17 August 1988

General Zia-ul Haq is killed in a plane crash.

5 February 1989

The Afghan Interim Government, dominated by the ‘Peshawar Seven’, is elected at a shura organised by Pakistan in Islamabad

15 February 1989

The Soviet Union completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan. However, the Soviet Union continued to provide support and assistance to Najibullah’s government allowing him to stay on in power till 1992.

7 March 1989

The ISI-planned assault is launched on Jalalabad. The plan is to capture the third largest city in Afghanistan and install the mujahideen interim government, which could subsequently move on to capture other Afghan cities. The ISI is confident that Jalalabad would fall within a week but the siege lasts for three months ultimately ending in failure for the Mujahideen.

6 March 1990

Afghan Defence Minister Shahnawaz Tanai initiates a coup against President Najibullah in collaboration with Hekmatyar. The ISI assists Tanai and Hekmatyar in their attempt to dislodge Najibullah from power.

26 December 1991

The Soviet Union is formally dissolved. However, the funding for Najibullah’s government had stopped much before that. In September 1991, the Soviet Foreign Minister reached an agreement with the US to put an end to arms delivery to their respective allies in Afghanistan. The Russian government also put an end to gasoline and food supplies to Kabul by January 1992.

18 March 1992

President Najibullah announces that he is ready to resign and hand over power to an interim government. His resignation is followed by a period of protracted violence and chaos, which provides the context for the rise of the Taliban.

26 April 1992

The Peshawar Accords are signed between the ‘Peshawar Seven’, which provides for the formation of an interim government in

Afghanistan.

7 March 1993

Islamabad Accords are signed, making provisions for Rabbani to stay on as President and Hekmatyar to become Prime Minister.

28 October 1994

Benazir Bhutto meets with Ismael Khan and Gen Rashid Dostum in an attempt to get them to open a southern route for Pakistani trucks bound to Central Asia.

To be continued.......