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Despite denials by

the Taliban. "The problem has not been U.S.

Afghanistan and its policy of turning the coun-

neglect but Pakistani interference, under both

try into the center of international terrorism

Musharraf and

democratic and military regimes." Why did

could have occurred without the support of

his aides,

the Pakistanis interfere in Afghanistan?

Pakistan. "We are fighting a jihad and this is

Pakistan's ISI

"Because they require an Afghan puppet state

the first Islamic international brigade in the

to supply them with strategic depth for their

modern era," bragged Gen. Hamid Gul, the

continued to pro-

conflict against India," explains Kaplan.34

former head of the ISI, to a journalist in 1999.

vide military and

In retrospect, one can raise serious ques-

"The communists have their international

tions about aspects of the U.S. involvement in

brigades, the West has NATO, why can't the

financial assis-

Muslims unite and form a common cause?"37

Afghanistan, especially the willingness to per-

tance to the

mit the Pakistani military and the ISI to con-

Two years later, members of that Pakistani-

Taliban in

trol the assistance to the insurgents and the

backed jihad international hit the World Trade

decision, under the pressure of cold warriors

Center and the Pentagon, killing thousands of

Afghanistan even

and a pro-mujahideen Congress, to continue

Americans and others. On December 13 other

after September

funneling arms to the mujahideen even after

members of those brigades attacked India's

11, 2001.

the Soviet withdrawal. The American support

parliament in a plot to kill its leadership.

through Islamabad tipped the balance of

power in the Afghan civil war in favor of

Musharraf Pursues

Pakistan and its allies among the Pashtuns,

"Talibanization"

while weakening the military and political

influence of other ethnic groups allied mostly

with a Human Face

with Iran, Russia, and some Muslim republics

in Central Asia. But lack of support in

In a January 12, 2002, televised address to

Washington and abroad would have made it

the Pakistani people, a confident Musharraf

impossible for U.S. policymakers to work out a

seemed to be taking more dramatic steps in the

compromise solution with Russia and Iran

direction of once again aligning his country

and their allies in Afghanistan, and with

with the United States and the West, rejecting

Pakistan, to form perhaps a decentralized

terrorism and theocracy, and criticizing those

political structure with spheres of influence for

who "pervert" Islam to advance their interests.

each outside power. The only other alternatives

He announced the banning of five of the most

would have been direct military intervention

radical Islamic groups and ordered hundreds

by the United States or permitting the

of their members rounded up. Many of the

madrassas were to be closed down or brought

Pakistanis to establish control over most of the

country. The latter alternative, a Pax Pakistana

under government control, and other religious

in Afghanistan, became the policy by default.35

institutions, including mosques, would be

Despite denials by Musharraf and his aides,

monitored and warned not to promote terror-

Pakistan's ISI continued to provide military

ism. "The day of reckoning has come," he

and financial assistance to the Taliban in

announced. "Do we want Pakistan to become a

Afghanistan even after September 11, 2001.36

theocratic state? Do we believe that religious

Islamabad still regarded Afghanistan as a

education is enough for governance? Or do we

strategic ally and ideological associate. Afghan

want Pakistan to emerge as a progressive and

training camps and Afghan recruits helped to

dynamic Islamic state?" He added that radical

prepare the next Pakistani-instigated insur-

Islamists "did nothing but contribute to

gency against the Indians in Kashmir and to

bloodshed in Afghanistan," leading to "disrup-

spread radical Islamic ideas and institutions

tion and sowing seeds of hatred." And he

asked, "Does Islam preach this?"38

around the world, through "jihad-internation-

al" brigades, some of which were tied to the al-

This much-analyzed address was hailed by

Qaeda network.

officials and commentators as an indication

It is doubtful that the Taliban's control of

that, after reorienting his foreign policy

11