Imran Khan's claim that before the west invaded Afghanistan, Pakistan had no suicide bombers, no jihad and no Talibanisation is inconsistent with the facts. Pakistan had all three.
The Taliban, too, appeared in the region in the middle of 1990, but the political mainsprings behind them, namely Pakistan's ambition to change the balance of power equation on its eastern and western border via state-sponsored terrorism, were long present in the Pakistani body politic. The Afghan war merely provided cash and international support that Pakistan needed to give practical shape to its regional ambition.
The Talibanisation of Pakistan and the threat to its internal stability stem from Islamabad's insistence on employing terrorism as a state policy towards its neighbours, a case of the tail wagging the dog. Mr Khan's attempt to blame the west, under these circumstances, is tantamount to placing the cart before the horse.
Earlier: napaki.tumblr.com
Twitter handle: @napaki
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