Close Ties of ISI & Taliban

Pakistan and its notorious intelligence services is much maligned in the western world and even back home it has some very high profile critics! They have operated above the law for decades and are without doubt the strongest force in the country.

However what can not be questioned is their service to the country or effectiveness with which they have executed their role in war on terror. Pakistan holds certain position in world and constant wars and conflicts in the region has enhanced its geopolitical strength a great deal more.

Despite its crumbling economy and political instability it has been a major force in middle east and central Asia though its role has been heavily criticized by international and national media alike yet its importance in war on terror is well recognized in all corners. The theory of good Taliban and Bad Taliban is overwhelmingly rejected by both politicians and general public within the country where else in the west it has been accused of double crossing the allies in Afghanistan. It is a general consensus that despite its official policies certain sections of ISI and Afghan Taliban still have close ties with one another and Pakistani establishment is bashed on all forums for this unholy alliance.

Our choices are not easy we can on one hand choose to cut all ties with Afghan Taliban and when western forces leave we will most probably have no influence in Kabul. That would leave us with a possibility of being surrounded by hostile neighbours on both eastern and western front! Which would leave us extremely vulnerable defensively, this is the scenario that establishment in the country fears more than anything.

On the other hand if keep supporting certain sections of Afghan Taliban then we have to pay the costs affiliated with doing business with rogue militia groups. As Hilary Clinton famously said\"You cant keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your Neighbours\". The cost affiliated with playing both sides are extremely high as demonstrated by recent attack on Bacha Khan University and countless others like it but unfortunately we only have bad choices and we are asked to pick the lesser evil.

It is increasingly hard for us Pakistanis to defend our policies of playing both sides or supporting insurgents! We have bled to much for that. But at the same time nobody can honesty deny that we are forced to make some tough choices.

Now let there be no doubt the terrorism within Pakistan is a cancer which needs to be eradicated without which the future of the country will always remain bleak. nonetheless it is essential that we don\'t lose our strategic depth or ignore our national interests within the region. Under these circumstances it is only natural that Pakistan has different policies on terrorism within its territory and outside Pakistan politicians are focused on inner ramblings and are utterly incompetent of formulating a viable foreign policy, therefore its is up to Pakistan\'s establishment to do what it feels is in the interest of the country.

Conditions are far from ideal and choices we have to make are not easy to understand. But at the end of the day Pakistan needs to look after its own interest and that is the only crime its security forces are guilty of! To conclude it is fair to assume that Unless the regional geopolitical situation changes drastically it is foolish to expect Islamabad to change its policies in near future.