By Humayun Gauhar
The Taliban victory in Afghanistan was an event foretold. Everyone with a modicum of brains was saying that this was inevitable; only they didn’t know when and how. As it came to pass, it came earlier than expected and without any bloodletting. Even US President Biden was caught talking nonsense a day earlier predicting that the Taliban could never win. But then US presidents are pretty used to having egg on their faces and the world is pretty used to seeing their faces covered in omelette.
It’s too early to tell what will happen but still certain things are clear. You can have the largest most well trained and sophisticated army in the world with the most modern and earth-shattering weaponry but they come to naught against the weapon of passion of the adversary. And this is just what happened in Vietnam where farmers in loincloths with the help of the Chinese defeated first the French and then the United States with sticks and stones.
When they finally took over Saigon, the Americans had to escape from the roof of their embassy in helicopters. It is known as the, “Saigon Moment” which is etched in the global memory. One would have thought that after such a huge embarrassment, the US would desist from getting into foreign adventures but no. Like a petulant child they persisted using war after war, skirmish after skirmish and showing themselves up to be global bullies. The fate of such people is the fate of bullies.
The other thing that strikes me is that the Taliban (even to my surprise) announced a general pardon even before entering Kabul and said everyone was safe in their homes and that there would be no looting, no killing no revenge, an idea perhaps inspired by the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) treatment of the enemy after the conquest of Mecca. It took the wind out of everyone’s sails.
The third obvious point is that the fall of Kabul was also a great defeat for the regional Satan. If you still haven’t guessed who that regional Satan is, I’ll make life easier for you. It is India. India was using Afghanistan as a base from which to launch terrorist operations and attacks against Pakistan. The horrific explosion in a bus carrying Pakistani and Chinese engineers for the Dasu Dam, the horrific car bomb in Lahore…the list is endless. Hopefully, we will now see a stark reduction in such mischief but keep your fingers crossed because you cannot bet against the perfidy of India. The American excuse is that the Afghan National Army was a rag tag band of unwilling soldiers. What the hell do you expect it to be when it has been trained by India?
An army becomes an army only when its soldiers fight for a cause, the most powerful of which is protection of the mother land. The defeat of India earlier this year in Ladakh at the hands of the Chinese is a case in point. The Chinese used only their fists and their kicks but drove the fantastic Indian army back and occupied hundreds of square meters of Ladakh. That is passion. Where did India’s much vaunted nuclear arsenal go? How did it help them? Passion comes only when you occupy the moral high ground and India does not in any of its misadventures particularly in Kashmir. In fact, I can see Srinagar falling in similar fashion to Kabul in the not-too-distant future. Funny how the shrill and hysterical propaganda of the Indian media has suddenly gone silent.
The point is that all the wars that America and India win, are fought in Hollywood and Bollywood films. Its illusion piled upon illusion piled upon more illusion. When they have to fight a real war, it is almost always of their starting, illusion vanishes and reality dawns and Rambo discovers how powerful he really is. It’s too early to tell now what will happen in Afghanistan though the beginning has been good.
Embarrassingly, the Pakistani well-heeled class has been frightening itself into a corner, most of all the ladies who feel there’s going to be a repeat of the horrendous treatment of women during Taliban Mark I. The Taliban seem to have learned and will hopefully be good according to the injunctions of Islam in the Quran where women have all the rights and freedoms that men have. If they don’t, I will become the Taliban’s opponent because to me the rights and freedoms of women and girls are paramount.
Now my daughter keeps saying that you’re not talking about the impact of the Taliban takeover on Pakistan. Frankly, the impact is already there. So far, the impact has been good on those who have not frightened themselves but it is too early to say anything with certainty. Our government has played its hand very well so far. It has learned the cardinal lesson of not getting involved in America’s misadventures or anyone else’s for that matter. It would be stupid to start working and talking against a neighbour.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has been very sensible in saying that Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan and he will support any government that has the support of the Afghan people. This is democracy which none of the Western much vaunted democracies could bring themselves to utter. More power to Imran’s elbow. One can’t forget how vehemently America and its Western allies and stooges opposed the Communist Party’s takeover of China.
They worked endlessly to undermine it, defeat it and embarrass it. One cannot forget how the USA armed India in its stupid 1962 War against China. Despite much pressure, President Ayub Khan of Pakistan refused to attack China and the two countries became enduring friends. I think it was in 1971 that America’s Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon went to Beijing with the help of Pakistan basically to surrender. But America’s efforts to corner China have not abated and Pakistan has to remain cautious.
