The Pakistani fighter jets bombed the bases of Northern Alliance in Panjshir Valley, immediately after the visit of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed to Kabul on September 5, 2021. It may be noted that the ISI is the premier Intelligence Agency of Pakistan, operationally responsible for gathering, processing, and analysing information relevant for National Security from around the world. Even Pakistani Air Force drones dropped smart bombs on Panjshir. Unfortunately, no country has so far condemned this immoral act. No action has also been taken against Pakistan by the UN. If the US or NATO had done such a thing, there would have been a storm of criticism and condemnation all over the world.

However, the women in Afghanistan have staged protests in Kabul and other major Afghan cities against Pakistan’s military interference. They have taken to streets with posters, which read: “Azadi… Azadi, ISI Murdabad, Pakistan Hai Hai.” (“Freedom… Freedom, Death to ISI, Pakistan”) Some Afghan men also took part in those demonstrations.

A few days ago, the Taliban fighters fired tear gas at a protest rally staged by women. Reports suggest that the Talibs attacked and smashed the faces of many women with sticks. Still, those fearless women, holding the Afghan National Flag, continued staging protests against the Taliban-Pakistan nexus. The Global Community has realised that Pakistan, like the Taliban, is the main enemy of the Afghan people. Pakistan, too, does not want the Afghan people, especially women, to enjoy Freedom. Hence, the struggle of the Afghan women can be considered as a struggle for Freedom and Fundamental Rights.

Fearlessness is one the main characteristics of the Afghan women. The Afghan (Pashtun) hero Farid Khan (1472 – May 22, 1545), popularly known as Sher Shah Suri, may be considered as their predecessor. He was called Sher Khan for his bravery after he slayed a tiger with his bare hands, and had laid the foundations of the short-lived Suri Empire in the Indian Subcontinent, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day eastern Indian Province of Bihar. During his five-year rule from 1540 to 1545, he had set up a new and efficient economic and military administrative systems, had introduced the currency of Rupee, had the Grand Trunk Road built from Chittagong (Bangladesh) to Kabul (Afghanistan), and had even organised the Postal System of the Indian Subcontinent. It seems that Khan’s Acts of Bravery still encourages the Afghans of Panjshir to fight against the Taliban.

As expected, the Taliban have introduced Sharia (a religious law forming part of the Islamic tradition) and self-proclaimed Islamic rituals in Afghanistan. In any Islamic Nation, there is Sharia, which takes away the Freedom of minorities. As per the Indian Constitution, minorities (especially Muslims) are not considered as Second Class citizens. They enjoy equal opportunities like the majority (or Hindus). Still, a section of the Indian Muslim community supports the Taliban Regime in the neighbouring country! Although these people want India to remain a Secular State, they perhaps want the majority Muslim community in Afghanistan to live like slaves of Radical Islamist ruler. Not even a single Islamic Nation has come forward to back the Afghan people who are being held captive by the extremists!

Freedom-loving people across the globe are being forced to watch how protesters are being manhandled in Afghanistan. The Taliban fighters are openly killing women in the pretext of violating Sharia in order to maintain the Reign of Terror. Recently, they killed a pregnant lady in front of her sons as she worked in the administration of the previous Government. With the Afghan people receiving no help from the Global Community, they have started staging protests, under the leadership of women, demanding to live like Human Beings. It is evident in History that when the women wake up and stage protests against injustice, ignoring the threat, the writing on the wall emerges.

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (b. October 5, 1952), the Prime Minister of Pakistan, was popularly known around the world as a high-profile player who had successfully led the Pakistani cricket team in the 1980s. However, there is a difference between leading a 11-member cricket team on the field and leading a country. As a player, he used to possess a certain positive attitude. Unfortunately, that human trait has not been reflected in his character off the field. Today, he is supporting the medieval mentality and backing the Taliban militants.

The NATO member-states squandered money on the US Military-led Provincial Reconstruction Team project to rebuild Afghanistan after the end of the previous Taliban Regime (1996-2001). However, India is the only country that has invested in all the Afghan provinces in a neutral manner. Due to this, India has gained a permanent political capital that is ingrained in the minds of the Afghan people. Anas Haqqani (b. 1994), the leader of the Pakistan-based Haqqani Network that became a part of the Afghan Taliban Movement in 1995 and a member of the Taliban’s negotiation team in its Political Office in Doha, has recently been heard talking about building a new relationship with India. There are quite a few examples in History of maintaining cordial ties with an enemy nation by a war-torn country for the latter’s economic development. And for the majority of the Afghan people, India is not an aggressive enemy, but an old friend.

One has to remember that the Taliban have not yet won the hearts of the people of Afghanistan. It is important for the Taliban to learn from their past mistakes, else, they shall be isolated from the outside world. It is not possible for an extremist group to create troubles for the 75-year-old Indian Democracy, either! India shall have to wait for the right opportunity to rescue the Afghans from the Reign of Terror.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das