New Delhi: A social media campaign in Pakistan on Taliban gained major traction in India on 15th September. The campaign with the hashtag- #PakistanisTaliban aimed at drawing attention to the fact that Pakistan nurtured the Taliban and provided it assistance to swiftly take over Afghanistan.
The campaign was inspired by the British newspaper Daily Mail’s tweet which stated that Pakistan does not support or have influence over the Taliban because Pakistan is the Taliban. It quickly went viral on Indian social media and became one of the most trending political topics with more than 16 thousand tweets in a short amount of time.
The Taliban’s rapid advance in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops has shocked many observers. The question arose as to how the Taliban could easily steamroll the Afghan Security forces. But the answer was clear and has become evident to many scholars and observers over time that the Taliban owed its success to assistance from Pakistan.
Pakistan acted as a command and control for the Taliban offensive, allowing the latter to seamlessly coordinate thousands of its fighters and swiftly take over Afghanistan. Reports have also indicated that Pakistan used Chinese made drones to actively assist the Taliban even after its initial offensive and against its battle in Panjshir Valley.
For 20 years during the US war on terror, Pakistan and its intelligence service ISI provided shelter and nurtured the Taliban and now with its takeover of Afghanistan, it is reaping the benefits.
Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf in late August advised the west (the USA, Europe etc) to engage and accept the Taliban government, adding that if the West did not follow this course of action, then it would risk another 9/11 style attack.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has also stated that the best way to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan is for the international community to accept and engage with the Taliban, claiming that continued international aid to Afghanistan was the need of the hour and it would also incentivize the Taliban to uphold human rights.
While Imran Khan has denied the role of Pakistan in assisting the Taliban or interfering in Afghanistan’s internal politics, the reality is that Pakistan wants control of the Afghan economy and wish for the Haqqanis to play a major role in the government. Pakistan ISI’s Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed met with his Russian, Chinese, Iranian and Tajikistani counterparts on September 11, in order to brief them about the situation in Afghanistan and the “new changing order” of the world.
Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and close relationship with the Taliban was further revealed when Hameed made an impromptu visit to Kabul on September 4 to ‘assist’ the Taliban information of the government in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has also weighed in on the Pakistan-Taliban debate and stated that Pakistan has ‘no favourites’ in Afghanistan, adding that they will recognise the Taliban government based on “international consensus, ground realities, as well as Pakistan’s national interests”.
Despite not having international consensus (multiple countries still refuse to recognise the Taliban), Pakistan seemed to have supported the Taliban and has also warned western countries of serious consequences if they failed to do so. From the statements of top Pakistani diplomats and the actions of Pakistan in the past weeks, it has become clear that Islamabad says something but acts in a different direction.
Many international observers believe that Pakistan nurtured the Taliban for the last 20 years and that is the only reason that the terrorist organisation has been able to survive. Pakistan’s continued support for this terrorist organisation and its assistance to the Taliban during its Afghan offensive are the reasons that the #PakistanIsTaliban campaign was able to garner so much traction in such a short amount of time.
It has once again exposed Pakistan and its links to the Taliban in front of the world community. Pakistan is already recognised as a nation that routinely aids and funds global terror and that is why it was put on the FATF grey list. Despite restrictions, it has blatantly supported the Taliban in Afghanistan, while claiming that it is making all efforts to establish ‘peace and prosperity in the country.
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