Pashtunistan ideea was dead from the 80's
Flamer you got to understand that this part of the world is riven with tribal, ethnic, sectarian divides that consume intense amount of energy and this has been going on for centuries. This is somewhat analogous to the Balkans. Often there is no line between bad guys and good guys. The wild, mountainous landscape adds further severity to harsh and tough environment.
However one of the most defining battles of the XX century was fought their between the two Cold War rivals. United States of America and USSR. It was the final consummation of the Great Game that had been brewing for over a century. The full resources of both superpowers including all their allied nations were sucked into this bloody ten year conflict. It invloved the most expensive and longest running US covert war aptly called Operation Cyclone.
Link >
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cyclone
This is not the time to go into details but the salients points are:-
1. USA via CIA was lead in the Afghan Jihad - Read the book > The Bear Trap.
2. Islam was used for naked geopolitical advantage to destroy USSR.
3. The most virulent strains of Islam were distilled and spread for the specfic purpose of creating "Allah's Soldiers".
4. Madaris were established as policy to nurture crop of cannon fodder for the war.
5. Entire architecture of jihad was designed, built and consolidated by CIA.
6. Pakistan and Saudia Arabia were primary electives in this Russian jihad.
7. The force raised was called mo-jihad-een. The term 'jihad' entered Western lexicon.
8. Every part involved was in pursuit of self interest.
9. USA was to defeat USSR and bring down the Iron Curtain.
10. Pakistan was to gain weapons, gain time to build the atom bomb and gain funding.
11. KSA was to spread their Salafi version of Islam.
The Afghan Jihad was s
pectacularly succesful. For the West it would help to "bleed USSR" economically and politically bringing end to the Cold War. The Iron Curtain would come crashing down soon. Eastern Europe was freed. The Cold War which involved most the Western World living with having to destroy half the planet within minutes of Soviet attack, half of Eastern Europe under the jackboot of the Red Army came to a end. Living with Third World War and nuclear armageddon came to end.
What was the
price for this.What was the collateral? Well I let the leading proponent of the jihad Zbigniew Brzezinski - US National Security Advisor say it:-
First. Did US create the conditions for Soviet invasiuon of Afghanistan?
Q: Despite this risk, you were an advocate of this covert action. But perhaps you yourself desired this Soviet entry into war and looked to provoke it?
B: It isn't quite that. We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would.
Second. Any regrets for having created Islamic Frankenstien?
Q: And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic fundamentalism, having given arms and advice to future terrorists?
B: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war.
All rest that happened is incidental to the main event - the Afgan Jihad. The rest was regional powers jokeying to come out on top. Most of it involved self interest like US had practiced on grand scale and used the same tools only at lower scale. Pakistan tended to support Pashtun groups simply because of the ethnic connection. Massood was not fan of Pakistan even in 1980s as Pakistan favoured Pashtun groups above his Tajiks.
And I met three of your countrymen today from Lutterworth. They bought my old car. Nice chaps all round including the buyers girlfriend.