Author: Vinay Kumar
Publication: The Hindu
Date: September 29, 2001
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 28. As the situation
changes rapidly in Afghanistan in the face of an imminent U.S. attack and
the declaration of ``jehad'' by the Taliban militia against America, reports
have hinted at a strong Pakistan-Taliban nexus and the support of Pakistani
students of various `madrassas' to fight alongside the Taliban against
the Northern Alliance.
Reports from Pakistan have indicated
that within a day of the terrorist strikes in New York and Washington,
the military regime in Islamabad ordered the pull-out of all the Government
officials, cadres of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, the Lashkar-e- Taiba, the
Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Al Badr. Estimates are that nearly 70 per cent
of the evacuation has been completed.
About 2,000 Afridis - many from
the Islami Jamaat-e- Tuiba, student wing of the Pakistan-based Jamaat-e-Islami
- are fighting alongside the Taliban in Takhar province where 250 cadres
of the Sipah-e-Sahaba have also been deployed.
Pakistan and Afghan-watchers have
pointed out that Pakistani students of various `madrassas,' many belonging
to Maulana Fazl- ur-Rahman's Jamaat-ul-Ulema Islam, have been fighting
the forces of the Northern Alliance. And, in violation of the United Nations
resolution 1333 of December 2000, Islamabad has continued to support the
Taliban militia.
A five-member U.N. expert group,
set up to monitor the sanctions against Kabul, pointed out recently that
Pakistan ``could do more to help enforce an arms embargo and other sanctions''
against the Taliban regime. Its report observed that Pakistan had failed
to ``regulate'' its `madrassas' which were an important source of recruitment.
The deployment of U.N. monitors
had also evoked a strong reaction in Pakistan, especially among the religious
and fundamentalist parties. At a meeting of the Afghan Defence Council,
chaired by Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, in Islamabad in August, all the participants
opposed the proposal of deploying monitors. The former ISI chief, Lt. Gen.
(retd.) Hamid Gul, had even warned that the objective behind the move was
to put an end to the ongoing ``jehad'' by depriving the ``jehadis'' of
their weapons. And Maulana Masood Azhar of the Indian Airlines hijack fame
and founder, Jaish-e- Mohammad, urged Islamabad to reject the UNSC decision
to deploy the monitors.
It has also come to light that the
ISI had opened two offices in Kandahar and Kabul, to ``liaise with the
Taliban authorities'' for tracing the Pakistanis who had fled to Afghanistan
after committing crimes. But, analysts pointed out that the real motive
was for greater and effective coordination between the ISI and the Taliban.
While the Kandahar office was headed by Major Ashraf, Brig. Pervez handled
the affairs of the Kabul office. The ISI had also made its presence felt
in the Mazar-e-Sharif to facilitate coordination with the Islamic forces
in Uzbekistan.
Reports and intercepts also point
to the involvement of Pakistanis with the Taliban. Some of them occupy
high posts in the Taliban army. Mullah Israil, who heads an intelligence
wing, and Mullah Abdullah, a field commander are from Chaman. Mullah Akhtar
Mohammad commands the Rishkor seventh
division and Mullah Abdur Razak of Quetta looks after the security in Kabul.
Besides, a Pakistani special regiment is stationed to the west of Shar-e-Nau
park in Kabul and a parachute regiment is located in the barracks of the
11th Nangarhar division.
Pakistani commando sub-units are
stationed in the building of the artillery headquarters in the area of
the former 110 division in Nangarhar province. Faizan, military adviser
in the south-west group and Mohammad Gul, military adviser in Kandahar,
are from the ISI. About 200 Sipah-e-Sahaba activists, headed by Riaz Basra,
are housed in a centre at Rishkor and 300 Harkat-ul- Mujahideen activists
are living in the Naglu settlement, according to reports.
