External Actors to the Afghan problem continues...

After the 11 September attacks, when United States decided to confront Osama bin Laden and the Taleban, Pakistan had to make a difficult decision. General Musharraf decided to distance himself from the fire in Afghanistan and supported the US war efforts in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, after the unsuccessful attempts to convince the Taleban of the gravity of the situation, worked with the US to topple them.

In view of the dramatic shift in the Afghan policy, Pakistan now allowed anti-Taleban elements to organize their activities and open offices in Pakistan.

Pakistani intelligence helped bring together various groups in Peshawar and Quetta and several members of Afghan diaspora in Europe and United States. This included the pro-Zahir Shah elements, former commanders such as, Abdul Haq, Haji Zaman, Syed Ahmad Gilani,
General Rahim Wardak and Hamid Karzai.

These efforts of Pakistani intelligence, in coordination with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the generous amount of money provided by the US, were crucial in neutralizing the southern and eastern Pashtun areas.

To be continued....