Chapter 3 continues…

This relationship has endured the US-led Global War on Terror and several other setbacks. In 2009, the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that “Pakistan’s intelligence services know the whereabouts of Afghan Taliban leadership elements and likely even maintain active contacts with them at some level as part of a hedge strategy in the region. Some reports indicate that elements of Pakistan’s major intelligence agency and military forces aid the Taliban.” A year later, well-known Pakistani journalist, Ahmed Rashid, wrote in The Washington Post, “Taliban leaders and their families live in Pakistan and are in close touch with the military and its ISI. Some Taliban allies, such as the network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, are even closer to the ISI.”

The depth of ISI’s patronage can be gauged from the fact that officials from the agency are part of every Taliban shura or advisory group. They still exert considerable influence on the Quetta and Peshawar shura of the Afghan Taliban. The Taliban cadre detained by ISAF forces have indicated that Pakistan continues to control senior Taliban leadership. Senior Taliban leaders and ISI personnel regularly meet so that the latter can advise the former on strategy and relay their concerns. These meetings are secret and only the highest levels of Taliban militants have direct access to the ISI.

According to detainees, ISI personnel are openly hostile to ISAF and the Afghan government, and insist on the need for the expulsion of “foreign invaders” through continued jihad.

The Taliban, however, does not entirely trust Pakistan. The detained cadres have described Pakistan as “untrustworthy”, “manipulative”, “controlling”, “demeaning” and “indifferent to the interests of Afghanistan”. The Taliban leaders are frustrated because of their inability to independently negotiate towards the end of the conflict.

Many leaders within the Taliban believe that neither the ISI nor the Government of Afghanistan is willing to allow a peaceful end to the conflict and the former has no intention of allowing the Taliban to return to Afghanistan.

To be continued…