto complained but this time around Pakistan has acted profoundly. To satisfy the outside world America on one had will keep on pressurizing the Taliban on Osama factor, women, NGOs and slightly on terrorism. And on the other hand it will keep on furnishing financial and military aid to them. Poor Pakistan cannot do much about that and will have to live on Afghan front with American duplicity. However, there is possibility of an over all action against Taliban such as ousting them from power forever but that will be adopted only when a Taliban like indoctrinated and disciplined force is ready as replacement and since it is not, hence till such times it is prepared the Taliban will remain in power and will keep on fighting against fellow Muslims, and infidels. They will also continue with their trade of the precious produce and will try to implement the kind of Islam, which was taught to them by American and Pakistani teachers while they were being trained in Pakistani schools.

A question and a very interesting one arises here about the proposed gas line to be built from Turkmenistan to India. There is no doubt that Americans are not causing any hindrance to that project, rather they are themselves interested in the construction contract. If it is so then why they are not interested in bringing peace to the region? According to them gas line and disorder can coexist. However, if it comes to choosing between the two, the anarchy would get the preference.

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