Pakistan follows its national interests. USA follows its own national interests. But many here blame USA for all of Pakistan's faults because accepting responsibility is too hard for them. Gen Zia and what he did is all on Pakistan. And all those who followed him. Right up to those who put Dar back.
I agree with your comments on following national interests. But let's not forget the material used to recruit individuals and child soldiers where made right here in the U.S. and published by the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Hence, the Americans had a direct role in creating this boogeyman. You can't absolve them entirely, as they had the money to recruit, train and arm these groups. The Americans initially promised to rebuild the country and abandoned this promise, so all sides were at fault.
Now, yes, Pakistan housed them, but I also remembered the USSR had a score to settle with Pakistan for its partnership with the U.S. in housing U-2 spy flights, and the Russians threatened us with a nuclear strike. On top of that, you had India on one side and soon USSR on the other. Recent leaks from Russian intelligence have revealed they also wanted to cut away at Balochistan. Ex-KGB agents are on record accepting their involvement in Baloch separatist movements to damage Pakistan.
Now tell me, how would you have solved these threats facing Pakistan? You had to choose the lesser of two evils, fighting them outside or in your house. Had we not fought them in Afghanistan and we did at home, people would say the military didn't do anything to protect the sovereignty and allowed the USSR to invade, and you'd end up like East German when the Soviets came and raped what was in their sight, and the end looked like Afghanistan. With India being unchecked in the end.
At some point, we need to accept reality, yes, the army made a mistake, but in this case, it wasn't just the military making its decisions the political parties themselves were involved in this as well.
Now afterward I accept the military dropped the ball but so did the political ruling class and left Afghanistan alone as well. Zia’s plan was to make Afghanistan an extension of Pakistan a commonwealth of sorts as national interests would have dictated it.
The problem I have is people point at Zia but do not tell us what they would have done differently in facing the Soviet threat.
(barring bring Ganja close to premiership)
