Very well put. Pakistan should have never gotten involved with such geo-political affairs. The short sightedness of the generals and corruption of political leaders are reasons why we're at this stage.
Elders have told us and taught us many times not to get involved in affairs of people bigger than you. You won't keep up and get hurt badly. Today those words of wisdom are shining like pearls in front of our eyes.
This game was not meant to be played by us. Now all tangled up, the brutally injured body of our nation is being dragged on a thorny road by bulls.
One thing I am yet to understand (may be I am too less informed or too dumb, but hope one can help me with this).
Today, almost every educated Pakistani says Pakistan should not have been involved in such geo-political affairs, esp beginning Afghan war era. But the USSR was already inside Afghanistan, and the US could not declare outright war with the USSR, so it was forced to use a proxy that was organized and could use Afghans too. That was Pakistan. I also understand that Zia did it deftly, esp when he skillfully raised the assistance money (aid) from a few hundred millions to over a billion, in the 80's.
Now, when you look at it from Pakistan's point of view, the USSR was a strong ally of India, and Pakistan would have certainly been sandwiched between the USSR and India. I am an Indian, but I won't say India would have played saint. India would most certainly have tried to capitalize on the situation and, with the help of the USSR, would have attacked Pakistan, and might have even divided it into pieces. Since the US wanted to avoid facing off the USSR, it would not have been able to help Pakistan.
In my view, Pakistan had no choice but to participate in the Afghan war, as much for the US, as for itself. This is another thing that Zia completely ruined the state of affairs by pushing in such radicalism and extremism, just to keep himself at the top for as long as he could.
This is purely my thought, and I would love to be helped if there is anything that is different and sounds more logical.