Afghan Spectators Attack on Pakistanis in Sharjah Cup!

  When the Soviet forces occupied Afghanistan in December 1997, Pakistan was the only country that not only refused to recognize the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan, but also reacted strongly to Moscow's move. During this period, the United States also refrained from taking any practical steps against the Soviet Union except for verbal condemnations. The headlines of the American newspapers were that no one could get the Soviet forces out of the country they entered. It is also a fact that despite the very limited resources and the presence of an insidious enemy like India on the eastern border, when the Pakistan Army decided to support the Afghan youth in their resistance against the Soviet forces, not only American defense experts but other Westerner defense analysts and retired army generals involved in think tanks were also surprised and it was being termed as a very dangerous move by Pakistan. While there was no shortage of pro-Soviet intellectuals from within Pakistan who were busy selling Greater Pakhtoonistan and Greater Balochistan since 1947. A nationalist party of Pakistan in the name of Greater Pakhtunistan was also engaged in tireless efforts for Greater Pakhtunistan. Efforts were being made separately to implement the socialist system in Pakistan. Many elements who were proud to call themselves Socialists , had been justifying the lifting of arms against Pakistan by declaring separatists active in Balochistan with the support of India as their ideological friends.

    Here it is also necessary to acknowledge the fact that after the establishment of Pakistan on August 14, 1947, Afghanistan was the only country which, apart from refusing to recognize Pakistan, voted against Pakistan's membership in the United Nations on September 30, 1947, on India's request. The insurgency in Pakistani areas adjacent to the Afghan border was also part of Afghanistan's hostility towards Pakistan. Despite this, Pakistan always continued efforts to maintain friendly and fraternal relations with Afghanistan. Although Afghanistan was openly involved in many aggressive actions against Pakistan. After the occupation of the Soviet forces, the support of the Afghans who resisted the Soviet Army by Pakistan was also part of the Pakistan-Afghan friendly policies, as some Pakistani journalists, who have a permanent grudge against the Pakistan Army, called the Pakistan Army's  continuation of the policy to dominate Afghanistan. It was these journalists who called the defeat of the Soviet forces in Afghanistan as an American victory and praised the sacrifices of the Afghan insurgents. While the United States turned to the Afghan resistance in 1981 when it saw that the young Afghan guerrillas had captured the neck of the Soviet forces. Only after that, the United States declared the Afghan resistance fighters as Afghan Mujahideen against the parasitic Soviet forces. The insurgents were aided by the way in which the western media the Afghan Mujahideen were portrayed as  "loyal" of the United States and promoted this propaganda in such a way that the defeat of the Soviet forces was forced to be declared as a victory for the United States.

    Here it is important to realize the fact that the struggle of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet forces faced the invisible opposition of all those fractions within Afghanistan who were supporters of the socialist and communist system. A large number of these elements entered Pakistan in the form of refugees during the war against the Soviet forces and later during the civil war that broke out in Afghanistan, so in addition to the poor Afghans, a large number of rich and wealthy classes were also included. Among them were criminals and drug and arms dealers. Thanks to the criminal elements, the Pakistani society was contaminated with drugs and the Kalashnikov culture flourished there. Similarly, the second round of Pakistan's sacrifices began in the case of the occupation of Afghanistan by US and NATO forces in 2001. The terrorism imposed on Pakistan from the western borders was of two types. On the one hand, Baloch separatism was created in Balochistan and on the other hand, the blood of Pakistanis was shed in the name of Islam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas. In this war against terrorism, 80,000 Pakistanis, including the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army, were martyred, while this series of sacrifices by the Pakistan Army continues even today. We must keep in mind that it is India that has been using Afghanistan in one form or another against Pakistan since 1974.

    After the defeat of the Afghan team in the Asia Cup cricket match played in Sharjah in the last few days, in the most sensational competition between the cricket teams of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the way the Afghans in the stadium scuffled with the Pakistanis and vandalized the stadium. It seems like it was done according to a plan. Because after that suddenly there is an invasion of films based on insulting the green crescent flag of Pakistan by Afghans on social media which is becoming viral day by day. In a film, a person is being forced to kiss and salute the flag of Afghanistan, which has been rejected by the interim government of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The only purpose of these films seems  to provoke Pakistanis to hate Afghans.

In many social media groups, there is immense anger among Pakistanis against Afghanistan and Afghans regarding these films. In addition, after the Asia Cup cricket matches in Sharjah, suddenly some Afghan refugees in Karachi raised the flag of Afghanistan and displayed weapons, trying to spread fear and panic. Afghan refugees have been found involved in crimes, which is alarming. In view of all these incidents, all the security officials in Pakistan should conduct a detailed investigation of these cases and also check those Afghans living abroad who have forged identity cards in Pakistan and used fake Pakistani passports for Pakistan abroad. causing infamy. Apart from this, the tactics of India can be thwarted by immediately sending the criminal Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan. who have been the cause of unrest and instability in Pakistan through these pro-Indian Afghans.

Written by Khalid Baig,

Published in Daily Nawa-i-Waqt,

Date: 19 September 2022.