Published: Tue, 16 Dec 2008
Bush administration’s strategy in allying Pakistan in its Afghanistan war against Taliban regime was greatly flawed.The strategy was adopted in view of unique geographical location of Pakistan that provided all the land routes to the eastern borders of the landlocked country.
Western borders of Afghanistan faced Iran, which had snapped diplomatic relations with US since the days of Islamic revolution in the year 1978 and US embassy hostage issue of 1979, that barred any action in executing the said war. But the strategy adopted failed to take notice of the fact that all these supply routes ran through the tribal belt of Pakistan infested with militants having deep ethnic,linguistic and cultural links and ties with the pashtun population of Afghanistan. Moreover they had a culture of hate against all foreigners and had a tradition of looting and hijacking the supplies along with transports. The main supply route from Peshawar to Kabul falls in the lawless Khyber agency area till it crosses the border at Torkham .The other main land route runs through the border town of Chaman to the south Afghan city of Kandahar. In addition to its intense ethnic, cultural and linguistic links, an extreme type of Sunni fundamentalism was promoted in this area thanks to a strategy promoted by former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq who worked out a policy of waging a proxy against India through acts of terrorism. These tribal areas also known as Federally Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) are actually administered through various agencies and and continue to remain outside the law and order administration of Pakistan though they remain within the sovereign territories of Pakistan .Even the Pakistan authorities during disturbed times transport their supplies through these routes in convoys under armed escorts.
Moreover the Taliban flourish only in the pashtun areas of Afghanistan had greater affinity with them than the non-Pastun population of Pakistan itself. Pakistani authorities therefore could hardly be of any significant help in the US war effort against Taliban.Instead this tribal area was in fact more prone to become a part of the problem. Eventually this area saw the rise of Pakistani Taliban’s that added yet another dimension to the Afghan war . In the wake of September 11,2001 US attack on Taliban regime in Afghanistan territory, a substantial number of tajiks,Chechans and Arab fighters crossed over to Pakistan tribal areas.Suddenly local tribal fighters who had earlier taken part in the Afghan resistance against the soviets also joined them that swelled their ranks substantially and the Taliban spread extensively through the tribal belt .initially these Talibans staged daring cross-border attacks on the US led forces in Afghanistan on “hit and run” basis.But now they are carrying out major operations while staying in Afghanistan under a dreaded commander Baitullah Mahsud. General Musharraf in fact allied with US efforts in Afghanistan on the spur of the moment in order to tighten his grip on Pakistan .He also needed American financial assistance .Besides he sensed an opportunity of cornering a sizeable quantity of US arms to be used against India.His dubious role was later much criticized in US media. As was revealed during last days of his regime, Pakistan Taliban Movement actually advanced deeply into Pakistan itself up to its capital city of Islamabad resulting in the Lal Masjid episode and later executing terrorists attacks in various cities of Pakistan. Pakistan President Zardari recently rightly concluded that real danger to Pakistan does not come from India but from the Taliban attacks within the country.Taliban in a way also represents sub-Nationalism of Pashtun ethnic group and appears intent on laying bare the ethnic faultlines of Pakistan that may destroy the state itself.
With Obama declaring that his administration will not hesitate to strongly pursue and eliminate al-Qaeda and Taliban hiding in tribal areas of Pakistan,Muller who is overseeing an “Afghanistan and Pakistan transition strategy” at the Pentagon, is redrawing the map of the ‘Afghanistan battle space’ that would also include the tribal region of western Pakistan. Forceful messages have already been delivered to Pakistan officials to step up attacks against Taliban and Al-Qaeda sanctuaries in their territories
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