By Abdul Razzaq Muzammil
In contemporary history, Afghanistan has witnessed a long and complex war whose origins are not limited to the region alone, but are the result of both hidden and overt strategic maneuvers by global powers. In this context, the Pakistani military regime, comprising both the army and intelligence agencies, has played a role resembling that of a proxy force. Acting at the behest of the West, particularly the United States, and with its financial support, the actions of this force have been regarded as one of the greatest challenges to the Afghan people, as well as to the country’s stability, territorial integrity, and national sovereignty.
The Pakistani military regime, which from its inception has been shaped along the traditions of British colonialism, has had its officers trained in Western military academies, and its mindset has been formed not around the interests of its own country and nation, but around the implementation of United States foreign policy.
The leaders of this regime, who have consistently acted as agents of the United States at the expense of their own country’s national interests, from General Zia-ul-Haq to General Pervez Musharraf and the current military leadership, have always stood ready to implement American intelligence projects. They have collaborated with U.S. intelligence agencies (CIA) in planning and executing operations, and over the past four decades have been among the most reliable executors of American and NATO strategic objectives in the region. In return, they have received substantial military aid from the West amounting to billions of dollars.
The military regime, which for decades has sought to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and to establish in Kabul an administration that operates at the behest of Islamabad, has also pursued a doctrine known as “strategic depth,” under which Afghanistan would serve as a zone of influence against India and the West. However, these ambitions of the Pakistani military, based on proxy control over Afghanistan, have remained unfulfilled due to the firm resolve and unity of the Afghan people, and they will never be realized.
When the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan at the end of 1979, the West, in coordination with Pakistan, laid the foundation for a proxy war. According to U.S. policy, Pakistan’s intelligence agency (ISI) assumed responsibility for training the mujahideen, distributing weapons, and managing various factions. At this stage, while Pakistan appeared on one hand to be a supporter of Afghan resistance, on the other it fostered divisions and power struggles among these groups, which later created the conditions for internal conflict.
Likewise, when the United States launched its attack on Afghanistan in September 2001, the military regime provided its territory, airspace, and intelligence resources to implement Western plans. However, in 2021, when the presence of the world’s superpower and its allies in Afghanistan came to an end, the Pakistani military regime, backed by its patron in the West, opened both covert and overt fronts in an attempt to compensate for its past failures and to pursue renewed efforts of division within Afghan territory.
The first manifestation of this effort at division appeared in the form of an economic blockade. The military regime closed key land crossings such as Torkham and Spin Boldak for extended periods under unclear pretexts, imposed unprecedented restrictions on the movement of commercial goods, and began creating tariff barriers against Afghanistan’s domestic products.
Another effort took place through political and military pressure. Pakistan’s intelligence agencies once again brought together exiled Afghan opponents and armed groups that the same regime had supported during past decades of conflict, and established covert centers aimed at creating instability against the new system in Afghanistan, similar to the arrangements made in the 1990s to fuel conflict among the mujahideen.
The third and most dangerous effort at division has been carried out through terrorist groups. The Pakistani military regime opened channels from its own territory to provide funding, training, and safe havens to ISIS-Khorasan and other groups opposed to the Islamic Emirate. The aim was to weaken public trust in the new system by carrying out bombings, targeted killings, and attacks on religious sites in Afghan cities, thereby safeguarding Western interests.
However, Afghanistan’s security forces, now operating under a unified central command, have conducted operations against these hidden networks that have dismantled the sanctuaries of ISIS and other terrorist groups.
In the end, the military regime will come to realize that, contrary to the occupations, proxy wars, and foreign interventions of the past decades, Afghanistan now enjoys a fully independent Islamic system, the result of the Afghan faithful people’s years of sacrifice, patience, and perseverance. Every sinister plan of the military regime and its patrons has been thwarted by the support of Allah Almighty and the steadfastness of the believing mujahideen. Under a unified, independent, and Islamic leadership, the nation has demonstrated its resolve to strengthen stability, security, and national sovereignty.
Any attempts by Western and regional powers to continue proxy wars have been rejected, and it has been declared that Afghanistan will no longer serve as a field for implementing any foreign agenda. The country’s foreign policy is based on constructive engagement, yet it will not compromise on national sovereignty or Islamic values.