Genesis Of Radicalization In Pakistan

Mohammed Ajeeb

London: The suicide terrorist attack on Sunday, July 30 has accounted for 54 lives.

This pattern of violence is becoming too regular and frequent.

How has the country arrived at this violent juncture?

Extremist and terrorist groups and organizations emerge and organize themselves only in countries with weak and ineffective governments and engulfed by persistent civil wars. Sadly, Pakistan has become one of these countries.

When the USSR entered Afghanistan in 1979 to prop up the newly established pro-Soviet regime in Kabul in disarray due to the lack of political and military support, it claimed that its presence was aimed at assisting the Afghan government to restore law and order in the country.

However, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan raised alarm bells in the Western capitals. The USA regarded it as a serious threat to its interests in the South Asian region and the Middle East. It was feared that Russia’s old dream of controlling the hot waters of the Indian Ocean could come true.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan raised alarm bells in the Western capitals. The USA regarded it as a serious threat to its interests in the South Asian region and the Middle East. It was feared that Russia’s old dream of controlling the hot waters of the Indian Ocean could come true.

Washington responded to the Russian invasion with diplomatic and economic sanctions signalling the end of the détente era knowing well that this was not enough to persuade the Soviets to leave Afghanistan. They began to cajole the then-president of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq, towards allowing his country to be used as the front line for launching a war of attrition against the Soviet’s occupation of Afghanistan.

It was Zia-ul-Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan who, with the help and guidance of his intelligence agency ISI, was ‘responsible to train and arm the mujahideen in partnership with ICI’.

Zia, a self-acclaimed fervent Islamist was determined to drive “the Godless, atheist and Communist menace” out of Afghanistan. Volunteers were invited and trained from Egypt, Arab and other countries to take part in the war effort against the “evil” of Communism.

The bulk of mujahideen willing and ready to sacrifice their lives to defeat Godless infidels were Afghan and Pakistanis. Billions of dollars were poured into the war effort by the USA and Saudi Arabia. In fact, Saudis matched the USA’s contributions dollar-for-dollar for the purchasing of arms and paying the mujahideen.

Billions of dollars were poured into the war effort by the USA and Saudi Arabia.

In addition, private donations to help mujahideen in their war efforts against the Soviets amounted to 20 million dollars per month at their peak. Osama bin Laden was one of the prominent fighters among the mujahideen.

He also heavily contributed financially to jihad efforts in Afghanistan.

After 9 years of fierce and cruel war fought by mujahideen gorillas against the Soviet army, the Russians decided to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan in 1989. In the brutal nine years of conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed and one hundred forty-five thousand Soviet soldiers lost their lives.

The decision by the Soviet Union to withdraw from Afghanistan was hailed as a total humiliation for the  Soviets and a great victory for mujahideen forces and the USA. The West celebrated the victory with a sigh of relief but without realizing the long-term consequences of this assumed victory.

America and its allies were so much intoxicated with their victory that they failed to recognize the full significance of leaving behind the growing menace of Taliban and Al-Qaeeda both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The task of sorting out the post-war fallouts and the formation of a broad-based government of varying factions and warlords in Kabul was left to Zia’s Pakistan.

The decision by the Soviet Union to withdraw from Afghanistan was hailed as a total humiliation for the  Soviets and a great victory for mujahideen forces and the USA.

Unfortunately, Afghanistan once more was engulfed in civil war which continued for another bloody 7 years.

However, Zia’s army in Pakistan continued to support the Taliban and other outfits to defeat the well-organised rival of the Taliban, the Northern Alliances. With continued support to religious elements in Afghanistan, the General Zia regime aspired to consolidate the Army’s flawed and illusionary policy of strategic “depth”.

But the American administration was much dismayed and even strongly incensed by the open support of Zia for the Taliban. It was regarded by them as an act of betrayal by Zia.

Meanwhile, Gen Zia was killed in an air crash with the American Ambassador and a few military top officers. Nonetheless, Pakistan continued its political and military support for Taliban which resulted in Taliban forming their government in 1996.

Osama was given a free hand to operate from his safe base in the country. By this time he was convinced that American policies toward Muslim world were loathsome and designed to maintain American hegemony upon Muslims.

Osama was given a free hand to operate from his safe base in the country.

It has to be understood that America and Saudi Arabia were the main culprits in creating and nourishing the monster of Al Qaeda and the Taliban and Pakistan was used by them, as a front-line state, because of Zia’s belief in religious obscurantism.

As a result, the country has not managed to fully counter the menace of terrorism and extremism being ranked internationally as having witnessed the worst forms of violence and terrorism next to Iraq.

Following the 9/11 incident in New York, the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama to America. A full-fledged war was declared at the end of 2001 with the aim of dismantling Al Qaeda and dislodging the Taliban government, a war that lasted over 20 years and caused destruction beyond recognition.

In September 2021 the USA left Afghanistan as the result of Doha Agreement and the growing domestic pressure against the war together with the realisation of the war being an unnecessary drain on its economy.

This was the second most humiliating defeat of American imperialism after Vietnam. The swift takeover by Taliban of Afghanistan without any resistance looked surreptitious and planned by America with the aim of leaving the country in a state of chaos and lawlessness with unending bloodshed.

This was the second most humiliating defeat of American imperialism after Vietnam.

However, the Taliban were able to demonstrate their firm control even in the potentially explosive circumstances facing their country.

But their ideology of Islamisation of Afghanistan and anti-Pakistan sentiments continue unabated. The resurgence of terrorism resulting in an increased number of attacks on Pakistan’s military and police posts close to border areas with Afghanistan have become a source of perpetual rift and even anger between the two countries.

The views of some political observers and analysts, however, are suggestive of Americans’ involvement in the promotion of this growing tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since Pakistani Taliban are based and sheltered in Afghanistan they have implicitly admitted responsibility for some such attacks. It is suspected by a few observers that they are goaded and paid by the CIA and RAW secret agencies for such cross-border attacks. It is assumed that the USA is propping up Pak Taliban with safe havens in Afghanistan with dual objectives:

Firstly,  to cast doubts on the intention and ability of the Afghan government not to let their land be used by terrorist organisations like Al-Qaida and Daesh; and secondly, to ensure instability in areas close to the Afghan border to discourage and deter China from increasing its political influence and investment in the region.

This strategy of the US could help India in its efforts to strengthen and sustain control in occupied Kashmir while Pakistan remains engaged with Talban on its western border.

This strategy of the US could help India in its efforts to strengthen and sustain control in occupied Kashmir while Pakistan remains engaged with Talban on its western border.

Also, in American estimation, Pakistan’s seriously crippled economy and domestic polarisation, social unrest, and terrorism would gradually force it to accept the hegemony of India. And this eventuality would pave the way for halting further Chinese encroachments in Southwestern Asia and the Persian Gulf including the Middle East and hot waters of the Indian Ocean.

In order to foil this evil strategic desire of America and India, Pakistan not only needs to remain vigilant but seriously consider the kind of relationship it would like to foster and maintain with the US and formulate a well-thought-out and strong policy to deal with the Taliban threat as well as the internal extreme outfits without any mercy or compromise.

In order to foil this evil strategic desire of America and India, Pakistan not only needs to remain vigilant but seriously consider the kind of relationship it would like to foster and maintain with the US and formulate a well-thought-out and strong policy to deal with the Taliban threat as well as the internal extreme outfits without any mercy or compromise.

The government must take on board all institutions including political parties and the military establishment which would be a major significant shift of policy of freeing the country from over-dependence in order to extend hands of friendship and good relations to neighbors like China, Russia, Afghanistan, and Iran.

Some individuals in the military establishment and old guards in the political parties who are well connected with American administration should put the national interests as their top priority to any other consideration before it may be too late.

Unfortunately, extremism and terrorism have been nourished, well fed, and used as the commodity for sale and proxy wars within the country both by some past governments, establishment and religious leaders but more so by the foreign powers to protect their political and economic interests in the region.

The octopus of extremism and terrorism that has become active once again and is hell-bent on spreading its tentacles must be destroyed before it destroys the entire society.

The author is former Lord Mayor of Bradford UK.

The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.