Radicalisation of the South Asian Muslim States
THE economic and political interests as well as national agenda are intentionally and skillfully
twisted by the developed nations to guise them into humanitarian, ideological and religious issues, as and when it suits them.
Afghan freedom fighters were supported by the people and military establishment of Pakistan (ISI) to safeguard their own national interests, because in their assessment the actual goals of the USSR in the 1970s and that of the US in the beginning of current millennium, were to dismember or at least render Pakistan toothless to ensure that it didn’t pose any challenges to their regional allies.
Islamic terminologies, Jihad, Mujahidin, etc, were popularized by the US solely to gain the support of Muslim masses and states against the USSR by exploiting their religious sentiments.
Legitimate armed freedom struggle started by the Afghans to liberate their country from the USSR was tactfully portrayed as a conflict between the Muslims and the Communists, who wanted to forcibly implement their “paganistic” ideology in an Islamic state, by the US and its allies.
After the US invasion of Afghanistan, Afghans (Taliban) used exactly the same tactics and strategies far more effectively to gain the support of their compatriots and the peoples of Muslim countries, which were destroyed or feared that they would be destroyed by the US.
By skillfully depicting the US as an anti-Islamic satanic force, Afghans inspired the Muslims, particularly belonging to Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Libya, etc, to avail the golden opportunity to avenge the cruelties the US had committed against them.
Pakistan got involved in the Afghan War against the USSR as well as the US, to ensure its survival as a sovereign state, with changed approach to safeguard its national interests.
In the 1970s, Pakistan overtly supported Afghans against the USSR with the help of USA and its allies, but after the US occupation of Afghanistan, Pakistan opted to help Afghans covertly in a more discreet manner to protect its own freedom and national interests.
Late General Hameed Gul very prophetically forecast about a decade ago that whenever the history of Afghan wars were written, Pakistan would be credited for defeating USSR with the support of the US during the last quarter of the 20th century, and for defeating the US with the help of the US during the 1st quarter of the 21st century.
General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervaiz Musharraf are often criticised for their flawed Afghan policies by the people who don’t have in depth knowledge of the real motivates of both the Soviets and the Americans behind their misadventures in Afghanistan.
If in the 1970s and during the first two decades of the 21st century, Pakistan opted not get involved in the Afghan wars, our status as a sovereign state would be of an Indian colony like Bangladesh, Nepal and other South Asian countries.
However, “Islamization” (exploitation of religious sentiments of Muslims) after the USSR occupation of Afghanistan in 1979, had fateful consequences for the Muslim countries especially Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
Even more than a year after General Zia-ul-Haq had taken over as the ruler of Pakistan after overthrowing the govt of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in a Coup D’état on 05 July 1977, supporting Afghan resistance against the Soviet forces did not appear a viable option to Pakistan and rest of the world.
Except a loose ban imposed on liquor in Pakistan, that too for the local Muslims, no amendments had been made in Constitution of Pakistan to make it a religious state.
The tourists, both males and females, from all over the world could be seen roaming about freely in every city of Pakistan.
It was after the Afghan resistance started posing some challenges to the Soviet Union, the world, with Pakistan in the forefront, started evaluating the possibilities of exploiting Muslims’ faith to inject motivation into Afghans’ struggle for liberating their country from the illegitimate occupation.
The strategy, which involved exploitation of religion, had tremendous potentials and equally risky prospects, which were not fully known to the planners of Afghan War.
In addition to injecting much needed motivation into purely freedom struggle of Afghans, it served to arouse religious sentiments of Muslim masses against the Soviet Union, which was despised both by the US-led West and the Islamic World, with equal intensity, due to its expansionist policies and promotion of an “evil ideology” (Marxism).
The word “Jihad” (for Afghan freedom struggle) and “Mujahedeen” (for freedom fighters) were popularized the world over.
The strategy produced amazing results; the Soviet Empire proved to be a house of cards in front of the combined might of Afghan resilience, human and financial resources of the Muslim World, reinforced by modern military technologies of the US-led Capitalist Bloc.
Immediately after the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan and collapse of USSR-led Socialist Bloc, the US and its Western allies withdrew the support, they were providing to Pakistan and Afghans.
The sudden withdrawal of the major stakeholders of Afghan War left the poor Afghans in a grim situation.
After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, Pakistan was also totally exhausted, unprepared and inadequately equipped to clear the mess created by its role as the “Frontline State” during the whole conflict.
The US and its allies were unable to timely realise the aftermath of arousing the jingoistic emotions among the Muslim youth across the world.
Their eagerness to attain their own strategic objectives through any means, served to activate the lava of hatred, which was lying dormant among the radical Muslims, for the US-led Western world, which they thought had subjugated them even after the colonial period, through their unscrupulous cronies, to exploit the resources of the Muslim world.
The jingoism, faithfully absorbed by the radical Muslim groups, thus turned its ire toward its igniters, after the Afghan war.
The USSR occupation of Afghanistan coinciding with the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s, was yet another most fateful development in the modern history of the world.
In addition to Afghanistan and Iran, it had lasting impact on other Muslim countries, especially Pakistan.
The transformation of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan from moderate developing Muslim states to regressing radical nations caused by these two events, may not ever be reversed.
Iran’s efforts to export Shia Revolution to other Muslim countries, including Sunni major countries like Pakistan, besides adversely affecting interfaith harmony, served to further deepen sectarian divide already existing between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Pakistan.
In a bid to contain Shia Revolution, sponsored by Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim Arab states, provided generous financial and material aid to the radical Sunni groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan to protect their own sectarian and strategic interests.
Resultantly, Pakistan became an arena for proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which contributed to irreversibly transform Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan from moderate Muslim state into radical religious states.
—The writer is contributing columnist based in Islamabad.
