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Pakistan has been the beneficiary of the enormous and unlimited material and financial support of all the countries supported and equipped the Afghan resistance against Soviet invasion in 1980s. In fact, if one would make a thorough research since the beginning of the cold war which was ended up with the Soviet Union’s collapse from Afghanistan, Pakistan has made and saved billions of dollars aimed and supposed to be handed or fed Afghanistan’s 3-4 million refugees. The war against Russians invasion in Afghanistan was seen as a best opportunity for Pakistan to build, save, and develop their country.
Pakistan before 1979 was not only a world’s poorest country, but severely underdeveloped as well. Whatever was seen as a visible buildings or parts of the national infrastructure in that time were those built by Great Britain when the Indian subcontinent was part of the British Empire. In addition, Pakistan of 1970s was and is still depending on foreign aid for the most of it is important commodities such as grains (wheat, corn) and crude oil. The major so called “GT Road” connecting Peshawar to Islamabad, and Karachi through Lahore was not more then 15-20 feet wider. While after withholding the multibillion dollar donations of Afghan refugees; as planned by Pakistanis that “GT Road” developed to New National Highway, which was more upgraded with recent “withheld” money of Afghan Refugees who are still living in burning deserts and heats of Pakistan, to SUPER-HIGHWAY. This SUPERHIGHWAY cut a regular 1600 miles trip (Peshawar-Karachi) by 500 miles.
In military advances, Pakistan did not hesitate to steal whatever they can to match its military capability to its arch rival India. Pakistan, for the last 30 years, even up to now, has been collecting the money which is initially allotted to feed, care, and support helpless refugees living in Pakistan. With this blood-bath money, Pakistan built nuclear warheads, long-range and short-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Pakistan had thousands of stockpiles of weapons left from the Indo-Pak war. Due to warmer and humid temperature of Pakistan, most of these stock piles were useless. However, 1980s, the entire stockpiles of such useless weapons were distributed to Afghan resistance to Russian invasion. This as mockery as it sounds, but Afghans had to fight and free their land from Russian invasion, so they had little time to ask their so called “brothers” of severely out of date weapons. Time was on Pakistani side, and freedom war was on Afghan side. Afghan casualties were mounting on day-to-day basis. Health and medical care for injured Afghans was another opportunity the Pakistanis did not want to mess without making money out of it. To be honest, Pakistanis made money in every idea and field the imagined in regards to Afghanistan.
Eventually, the war on terror gave them another prolonging opportunity. This war brought unexpected loads of money to Pakistan from many other sources in addition to its old payers (USA, UK, and other EUROPEANS). Pakistan made billions of dollars from both the terrorism-victim countries, and from the terrorists themselves. For the last 9 years since the War on Terror began, Pakistan has played double rule to feed it is filthy secretive wishes out of Afghanistan's bloodshed. In this past decade, Pakistan did not hesitate to use any available tool to kill innocent street vendors in Afghanistan. Pakistan armed, fed, trained, harbored, and equipped world’s notorious and murderous groups and sent them cross its border to Afghanistan to kill every living object. For years Pakistan denied the existence of Afghan Taliban leaders within Pakistan, bowing to pressure from western countries, thanks to the United States, now they are capturing one-by-one those who were sold to Pakistan to kill its fellow Afghans.
Pakistan is living deeply and in a constant fear of these Taliban leaders and groups. The arrests themselves are very controversial, and apparently began spontaneously by Pakistani government way before the United States' armed forces involved. Pakistanis are afraid of the unity and blending of such veteran War-lords into Afghan security forces. Therefore, seizing the opportunity, Pakistan captured and is still continuing to capture Afghan Taliban. Very positive and promising step for the security and stability of Afghanistan, but crucial point still remains in regards to Pakistan’s new game in this venture. Well, part of it is obviously in visit to Washington and they will have a closed—door talk to President Obama. So far Pakistan is craving for drones, helicopters, heavy army equipments, and many more financial demands, but in few days we will learn what else the Pakistanis have in their military and non-military apatite menu. Hopefully, president Obama will not offer a taste that will make him and Pentagon regret later.
Nov 2001
"It is a big joke in the regular army that many of the ISI officers are more Taliban than the Taliban," comments author Ahmed Rashid. In Islamabad, we come to the sprawling headquarters of ISI.
"It is a big joke in the regular army that many of the ISI officers are more Taliban than the Taliban," comments author Ahmed Rashid. In Islamabad, we come to the sprawling headquarters of ISI. Behind these walls lies a hidden government -- nominally under state command, but in reality dictating the terms of Pakistan's most sensitive policies -- Afghanistan, Kashmir and nuclear weapons. They have also been instrumental in bringing the Taliban to power. "Almost immediately after the Soviet departure, the ISI started running the Taliban's political and military structure," observes Ahmed Rashid. Although Pakistan still denies direct involvement with the Taliban, evidence is now emerging that shows clear links between the two. While General Musharraf has signed up on the side of the US, the ISI has other ideas. "A few days after September 11, several officers went back in again to advise the Taliban on how to prepare military defences," reveals Rashid. Already, Musharraf has sacked his ISI boss for encouraging the Taliban to resist the US. The US must be asking with friends like the ISI, who needs enemies?
Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures
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