Pakistan-Taliban Nexus

25 Jan, 2001    ·   455

Parama Sinha Palit feels that Pakistan has bitten off more than it can chew
Parama Sinha Palit
Indians would remember the last week of the last millennium for several years to come. The hijacking of a New Delhi-bound Indian Airlines aircraft from Kathmandu by the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) on the eve of Christmas, subjected the nation to unprecedented stress for nearly a week. The Indian government was forced to succumb to the demands of the hijackers for securing the release of the hostages. The incident was a brutal reminded of the role of Pakistan and the Taliban in fostering terrorism in the Indian subcontinent. 

 

 

It is ironical that the Taliban (a phrase implying ‘students’), have carried terrorism to proportions that are alarming even for the mighty US. In recent times, the Taliban has been playing host to extremist groups from Central Asia , Iran , Kashmir, China and Pakistan . It has accommodated Harkat Ul Mujahideen (HUM), the outfit responsible for the Indian Airlines hijack. A Report by the US Congress (1999) notes the gradual, eastward shift in the locus of terrorist activities in Asia . The hub of terrorism has moved to South Asia after the proactive measures adopted by several Middle East countries for curbing terrorism. The Report also identifies a growing religious dimension to terrorism in South Asia . 

 

 

The Pakistan-Taliban nexus in sponsoring terrorism in India , particularly Kashmir , has become evident in recent times. For Pakistan , terrorism has been a potent para-military weapon for frustrating India ’s aspirations for emerging as a major regional player in South Asia . By sponsoring cross-border terrorism, Pakistan has wished to keep India preoccupied with internal security issues, culminating in gradual weakening and fragmentation of the country. The Taliban has emerged as a faithful ally for Pakistan in pursuit of the objective. 

 

 

There are obvious reasons for close ties between Pakistan and the Taliban. As a neighbour, Afghanistan provides Pakistan geopolitical access to the natural resources and economic opportunities in Central Asia . Pakistan has necessarily to maintain cordial ties with the Taliban administration. The Taliban, on the other hand, have a complaint neighbour, in Pakistan granting it international recognition and supporting its long term objective of carving out a pan-Islamic universe. By soliciting Taliban support in abetting terrorism, Pakistan has ensured its international isolation. The moot objective for Pakistan behind patronizing terrorism in India is its long pending desire to settle scores with the country. Pakistan holds India squarely responsible for creating Bangladesh out of East Pakistan . Securing political vendetta for Pakistan would imply witnessing a broken and fractured India . Terrorism and low-intensity warfare are its means for achieving this objective. The Taliban irregulars provide Pakistan with willing volunteers. But the price for Taliban support may, in the long run, turn out to be quite heavy for Pakistan . 

 

 

The Taliban mercenaries support Pakistan for achieving their eventual goal of ‘Jihad’. They and other militant outfits of similar ideologies want to establish Taliban-style regimes in various parts of the world. Liberating Kashmir is only a part of their agenda for ‘Jihad’. While Pakistan would be happy with a separated Kashmir and a fragmented India , the Taliban has much larger objectives. Accepting the demands of the Taliban may be a far more difficult proposition than Pakistan envisages. Apart from the distinct possibility of the Taliban growing into a Frankenstein, Pakistan is in serious danger of being branded a terrorist state. In recent times, the US , a traditional ally of Pakistan during the Cold War, is sending strong signals to the contrary. By inching closer to India , the US is gradually distancing itself from Pakistan . While productive business prospects are one of the reasons behind the transition, the other is a common concern with terrorism. 

 

 

Way back in 1992, Pakistan came perilously close to being declared a terrorist state by the US , after an ISI instructed attack by Kashmiri extremists on Israeli tourists in Srinagar . In 1993, Pakistan and Sudan came to figure on the ‘watch list’ of states suspected of sponsoring terrorism. Four years later, the Pakistan patronized Harkat-Ul-Ansar (HUM) was declared an international terrorist organization by the US State Department. Matters became more difficult for Pakistan with the Harkat Ul Mujahideen (the erstwhile Harkat-Ul-Ansar) ratifying Osama Bin Laden’s fatwa against the US and Israel in 1998. 

 

 

Both India and the US have expressed concern over the destabilization threats implicit in the Pakistan-Taliban nexus with regard to the peace and security of the South Asian region. They have also agreed to work together for neutralizing the menace. Moreover, not content with the present restrictions, the international community is pressing for tougher UN sanctions on Afghanistan . As one of the three countries granting official recognition to the Taliban government (apart from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ), Pakistan ’s involvement with the Taliban can only damage its international credibility. This, in turn, can have serious repercussions for a country saddled with internal strife and a crumbling economy. 

 

 

 

 

 

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