Pakistan ISI and the Taliban - Term Paper Example

Pakistan ISI and the Taliban The global spread of terrorism, which is connected with religious fundamentalism, is an imminent threat to world peace. Within this context, Taliban, which is deeply rooted in the Middle Eastern nations, is one of the most destructive and notorious international terrorist groups. To be specific, the nations which are based upon the amalgamation of religion and politics face the threat from religious fundamentalists who aim to control the political context. In Pakistan, the relation between Pakistan ISI (an intelligence agency) and Taliban is a controversial issue because it leads the nation to face the problem of religious fundamentalism, politicization of religion and rapid spread of terrorism. Thesis statement: The history of the relationship between Pakistan ISI and the Taliban and the present condition of the relationship proves that ISI and Taliban depend upon each other to extend their influence over the religious and political contexts in Pakistan and Afghanistan. History of the relationship between Pakistan ISI and the Taliban The history of the relationship between Pakistan ISI and the Taliban is interconnected with the origin of Taliban in 1990s in Afghanistan. The ISI, which was formed in the year 1948, deeply influenced the military and political scenarios of Pakistan. Within this context, the C wing of ISI was authorized to deal with the militant groups in Pakistan and neighboring areas. The role of ISI as an influential link between Pakistani Military and politics attracted the Taliban leaders. Clements (2003) states that “Taliban regime was seen by the ISI as a more acceptable form of government in Kabul in terms of the interests of Pakistan, and it was given considerable backing” (p.122). During and after the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, ISI supported Taliban because ISI was aware of the fact that Taliban as a governing body will be less powerful than as a terrorist organization. During the Civil War in Afghanistan (say, from the year 1996 to 2001), ISI extended it support to Taliban by supplying arms and ammunition. Besides, the Arab nations in the Middle East were ready to provide funding facilities to Taliban. From a different angle of view, the Arab nations and Taliban were in favor of the concept of political Islam or politicizing the religion. Within this context, ample funding facilities from Arab nations to propagate jihad and to form Islamic caliphate in Afghanistan deeply influenced the C wing of ISI. During and after the Afghan War, ISI helped Taliban because they considered Taliban as a sharp weapon to negotiate with the anti-terrorist forces/ democratic nations. Maley (1998) states that, “The ISI also helped the Taliban by providing them with hundreds of ex-Afghan army officers and technicians who had sought shelter in Pakistan after 1992” (p.86). Besides, ISI very well knew that Taliban is powerful enough to influence the Islamic world. The ISI did not directly support Taliban because the C wing was designed to coordinate the support. During the Afghan War, most of the Talban leaders sought refuge in the Pak-Afghan border. This helped ISI and Taliban to co-ordinate their actions in future. For instance, the militant groups within Taliban, especially the suicide bombers are trained in the training camps in Pak-Afghan border. Randal (2011) makes clear that “Before and after the emergence of the Taliban in the mid 1990s, the ISI trained volunteers in the same camps where Osama put his own recruits from around the Muslim world through their paces” (p.242). Besides, Taliban in Pakistan, especially the militant wing in Quetta (Pakistan), is supported by ISI. Camp (2012) states that “Ambassador Peter Tomsen told Frontline in 2006 that the ISI knows exactly where they are, even that “The Taliban leaders wander around in Pakistan clearly organizing offensives into Afghanistan”” (p.39). So, one can see that ISI supports Taliban because they consider Taliban as a powerful weapon which can be used in critical sitiations. The present condition of the relationship between Pakistan ISI and the Taliban In the present condition, the relationship between Pakistan ISI and Taliban is strong because the political leadership, military and ISI are not in favor of foreign influence in this area. To be specific, ISI does not like the presence of Indian companies in the process of re-construction of the war torn areas in Afghanistan. So, the political leadership in Pakistan decided to make use of ISI to back up Taliban against Indian influence in Afghanistan. From a different angle of view, Pakistan needs Taliban as a political body in Afghanistan, not as a terrorist organization. The transformation of Taliban from a terrorist organization to a political organization/ governing body is utmost important for ISI because Taliban is a double edged weapon. Fergusson (2011) states that, “US intelligence in Islamabad consistently underestimated the extent of ISI involvement with Taliban, and attributed the problem to a few ‘rogue’ agents” (p.167). The political leadership in Pakistan, especially the President and the Prime Minister, is facing a number of problems. This political turmoil in Pakistan is cunningly exploited by ISI to support Taliban in Afghanistan. Most of the world nations are aware of the relationship between ISI and Taliban and the presence of most wanted Taliban leaders in Pakistan proves the same. For instance, Bin Laden was captured in Pakistan. This incident can be considered as a solid proof which links the relationship between ISI and Taliban. The Afghan War initiated by the United States and its allies hindered the progress of the relationship between ISI and Taliban. After the United States and its allies withdrew from Afghanistan, the relation became stronger and direct. Steele (2001) opines that “Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence directorate, the country’s main intelligence agency, played a large part in building up the Taliban” (p.170). In addition, the illegal trade of opium in Afghanistan is controlled by the Afghani warlords or the leaders of Taliban and the revenue from this illegal trade is used to collect arms and ammunition and to attract new recruits. Within this context, ISI plays an important role in supplying arms and ammunition to Taliban in Afghanistan. The remote villages in Afghanistan and Pakistan, near to the Pak-Afghan border are considered as safe places for Taliban. The ISI plays an important role in training and preparing Afghani youths to participate in jihad against the nonbelievers of Islam. Rashid (2002) states that “The Taliban was born in Pakistani refugee camps, educated in Pakistani madrassas and learnt their fighting skills from Mujaheddin parties based in Pakistan” (p.185). So, one can easily identify that the religious and political agenda of Taliban and ISI are same. In short, Taliban exploits the weak political leadership in Afghanistan and extends its influence to the context of Pakistan. On the other side, ISI is ready to support Taliban because it is affiliated to international terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda. Summing, the political and religious contexts in Asia, especially in the Middle East is entirely different from USA and Europe. To be specific, religious fundamentalism and politicization of religion is the grass root level reason behind the problems faced by weak nations in Asia. Within this scenario, the international terrorist groups which operate from the remote regions in Asia create terror among the world nations. Some of the nations in Asia consider terrorist groups as an effective medium to negotiate with the Western nations and to gain profit from negotiations. The history of the relationship between Pakistan ISI and the Taliban proves that ISI never hesitated to make use of Taliban to fulfill selfish motives. Moreover, the present condition of the relationship between Pakistan ISI and the Taliban proves that religion and politics are mere tools, which can be manipulated with ease. Personal opinion In my opinion, Pakistan ISI is playing a double game in the current situation because Taliban is an international terrorist group which creates terror among the people. Besides, one cannot prove that Osama Bin Laden can lead a peaceful life in Pakistan without the help of ISI. In addition, Bin Laden was captured from Pakistan, not from Afghanistan. In the current situation, ISI is pretending that it is helping the Pakistani government and the military forces to fight against Taliban. At the same time, Pakistan ISI is aware of the fact that the presence of Taliban in Pakistan is helpful to attract international attention and aid. This is equally important to the Pakistani government because the presence of Taliban in the border areas is helpful to claim that they are facing the problem of terrorism. But the cordial relationship between ISI and Taliban is to be considered as an imminent threat to world peace. The Pakistan ISI is aware of the fact that the presence of Taliban in Pakistan can help the Pakistani government to bargain with the world nations which face the problem of terrorism. One can easily identify that both the Pakistan ISI and Taliban misuse their position (say, Taliban as an international terrorist group and Pakistan ISI as an intelligence force) in the Middle East, especially in the Pak-Afghan border and in Pakistan. In the present condition, Taliban is aware of the fact that the anti-terrorist forces will face difficult to locate their training camps in Pak-Afghan border. Besides, Taliban considers Pakistan ISI as a medium to implement their religious and political agenda in Pakistan. At the same time, Pakistan ISI is aware of Taliban’s worldwide reach and influence among the Middle Eastern nations. From a different angle of view, it will be difficult to prove that the Pak authorities were ignorant about Laden’s presence in Pakistan. For instance, Laden lived in a highly secure area in Abottabad, which is so close to an important military camp in Pakistan. If Pakistan ISI was not aware of this fact, it is not eligible to be an intelligence force. If Pakistan ISI was aware of Laden’s presence, they are playing the double game. One can see that Pakistan ISI’s relation with Taliban leads to far reaching consequences within the global context. In the present condition, the Pakistani politics is facing internal problems between the President and the Supreme Court. From a different angle of view, Taliban may exploit the present political turmoil in Pakistan to implement its religious and political agendas. In addition, some of the border villages in Pakistan are totally under the control of Taliban. The Islamic laws implemented by Taliban in Pakistani villages prove that the government does not have the courage to control Taliban. On the other side, Afghanistan is no more a safe place for Taliban. In my opinion, the present relation between Pakistan ISI and Taliban is due the weak political leadership in Pakistan. Moreover, the history of military coups in Pakistan, added with the present relation between Pakistan ISI and Taliban is to be considered as an imminent threat to democracy and anti-terrorism efforts in this area. References Camp, D. (2012). Boots on the Ground: The Fight to Liberate Afghanistan from Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, 2001-2002. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Imprint. Clements, F. (2003). Conflict in Afghanistan: a historical encyclopedia. California, US: ABC-CLIO. Fergusson, J. (2011). Taliban: The Unknown Enemy. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. Title Taliban: The Unknown Enemy Maley, W. (1998). Fundamentalism reborn?: Afghanistan and the Taliban. London, UK: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. Randal, J. (2011). Osama: The Making of a Terrorist. New York, NY: I.B.Tauris. Rashid, A. (2002). Taliban: Islam, oil and the new great game in central Asia. New York, NY: I.B.Tauris. Steele, J. (2001). Ghosts of Afghanistan: Hard Truths and Foreign Myths. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press. Read More