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PUBLISHED DATE: - 14-07-2024
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume06Issue07-03
PAGE NO.: - 8-12
CHANGES IN PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN POLICY
IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ENTRY OF US
TROOPS INTO AFGHANISTAN
Ikram Khudayberdiyev
Researcher, “History and Anthropolgy of Eastern Countries”
, Tashkent State University of
Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan
INTRODUCTION
The events of September 11, 2001 are considered
by the world community as a political turning point
and change point. This tragedy created the ground
for major changes in the relations between
Afghanistan and Pakistan. During this period,
Pakistan's policy towards Afghanistan changed for
the better. But the volatility of the relations
between the two countries has remained until now.
The terrorist attack on the territory of the United
States, as a result of the Al-Qaeda organization
operating in Afghanistan, took responsibility for
the terrorist attack, which led to the emergence of
new participants in the relations between
Afghanistan and Pakistan. At this point, special
attention should be paid to the participation of the
United States in the relations between the two
countries. Because the US aimed to enter
Afghanistan through the military in order to
implement its strategic goals, reduce the influence
of Russia in the region and control the political
situation related to Iran.
The successive actions of the Al-Qaeda terrorist
organization made the political situation in
Afghanistan even more tense. In response to the
committed acts, the US government called on the
world community to form an anti-terrorist
coalition and fight against existing terrorist groups
in Afghanistan. Many countries responded
positively to this initiative. According to the White
House, about 90 countries have supported the
coalition against terrorism. This anti-terrorist
coalition is recognized as the largest and most
powerful coalition in the history of the United
States.[1;138] The United States and its allies, first
of all, on the basis of the UN Security Council
Resolution No. 1386, reached a mutual agreement
on the issue of the introduction of NATO troops to
Afghanistan and the creation of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In 2001, ISAF
troops carried out operations in Kabul and the
surrounding areas to ensure security in
Afghanistan. This meant that the main focus of the
Kabul government was on security. The results of
scientific research show that by this time,
Afghanistan's internal security systems were in an
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Abstract
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unsatisfactory state, and the government felt a
great need to develop political institutions. In 2002,
a special group was formed by the UN to control the
internal order in Afghanistan, and this group
(Afghan National Army) played a major role in the
formation of the Afghan National Army.[2] As a
continuation of the process, since 2003, under the
supervision of the UN Security Council, ISAF troops
have begun to gradually cover the entire country.
US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad,
on the eve of the entry of coalition troops, puts
forward the following opinion: We will face
difficulties in fighting against terrorist groups
without
forming
political
institutions
in
Afghanistan.[3;109] The US government has paid
serious attention to the formation of political
institutions. But it was much easier for the US
government to install them than to shape them.
Nevertheless, after 2001, democratic processes in
Afghanistan gained momentum.
METHOD
During this period, there were three main groups
in the territory of Pakistan and Afghanistan:
"Taliban" movement (Mullah Umar died in Karachi
hospital in 2013), Haqqani group (Jalaluddin
Haqqani died in September 2018), Al-Qaeda group
(Usama Bin Loden was killed in his residence in
Abbatabad, Pakistan in May 2011). The presence of
the above-mentioned groups points to the long-
term instability in the relations between
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Before the events of September 11, there was a
power struggle in Afghanistan between the Taliban
movement (1994-2001) and representatives of the
Northern Alliance. On September 9, 2001, one of
the main leaders of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad
Shah Masoud, was killed by two Arab
journalists.[5] This caused the morale of the
Northern Alliance forces to weaken. At this point, it
is necessary to pay attention to why the
representatives of the Northern Alliance could not
have a great influence on the movement of
"Taliban" before the entry of ISAF troops.
Researches and the analysis of political processes
show that the movement of representatives of the
"Northern Alliance" in terms of ethnic origin and
different groups is one of the main factors that
caused difficulties in the fight against the "Taliban"
movement. Although they resisted the Taliban
together, they had their own political interests.[6;
25] This can be assessed as a result of the failure of
field commanders in Afghanistan to agree with
each other and the frequent occurrence of military
conflicts. After the entry of the ISAF troops, the
"Taliban" movement was defeated in Afghanistan
as a result of the cooperation of the forces of the
Northern Alliance and the international anti-
terrorist coalition. But this did not mean that the
"Taliban" movement would disappear completely.
According to American expert Bruce Riedel:
"Americans note that they have not been able to
correctly assess the influence and power of radical
groups.[7;28] We will discuss this idea in detail in
the third chapter.
The government of Pakistan is of particular
importance in the organization of terrorist groups
and in delivering the main part of the material
supply base. Based on the above reasoning,
Pakistan's political actions can be evaluated as an
export of terrorism. But the Pakistani government
strongly opposes this position, and shows these
processes as the result of the shortcomings of the
Afghan government's management system. The US
government aimed to use the territory of Pakistan
to establish its influence in the South Asian region.
But the goals of the anti-terrorist coalition led by
the US government and the government of Pakistan
were at odds. Acting with the anti-terrorist
coalition remained the only choice in Pakistan's
foreign policy. Of course, the instability of domestic
politics in Pakistan may have served as an
important factor in supporting the coalition. For
example, Pervez Musharraf's decision to join the
coalition was strongly opposed by the country's
political parties, Islamic groups, and the Central
Intelligence Agency.
It should be noted that Pakistan's joint action with
the coalition also depended on its relations with
India. Because Pakistan relied on the power of
radical groups in territorial issues related to
Kashmir. Also, according to the data written by
researchers such as Hameed Hakimi and Zalmai
Nishat, the closeness of US-India relations may
have motivated the government of Pakistan led by
Pervez Musharraf to join the coalition. This opinion
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was also put forward by the Pakistani researcher
Marium Kamal. [8; 110] The government of
Pakistan believed that in order to get the support
of the United States, it is possible to avoid conflicts
with India and solve the problems related to the
Kashmir region with the help of the US
government. Pakistani officials, who were able to
assess the situation correctly, cited the military
conflicts with India as an excuse and stated that
they could not send a large army to fight against the
Taliban movement.[9;5] In such a situation, it is
difficult for Pakistan to have a clear position, and it
was natural for it to pursue a changing policy. The
strengthening of US-India relations has caused
imbalance in the South Asian region.[10; 4] For
Pakistan, the warming of Afghanistan-India
relations during the government of Hamid Karzai
was the first step in the disruption of the political
balance.
RESULTS
Suspicious of Pakistan's changing foreign policy, US
Secretary of State Colin Powell presented seven-
point demands to General Pervez Musharraf in his
appeal:
1. Prevent al-Qaeda militants from crossing the
border into Pakistan and restrict any weapons
transfers through Pakistan;
2. Giving the US government the right to fly and
land in the territory of Pakistan;
3. Access to naval and air bases;
4. Information exchange using intelligence;
5. Stop supporting terrorism;
6. To stop the supply of fuel to Afghanistan and
limit the movement of "Taliban" supporters to the
territory of Afghanistan;
7. Severing diplomatic relations with the Taliban if
it is proven that the Taliban has established
relations with Al-Qaeda.
By fulfilling the above requirements, the Pakistani
government could convince the anti-terrorist
coalition that it is supporting it. By this time, the
political situation had reached such a level that the
mass media and various statistics clearly showed
that Pakistan was the main supporter of the
Taliban movement. Stanley McChrystal, the
commander of the US in Afghanistan, also reported
that the Taliban movement was in the city of
Quetta. In response, the official Islamabad tried to
explain that the search for members of the
"Taliban" movement among the large number of
Afghan immigrants arriving and arriving in the
territory of Pakistan is a complicated issue.
Speaking
about
Pakistan's
influence
on
Afghanistan, Nessar Mohammad Umar in his
researches assesses the difficult internal political
processes in Afghanistan as a result of the
relationship between the Taliban movement and
the Afghan government. This opinion means to
blame the Pakistani government for some of the
internal political processes that are taking place as
a result of the weakness of the Afghan government.
Pakistan has developed various scenarios to
maintain its influence in Afghanistan. In particular,
Pakistan sent a delegation to Afghanistan to keep
the Taliban forces within its sphere of influence.
The main goal of the delegation was to separate the
leadership of the Taliban from the Al-Qaeda group.
Pakistan made an offer to the Taliban government
to extradite Osama bin Laden, and through this it
was planned that the Western countries would not
fight against the Taliban movement. However, the
negotiations did not give the expected result.
"Taliban" refused to expel Osama bin Laden and Al-
Qaeda group from the territory of Afghanistan. This
situation meant that Pakistan partially lost its
control over Afghanistan. The US has used the
support of the Pakistani government in its counter-
terrorist operations. It is noteworthy that the initial
military operations were aimed only at capturing
the leaders of the Al-Qaeda group. This was in full
accordance with Pakistan's interests to create an
opportunity to maintain relations with the Taliban
movement.
On October 7, the US and British air forces attacked
the main bases of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
At the same time, the influence of the Northern
Alliance was growing in Afghanistan. This is against
the interests of Pakistan, and it was more beneficial
for Islamabad to have the Taliban under orders
from the Kabul government. Pakistan has become
the object of extremist movements "prepared" for
Afghanistan and Kashmir. This could cause
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conflicts in Pakistan's political relations with
neighboring countries. Official Islamabad tried to
improve relations with the Northern Alliance, Iran,
India. Nevertheless, problems began to arise in
diplomatic relations. There were interruptions in
the work of the embassies of Pakistan and
Afghanistan. However, the "Taliban" embassy was
working unofficially in Islamabad for some time,
and the main reason for this was that some
necessary contacts for the "Taliban" were
established through the embassy, and later the
embassy was closed.
DISCUSSION
The support of the government of Pakistan to the
coalition efforts in Afghanistan has been
implemented step by step in various areas. First,
the supply of oil and oil products to the Taliban
government has been suspended for an indefinite
period. Secondly, in order to cut off the financial
supply, the accounts of Afghanistan in Pakistani
banks were frozen. Thirdly, the border area
between Pakistan and Afghanistan was strictly
controlled. Fourth, in 2002, the second most
important representative of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan,
Abu Zubaydah, was arrested. Pakistani intelligence
played an important role in this process. Fifth, in
the border areas, about 8,000 US Marines used
Pakistani airspace and harbors as bases. This
indicates that the Pakistani government is actively
participating in the anti-terrorist coalition
processes. The results of the study show that
Pakistan's foreign policy changes were at odds with
Islamabad's ambitions in Afghanistan. Despite this,
Pakistan tried to pursue a dual policy.
It should also be noted that the participation of the
Pakistani government in the anti-terrorist coalition
created several opportunities for Pakistan. First,
Pakistan's actions within the coalition helped to
improve its political relations with Western
countries. Secondly, the sanctions imposed on
Pakistan after the nuclear tests were canceled.
Thirdly, the International Monetary Fund
recalculated Pakistan's external debt and extended
the repayment period of the debt to be paid by the
government of Pakistan. Fourthly, the export
volume has been increased by the European Union
reducing the fees for imported goods from
Pakistan. The above-mentioned benefits are of
great importance in the development of Pakistan's
economy and are considered among the factors
that motivated Pakistan to join the coalition. These
processes were thoroughly analyzed by the
Islamabad authorities and a decision was made.
The connection between security issues in Pakistan
and Afghanistan is an understandable process.
Here, we pay attention to how Afghanistan, whose
economic indicators are very low, depends on the
economy of Pakistan. Since 2001, Afghanistan has
received a large amount of financial aid from
international organizations and donor countries.
The Afghan government brings a large part of the
financial aid to the Pakistani market or enters into
economic relations with other countries through
this country. In this case, it should be noted that
Pakistan is the leading country in the Afghan
market. Afghanistan's access to the sea is also
through Pakistan. Afghanistan's options are
limited, and as a result, Pakistan remains its closest
economic partner. This represents its partial
economic dependence on Pakistan.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the following should be noted:
First, in 2001-2004, the relations between the two
countries were relatively stabilized, and measures
aimed at the formation of political institutions and
security of the United States were implemented in
Afghanistan.
Secondly, the importance of the US government in
the implementation of democratic reforms in
Afghanistan is great, and the role of the
representative of the US in Afghanistan, Zalmay
Khalilzad, in the election process for the interim
government was revealed on the basis of scientific
literature.
Thirdly, as a result of joining the anti-terrorist
coalition, Pakistan's policy towards Afghanistan
has changed dramatically. This is explained by the
changes in Pakistan's domestic and foreign policy
in 2001 and the loss of control over the Taliban
movement.
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