<<  <  >  >>

already waned. The outcome was not really a

diplomat who served in Pakistan. Zia also

"blowback," to use the term pundits fre-

hoped that a new government in Kabul

quently use to describe unintended conse-

would "reflect his own Islamic leanings far

quences of certain policies. The United States

more than any previous regime had, and far

intentionally groomed Pakistan, despite

more than the Pakistani president had been

able to impose on his own country."32

being aware of its client's increasing radical

Islamic orientation, as the leading regional

The pressure to advance that ambitious

power in Afghanistan. It was a myopic policy.

agenda in Afghanistan, as well as to develop

The same militant anti-Western and anti-

Pakistan's nuclear military program, contin-

modern environment, nourished by the

ued after Zia's death and the Soviet with-

Saudi-backed military-mosque nexus in

drawal from Afghanistan. The ISI and the

Islamabad and its satellites in Afghanistan

military took the lead, aided by support from

and elsewhere, was responsible for such bar-

radical Muslim groups. That trend persisted

baric acts as forcing religious minorities to

despite frequent U.S. objections and some

wear distinctive badges and smashing

resistance from the civilian governments of

ancient Buddhist monuments. It had already

prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz

promoted terrorism against American citi-

Sharif. Islamabad's efforts led, first, to the

zens around the world. U.S. leaders should

temporary control of Kabul by the Islamic

have taken that record into consideration.

radical leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and

The Reagan Doctrine, which relied on

then to the 1994 victory of the Taliban, dom-

local military powers to counter the Soviets,

inated by Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group

made it possible for the Pakistanis to become

in Afghanistan, whose members also control

the dominant force in the anti-Soviet Islamic

a large area across the border in Pakistan. The

insurgency in Afghanistan and allowed them

Taliban defeated a coalition of Uzbek, Tajik,

to support their favorite guerrilla groups

and Hazara opponents (the Northern

through the ISI. The ISI also coordinated the

Alliance), which had ties to outside players,

flow of other foreign aid, including the

including Russia and Iran (and, to some

recruitment of foreign Muslim volunteers

extent, India and China). Alongside bin

and graduates of the local madrassas.31 All of

Laden, Pakistan was the main sponsor of the

Taliban as it marched to Kabul.33

that, of course, was instrumental in achieving

the American goal of bogging down the

The United States

Pakistan Backs the Taliban

Soviets in Afghanistan. But it also helped to

strengthen the power of the ISI and the other

Some experts and journalists have suggest-

intentionally

elements of the destructive military-mosque

ed that the Taliban and the terrorism that

groomed

nexus in Pakistan.

arose in Afghanistan occurred because the

One can argue that the "tail" started to

United States "neglected" and "turned its

Pakistan, despite

wag the "dog" sometime in 1986 when there

back" on Afghanistan at the end of the Cold

being aware of its

were clear indications that the Soviets want-

War, which supposedly led to the chaos in

client's increasing

ed a face-saving formula for withdrawal from

that country. The fact is that the United

Afghanistan. It was then that Zia, whose orig-

States did make an effort to cobble together a

radical Islamic

inal stated goal was to reduce the threat of

united front following the Soviet withdrawal

orientation, as

Soviet expansionism, started advancing a

and did consider helping with economic

more ambitious agenda. "Victory by the resis-

reconstruction. But that effort failed largely

the leading

tance, he believed, could produce for the first

because of deliberate interference on the part

regional power in

time an Afghan regime genuinely friendly to

of the Pakistani intelligence establishment.

Afghanistan.

Pakistan, which in turn could enable

There was a "Pakistani-instigated chaos, but

Pakistan to gain `strategic depth' against

the U.S. contribution to it was not central,"

It was a myopic

India, long a goal of Pakistani Islamic plan-

argues Afghanistan watcher Robert Kaplan.

policy.

ners," according to Dennis Kux, a former U.S.

Out of the Pakistani-instigated chaos came

10