HVK Archives: War on two fronts
War on two fronts - The Observer
Dina Nath Mishra
()
10 April 1997
Title : War on two fronts
Author : Dina Nath Mishra
Publication : The Observer
Date : April 10, 1997
Taliban administration of Afghanistan has made a strong objection
to inviting President . Rabbani's representative in the Nam
conference of foreign ministers held at New Delhi. Taliban has
blamed India for this, forgetting totally that no country, not even
their benefactor USA or even promoter Pakistan, has recognised the
Taliban government of Afghanistan.
Given the situation, Taliban's expectation was not bonafide. True,
they have captured three-fourth of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is
undergoing a civil war for the last 18 years. It has seen a number
of regimes during the period. To think that Taliban has come to
stay for long would be premature. Powerful neighbours are bent upon
extending their areas of influence or even territory at the cost of
Afghanistan. It is no secret that the Taliban militia is a creation
of Pakistan.
It may be recalled that in a remarkably candid admission, former
Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto has told the BBC on
October 20, 1996 that there was Pakistan involvement with Taliban.
She said this when she was confronted with an allegation that the
kind of financial support the Taliban had and the excellent
refuelling facility for the Taliban vehicles only indicated
Pakistani involvement. She had, however, added that it was not just
Pakistan that had set up the schools where the Taliban had been
trained and tutored. Britain, USA and Saudi Arabia had also
assisted. She was obviously referring to the training camps
established along the borders of Afghanistan in Baluchistan and
frontier provinces.
A number of media reports from the world press can be cited to
prove this point. BBC Central Asia correspondent Monica Whitlock
reported in October 1996, after travelling in the areas north of
Kabul that she had seen Pakistani militia and officials captured by
the northern alliance in their fight against Taliban. Further,
Time (November 4, 1996) says 26 Pakistanis were captured by the
forces loyal to Rabbani government. The magazine has quoted Khalid
Mohammad Zai, a captured Pakistani officer himself. Khalid was a
member of Islamic paramilitary force belonging to Punjab unit of
Pakistan and had entered Afghanistan along with a thousand other
Pakistani fighters.
They had been taken across the border in Pakistani military
vehicle. Mohammad Zai was captured near Salang Pass on October 13,
19%. When Taliban was engaged in pushing Masood's forces out of
the region, Laurent Hamida of Reuter had reported the Salang Valley
operation of Taliban in October 1996. It was reported that the
officers were speaking in good English and they had confirmed that
they were from Karachi. Alarmed at this development in the media,
Naseerullah Babar had tried for an exchange of prisoners of war
during his negotiations in Mazar-e-Sharief and Kandahar.
All this proves beyond doubt that the Pak role was not ]limited to
training and funding. It is a fact that in Afghanistan the Taliban
operation was not conducted alone. Pakistani forces had played a
very significant and direct role in capturing 75 per cent of the
Afghan territory for Taliban to rule. In fact, ISI involvement
with the Taliban has been from the very beginning. Soon after the
Taliban burst on the Afghan battle scene in November 1994, Pakistan
lost no time in strengthening their support and assistance to the
Taliban in all possible ways. ISI, with several serving military
officers, were directing the Taliban's operations. Pakistan has
been using its consulate-general in Mazar-e-Sharief.
Visitors returning from the city of Mazar-e-Sharief bring back the
impression that it took them very little time to discover the high
profile local ISI chief Sanaullah and his team. The main purpose
of the ISI operation here is to offer monetary inducement and
temptations to the local field commanders, some of whom are
Pushtoon and loyal to General Dostum. But it remains to be seen
how far these temptations persuade the northern alliance components
to overlook the fate of Shia leader Mazari and former President
Nazibulah at the hands of Taliban. Both were killed and their
bodies displayed publicly. They were killed when they were under
the protection of Taliban. The consulate-general at the
Mazar-e-Sharief is the hub of activities of ISI.
Sanaullah himself is a very active ISI officer. He has a lavish
life style. Money is thrown around by ISI among the Afghan
residents to win them over. It is also believed that he has close
links with local drug traffickers. It is no secret that throughout
the Afghan war, the nexus between arms smugglers and drug
traffickers has been a major way of sustaining the militant Islamic
movements and also their linkages with unscrupulous officials.
Sanaullah's deputy is the 40-year-old Gulam Jarnil, another
Pushtoon and a religious fanatic who had earned considerable fame
as a military adviser to. various Afghan guerrilla groups during
the last eleven years.
Other ISI operators in the consulate general are numerous.
Mostakim Khan is also about 40 years old and works under the cover
of a press officer - He is said to be an extremely cunning person.
Malek Khan is in the passport and visa section, while Khaled has
the cover of a defence and military adviser. Zakhir Khan and Saber
Hussien are the field officers. There are three cipher operatives,
Fateh Khan, Saeed and Owed. Zahed Shah is the driver of the chief
of station, Sanaullah, and also works as a courier. Clandestine
meetings take place in the dead of night in the private houses of
the ISI operators.
One thing common about the entire ISI set-up is that they seem to
be quite easy with their conduct. They are fond of hard drinking
and womanising, both of which would have earned them the maximum
penalty had they been in the Taliban areas. There is nothing
remotely Islamic about the general behaviour of these operators.
Midnight rendezvous with the local Afghan women has been very often
the cause for conflicts with the residents.
It is not that in Pakistan there is no knowledge of the covert wars
it is fighting against Afghanistan or India. Famous Pakistani
columnist Khalid Ahmad writing in Frontier Post says, "We were
pivotal to the Afghan war. On the other side, we also took on the
Khalistan war as a spin-off. Having become soft to the lure of the
frontline status, we are still fighting in Kashmir and Afghanistan,
forgotten that circumstances have changed fundamentally against
frontline states in the post-cold war era, especially with regard
to risk-free sources of funding."
ISI operation is making central Asia the most vulnerable and
volatile zone of Islamic conflicts. Various outfits have their own
brand of Islam patronised by neighbouring powers. But this strategy
of ISI is a double-edged sword which is bound to affect Pakistan
itself. India must watch its national interest for Taliban may
look east.
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