Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban

• Where does the support come from?

Last week, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan accepted the responsibility for the attack on complex for agricultural research in Peshawar that led to death of nine students and wounding 35 others.

All know how, why and by whom mujahedeen were created. How and why they later were rechristened the Taliban. The dots are well connected. The bigger picture is scary and forms a piece of the jigsaw that is the proxy war between Saudi Arab and Iran. With smaller wheels circling within the bigger wheel.

Over time, Pakistan has been a fertile playground for different players. Saudi Arab, on the face has supported the US stance and the government of Afghanistan; on the other hand many loaded Sheikhs have been funding the Taliban. In a world divided, the rigid brand of Islam exported by Saudi Arab has led with Iran, to a world proxy war.

“Saudi Arabia remains one of the main sources of what Secretary of State John Kerry recently called “surrogate money” to support Islamist fighters and causes.” (New York Times Dec6, 2016)

According to a report by Reuters the Indian and Afghan agencies give funds to the Pakistani Taliban militants to fight Islamabad, a spokesperson of the group who had surrendered admitted in a recorded video. (APRIL 26, 2017)

Afghan Taliban’s major funding comes from opium trade which benefits the allies of US/NATO in Afghanistan as well.

The surge in Afghanistan produced opium was 43pc in 2016. The US not only failed to curb the increasing production and trade in opium.it also imposed in Garmsir district government a tax on opium production to bolster local government’s earnings much as Taliban have imposed on production of opium in lands under their control. Reportedly, Afghan officials are directly involved in this competition for greater revenue with US army personnel sucked into supporting the government functionaries. “There are phases of government complicity, starting with accommodation of the farmers and then on to cooperation with them,” said David Mansfield, a researcher who conducted more than 15 years of fieldwork on Afghan opium. (NYT Feb16, 2016) The farmers growing opium do so out of utter desperation to earn a decent livelihood. The US, in the much touted objective of ‘nation building’ in Afghanistan, has failed to offer alternate production options to these farmers. Not only the production of opium and its sale in Taliban controlled lands funds terrorism, those produced on government owned lands provides opium using a complex channel from the poor farmer producing it to its supply in both wholesale and retail markets in western countries. Many US allies in Afghanistan have been involved in drug trafficking. From this money they draw power. Any policy directed against poppy production and subsequent drug trafficking would have inevitably lent a blow to American military operations on ground. “As Western diplomats conceded at the time, “without money from drugs, our friendly warlords can’t pay their militias. It’s as simple as that.”  (Julien Mercille 21 February 2013) 

All know how, why and by whom mujahedeen were created. How and why they later were rechristened the Taliban. The dots are well connected

India’s nexus with Pakistani Taliban was commented upon by US Defence Secretary James Mattis on his tour to India in September 2017. It was a leading media outlet in India that exposed the collaboration. Because of the ongoing situation in held Jammu and Kashmir, India may find it difficult to break off the contact using the outfit as a card to use in Pakistan to increase the internal turmoil and keep the security forces engaged. “Severing relations with TTP will mean India surrendering an active card in Pakistan and a role in Afghanistan as TTP additionally provides access to certain Afghan Taliban factions. This […] ensures that no solution for peace in Afghanistan can be cobbled together without India’s help,” (Hindustan Times, Bharat Karnad: national security expert: Sep 21, 2017)

In the given situation of Pakistan’s CPEC, a part of BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) by China, is a huge outreach by China to the world, seeking international markets for export of goods and technology to boost their economy at the same time offering benefits to linking nations as well — with USA’s fear of losing out as the super power, India’s new found partnership with USA to push the project back by hook or by crook adds to an already complicated regional situation.

George W. Bush had supported the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) and Obama had given final touches to the plan to lay out rules for doing trade and investing in the Asia-Pacific region. Unfortunately, Trump pulled out of TPP on his very first day in office. By staying in TPP, the US would have been in a position to help countries wanting to be a part of BRI while minimising economic risks. Another advantage the US lost is the leverage to offer good terms of trade with the US market to countries where China is the main exporter. It can no longer offer a competitive investment plan to nations as opposed to BRI or TPP.

Pakistan’s leadership must put national interests of Pakistan first. The funding sources must be tapped and clipped off. The madrasahs must be tabulated and their funding accounted for. NAP must be revived and civil government’s responsibilities therein implemented in letter and spirit.

Unless and until this is done, military operation will remain a temporary relief.