Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak

Pakistan’s Unholy Alliance
In April 1993, worried by the possibility of Pakistan ending up on
the terrorist list, Sharif sent his foreign secretary, Akram Zaki, to assure
Washington that he would not support militancy. 27 But the USA insisted
on stronger action to curb groups engaging in ‘terrorism’. The ISI’s
direct support for the militant groups was curtailed, but help to the
Kashmiri insurgents continued through ‘private channels’, comprising
Islamic parties like the Jamaat-i-Islami. Although the measure fell short
of the US demand, they prevented Pakistan’s inclusion on the list of
terrorist states.
The ISI’s involvement was not limited to India, however. Under
General Nasir’s instructions, the ISI violated the UN embargo on
supplying arms to the warring parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
airlifted heavy weapons and missiles for the Bosnian Muslims. In 1993,
several Arab countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, had
complained about General Nasir extending support to radical Islamic
movements in their countries. 28
The maverick General Nasir was sacked from the ISI and prematurely
retired from the army in May 1993, following the dismissal of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government. The army-backed caretaker
administration, led by former World Bank executive Moeen Qureshi,
moved to clean up the ISI and alleviate US pressure on Pakistan.
Scores of officers, who had become closely linked with radical Afghan
mujahidin groups during the anti-Soviet struggle, were systematically
weeded out. Some eleven hundred operatives were either retired or
sent back to their units in the army. The purge was largely the result
of a change in Islamabad’s policy of no longer aligning itself with
any of the groups involved in the fratricidal war in Afghanistan that
followed the fall of the communist regime of Najibullah in May 1992.
The measure was also aimed at satisfying Washington. The purge may
have helped restore some discipline in the ISI, but did not change
its basic orientation. The agency had become deeply involved in the
Kashmiri separatist struggle, and the military was reluctant to pull back
support for the militants it believed were fighting Pakistan’s war. Many
in the military establishment contended that by engaging around half a
million Indian troops in Kashmir, the ‘Kashmiri freedom fighters’ had
ensured Pakistan’s security.
The game of musical chairs continued as it was now Benazir
Bhutto’s turn to form the government again. She returned as Prime
Minister for the second time in November 1993, just three years after
her unceremonious exit. This time around she was much better placed.