Pakistan and USA WAR ON

TERROR
 The Incident took place on 9/11
• On September 11, 2001 the incident which is now known as
9/11 took place. 19 Arab hijacked four planes and hit two of
these with World Trade Centre, New York, third with Pentagon
and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvanian field killing more than
3000 people. The incident shocked the whole world. The lion
was hit in its own den. Pain was amalgamated with anger and
humiliation of being hit and attacked.
• USA wasted no time to identify the culprit. It was Osama Bin
Laden, a guest terrorist of Taliban of Afghanistan. Before the
incident of 9/11 Taliban of Afghanistan were getting worldwide
attention as being savage who were hell bent upon to enforce
medieval practices.
Whole world supported USA against Al Qaeda

• NATO’s Article 5 was invoked according to which attack on one member state
would be considered as attack on all and a united front would be opened
against the enemy. The whole world supported USA and condemned the
incident. The support which USA got from world community was highly
predictable. Nobody could afford to support a savage people against the
country largely recognized as the sole super power.
• USA hurriedly got passed resolution from United Nations Security Council and
its General Assembly on the very next day of 9/11 envisaging global
cooperation against terrorism and declaring Al Qaeda a terrorist organization
and enemy of world peace. United Nations Organization passed two more
resolutions on 28th September 2001 which legalized USA’s (along with its
allies) attack on Afghanistan as well as other global measure to combat
terrorism. The resolutions were backed by all countries except Afghanistan.
 Pakistan came under immense international pressure

• Pakistan like all other countries condemned the incident of 9/11 but USA did
not ask for help from Pakistan, it in fact gave Pakistan option to choose friends
but with the consideration of consequences. USA minced no words to convey
“you are either with us or against us” which means help us in all possible ways
otherwise be ready for any consequences. UNO had already permitted USA
and allies to strike terrorists wherever they were found so Pakistan could well
imagine the extent of repercussions of not supporting USA against Taliban.
• Dilemma of Pakistan was beyond imagination. It had been pursuing a policy of
supporting Mujahedeen or Taliban for more than two decades in a hope to
have friendly government in Afghanistan as it had always been afraid of being
surrounded from two sides (with India (conventional enemy) on Eastern side
and an unfriendly government at Kabul on Western side). Pakistan wanted to
have its North Western side safe. Moreover, friendly Taliban could act as an
additional infantry against India wherever required.
 Pakistan became an ally of USA in its war against terrorism

• Despite internal and external tough realities, General Pervez Musharaf took the hard
decision of going with USA, and that too solely i.e. without taking into confidence
political parties, civil society or any institution of the country. Parliament did not exist at
that time and Musharaf did not bother to ask for input from politicians.
• On 19th September General Musharaf in his address to nation declared Pakistan as an
ally of USA in its war against terrorism. He also tried to reason out the sudden U-turn of
Pakistan regarding its policy towards Taliban by terming it necessary for (I) security
measures for the nation (II) to meet financial crises (III) protecting tactical and defense
assets of Pakistan (IV) getting help on Kashmir.
• Adhoc-ism and subjectively in foreign policy cannot be projected well than Pakistan’s
180 degree reversal of Afghan policy after 9/11. Foreign Policy is generally well
considered long term decisions reached at after identifying the country’s interests vis-à-
vis other countries. Basic principles of foreign policy hardly change. But Pakistan did not
take a ten day time to reverse its policy of two decades and that too without
involvement of political forces at any level. Even USA would not have expected that
weaning Pakistan away from Taliban would be that easy and quick.
• Richard Armitage handed over a list of 07 “nonnegotiable” demands of
USA to Lt Gen Mehmood, the then Director General Inter-Services
Intelligence of Pakistan. These demands were:
• To stop Al Qaeda operatives at its border and end all logistical support
for Bin Laden.
• To give the US blanket over flight and and landing rights for all
necessary military and intelligence operations;
• To provide territorial access to US and allied military intelligence and
other personnel to conduct operation against Al-Qaeda;
• To provide the United States with intelligence information;
• To continue to publicly condemn the terrorist acts;
• To cut off all shipments of fuel to the Taliban and stop recruits from
going into Afghanistan; and
• If the evidence implicated bin Laden and Al-Qaeda and the Taliban
continued to harbor them, to break relations with the Taliban
government. These demands were accepted without any objection.
 USA led NATO Forces attacked Afghanistan

• On 7th October, 2001 USA with a formidable coalition attacked

Afghanistan as Taliban refused to accept USA's demands to close alleged
terrorists training camps, to handover Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda
leadership to USA and to release all foreign nationals under detention in
Afghanistan. Pakistan provided air space as well as air bases in Sindh and
Baluchistan for attacks on Afghanistan.
• Taliban regime could not resist too long and fell down on 13th
November 2001. Many members of Al Qaeda as well as Taliban were
killed but top leadership of Al Qaeda Osama Bin Laden and of Taliban
Mullah Omer hid themselves along with many others in border area of
Pakistan-Afghanistan as well as in Tribal areas of Pakistan. From then
onward a guerilla war has never stopped in the land of Afghanistan. The
end seems to be nowhere after almost 17 years of the whole episode.
 Merits of Pakistan's becoming an ally of USA

• About merit of U-turn it can be said that a heavily sanctioned country got some relief as
sanctions imposed after 1998 atomic tests and after 1999 military coup were lifted
immediately. Pakistan’s suspended membership of common wealth was restored.
Pakistan was no longer a pariah in the comity of nations. In June 2004 Bush
government of USA assigned Pakistan the status of Major Non NATO Ally u/s 517 of
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Not only sanctions were removed Pakistan was poured
with US aid and donations. According to the Centre for Defense in pre 9/11 three years
Pakistan Government received $9 million from US and in post three years $ 4.7 billion .
• Aid package of nearly $1 billion was granted for border control and poverty
alleviation. In June, 2003 US announced $3 billion assistance package to be provided in
period of five years (i.e. from October 2004 to 2008) with 600 million yearly
installments that would go almost evenly for economic growth and security
alleviations . US wrote off 1 billion in debt of Pakistan. According to various estimates
US aid volume during 2001-2008 is around $ 5.147 billion. Apart from this $80- $100
million each month was provided for coalition support fund. According to Fazal Rabbi
size of classified financial aid may have exceeded $10 billion raising total aid package in
first five years after 9/11 to around $20 billion .
• In March 2005 US authorized sale of 18 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Moreover, Pakistan
was given access to markets of European Union. Foreign direct and indirect investment
increased many folds. Along with it debt payment schedules were reconsidered.
• In return Pakistan severed its relations with Taliban, provided land access for
transportation of troops as well as logistics to US led NATO forces in their onward
journey to Afghanistan. Air bases and naval bases were opened for US operations. Border
security was enhanced to cut off supplies to Taliban as well as to prevent them from
getting safe refuge in tribal areas of Pakistan . It deployed 80,000 to 120,000 soldiers on
western border to contain the movement of Taliban . It helped USA in collecting
intelligence to attack Al Qaeda and Taliban’s places of sanctuary and the list cannot be
exhaustive.
• In the aftermath of attack on Indian Parliament in December, 2001 Pervez Musharaf
Government banned eight terrorist and extremist groups (including Jaish-i-Mohammad,
Sipha-i-Sahaba, Lashker-i-Jhangvi, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Tehrik-i-Nafaz-i-Shariat Mohammdi,
Tehrik-i-Fiqa Jafriya, Sipah Mohammad and Harkat Ul Mujahideen) and about 2000
activists were put under detention. In major crackdowns it sealed 624 offices of Jihadi
groups. Assets of Jihadi outfits were frozen. But with banning these outfits did not die,
instead they began to operate with other names .
• Pakistan not only provided intelligence against
Taliban, it also handed over leaders as well
activists of Al Qaeda and Taliban to USA.
According to Pervaiz Musharaf Pakistan
handed over 700 militants to USA during his
rule
 Pakistan's troubles increased after becoming Ally of USA

• For safeguarding US interest, Pakistan had sacrificed many of its

own perceived interests. The obvious example of this is Pakistan’s
support for Bonn process under which government of Hamid
Karzai came into being. The Karzai Government with its strong
allegiance with Northern Alliance could hardly be termed friendly
regime for Pakistan. Northern Alliance had a history of close ties
with India. In power struggle of Northern Alliance with Taliban,
Pakistan had always been with Taliban. Pakistan’s attempt to
establish a moderate Taliban government in Kabul after fall of old
Taliban regime was aborted by US. As a result Pakistan has no
other option except to support Karzai government and it pledged
$100m aid to Afghanistan for reconstruction
 Pakistan became victim of terrorism

• Though Pakistan reaped the fruits of economic support

of USA but it faced the repercussions of its policies
immediately. The narrative of pan Islamism and Muslim
brotherhood created by military establishment in 1980s
and afterwards to address its security concerns began
to backfire. General Musharaf’s policies to support USA
were not supported by people of Pakistan. It was said
that Musharraf was pushing Pakistan to the war of
outsiders and that the war was fought for the benefit of
USA. Legitimacy of War on Terror was challenged.
 Militant Organizations began to target Pakistan

• Militant outfits increased in number and strengthen even after 9/11. The period of post 9/11
also saw in originating of another and the most dangerous militant outfits Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP). One of the basic reasons of creation of TTP was operation Lal Masjid in
Islamabad. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) came into being on 13 December 2007 by a union
of 40 militant leaders belonging to FATA, Frontier Regions and districts of Pakistan. Baitullah
Mehsud was chosen emir of TTP, whereas Mullah Umar, head of Afghan Taliban at that time,
became the supreme leader of the organization. The estimated size of the group is 30,000 to
35,000. The group belongs to Deobandi sect of Islam with anti-Shia leaning. Aim of the group
was to enforce Islamic system in Pakistan and in the entire World, to fight imperialistic
powers in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the World and to fight state of Pakistan and its army
(Das & Tata, 2003). TTP became the most powerful organization in the sense that it rocked
the country with suicide attacks. It is active in targeting official buildings, infrastructure,
security forces, check posts, markets, Railway Tracks, Mosques of Bralivi, transmission line,
Shia Mosques, Gas Pipelines, Schools etc. It targeted General Headquarter of Army in
Rawalpindi. It was also accused of killing Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The aim of TTP is to refrain government of Pakistan from supporting USA, as well as prevent
the government from taking any action against Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan.
• Bomb blasts, sectarian killings, kidnapping and violence broke all previous
records. An environment of fear and uncertainty took the country in its grip.
• According to Dawn newspaper the human cost of War on Terror that
Pakistan had borne from 2001 to 2011 was death of 35,000 people along
with 3,000 security personnel. These figures are not undisputed; Haider
Iqbal estimated the same as 70,000 people and 8,000 soldiers. The total
death toll is much more than deaths in four wars with India together.
• Pakistan has become number five in the list of most violent states and
tenth in the list of most fragile states. The reason behind this hierarchy is the
fact that 10,000 people killed in Pakistan in violent incidents in 2010 as
compared to 7,123 in Afghanistan and 4,021 in Iraq (The Failed States Index
2010). Pakistan Military Institutions is the most organized and powerful
institution of the Pakistan but its General Head Quarter was attacked in
October, 2009.
 Enlightened Moderation Failed

• General Musharaf tried to control the situation by creating

alternative narrative of Enlightened Moderation. On January 12,
2002 Musharaf gave a policy statement in which he pledged to
root out militancy and to restore true image of Pakistan that is
“forward looking and moderate Islamic state” (Daily Dawn, 2002).
Musharaf in his article “A plea for Enlightened Moderation” of
June, 2004 said that Islam could get its part glory only if Muslims
would individually and socially uplift themselves (Musharraff,
2004). Moreover, he also gave the slogan of “Sab sy pehly
Pakistan” in an attempt to break from the past slogan of pan
Islamism and Afghan brotherhood. But Musharaf failed to check
the onslaught of militancy in Pakistan with these slogans.
 Pakistan is facing four kinds of militancy

• US-Pak partnership increased the proliferation of weapons as well as militancy.

Pakistan is currently experiencing four kinds of militancy.
• Ethnic Militancy in Sindh where Pathans and Mohajars outfits are indulged in power
game of capturing resources in the port city of Karachi.
• Separatist militancy in Baluchistan where Baloch Sardar with the help of foreign
powers are in warfare with the state of Pakistan
• Sectarian militancy in which generally Sunni outfits attack Shias. It is spread in the
whole country but southern and central Punjab, Karachi and Quetta are the
flashpoints of sectarian militancy
• Non State actors, these are militants who were once recruited by the state of
Pakistan in its desperate attempts to keep regional balance of powers. These non-
state actors have been active in Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan (Khalid, 2015).
• War on Terrorism in the region resulted in increase in all kinds of militancy in
Pakistan. There is increase in circulation of weapons and new militant ideologies
were formed.
 Lal Masjid Operation and resultant backlash

• General Zia gave land to Maulana Abdullah to form two Madrassas Hafsa and
Faridia with Lal Masjid located in Islamabad. Maulana's two sons, Abul Aziz
and Abdul Rashid Ghazi were operating the mosque and madrassas. Female
students of Jamia Hafsa occupied a children library in Islamabad on January
21, 2007 and demanded
• Islamic system should be enforced in the country
• Government should reconstruct the mosques that have been destroyed since
1992 (seven mosques have been destroyed as these were constructed
illegally)
• Government should check vulgarity in the country ( The News, 2007)
• Government was ready to rebuild mosques but this did not check Lal Majid
students from challenging writ of government. Students, both male and
female, visited Abpara, a nearby market, in March 2007 and asked hair
dressers and shopkeepers of videos to close their shops.
• General Musharraf government started military operation in Lal
Majid in July 2007 in which many students and teachers, including
Ghazi Abdul Rashid, were killed. But Pakistan had to pay a heavy price
for this operation. TTP was established after Lal Masjid siege. Attacks
on police, and security forces increased many folds. In terrorist and
suicide attacks of 2008 alone, 2267 Pakistanis lost their lives. In
March 2009 Islamabad police station was attacked. In the same
month Police training academy in Lahore was attacked. General
Headquarters of army in Raswalpindi became target of Terrorist
attacks on 10 October 2009 when ten militants with suicide jacket
attacked GHQ and kept it under their siege for hours. This was again a
big humiliation for Pakistan as Pakistan Army is the seventh largest
Amy in the world and commodes were held by 10 terrorists for hours
 Failures to achieve State goals
• Repercussions for fighting a war on terrorism are
not limited to internal security or economic
fiascos, these go far beyond. While supporting
USA against Taliban on 19th September, 2001,
Musharaf enumerated the benefits which this U-
turn would going to bring forth, first of all this was
security of the nation which by all means was
worse afterwards. External as well as internal
security lapsed after Pakistan's support for USA.
 Pakistan’s effort to attain Strategic Depth in Afghanistan failed

• The policy to get strategic depth in Afghanistan flopped in every sense.

Internally things went out of control as religion became the narrative in
the hands of non-state actors as a justification for their violent acts. They
could wreak any destruction in the name of religion without losing
support of their followers in public. Externally Pakistan could not build its
influence in Afghanistan. Pakistan supported the Pushtuns in Afghan civil
war after USSR withdrawal and helped Taliban establish their
government there but it failed to get Taliban governments recognized by
the world community. It failed to stop Taliban from doing barbarian acts
of medieval period when they were in power in Afghanistan. It failed to
sever alliance of Taliban with Al Qaeda even after 9/11 and then it failed
to convince USA to establish a government of “moderate Taliban” after
fall of old regime in December 2001
 Pakistan’s relationship with US get soured

•  
• Broadly Pakistan has three engagements or honeymoon periods
with USA and every period have its own repercussions:
• Mid 1950 to mid-1960s. During that period Pakistan put is weight
in US side at the cost of incurring USSR’s anger
• Afghan Jihad days i.e. from 1979-1989. Repercussions of this
honeymoon are long term and nowhere seem to be ending. The
war Russia had started in Afghanistan in 1979 is still continuing.
After this engagement peace never came to Pakistan.
• After 9/11. The repercussions of this and earlier engagement is
actually destroying the roots of the country and led the country to
get a position among most violent and fragile states.