Why did Pakistan back the Taliban?

[Marston]

I know that Pakistan actively supported the Taliban up until 2001. They provided them with military intelligence, arms and supplies during their fight with the Northern Alliance. Why? Was it for stability in the region? To provide a counterweight to Iranian influence in the region? Maybe there are some foreign policy experts on this site that can shed some light on this question for me.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I know that Pakistan actively supported the Taliban up until 2001.

supported?  dude, Pakistan CREATED the Taliban so that Pakistan could control Afghanistan

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I also used to think Pakistan and the Taliban were two different entities and I created many threads around the 2008 timeframe warning of a Taliban takeover of Pakistan...but as I researched the subject, I learned that the Taliban was formed by Pakistan's military and that there is no need to worry about a Taliban takeover of Pakistan - because they are basically one and the same!!!  which is why it should come as no surprise that OBL was found in the Pakistan's version of West Point.

just goes to show you how naive Bush43's war plan was...and hats off to Obama/Biden for recognizing the obvious.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I know that Pakistan actively supported the Taliban up until 2001.

supported?  dude, Pakistan CREATED the Taliban so that Pakistan could control Afghanistan

No, they existed before the ISI found them. Pakistan's original pawn in Afghanistan was acid thrower.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

also, where was our news media in the last decade since 9/11?!  why weren't there mountains of news reports about Pakistan's role in creating the Taliban?  You think the American people would have supported Bush's coziness to Pakistan if the obvious truth had been told?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

More on the media…

If you research Taliban/Pakistan, you’ll realize just how blind our media is.  The media is so focused on being near-total hacks (e.g. FoxNews and MSNBC) that is in nowhere close to fulfilling its role in an open society – to be an extension of the eyes and ears of the people.

There are about 10 different countries with their hands in Afghanistan, and only one of them wants the Taliban to be successful, and that one is Pakistan.  Our alliance with Pakistan since 9/11 has been a totally naïve counter-productive farce.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are very bad news, and our military engagement has only served to use American tax payer money to support Islamic militant-ism.   We are the pawns, not the Afghans or Pakistans.  And our media has failed us.

[Marston]

Thanks for your take on this, Jmfcst.

Isn't there a difference between the Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban, though. I seemingly remember the Pakistani military fighting the Pakistani Taliban quite a lot in 2009-10. Wouldn't the ISI and Zardari realize that they're probably indirectly supporting the Pakistani Taliban by providing support and protection to the Afghan Taliban? The two entities seem to have similar goals and beliefs and I wouldn't be surprised if they share resources (i.e. men, material).

[TheGlobalizer]

Proxy government to their northwest, and a useful foil with the US to leverage against India.  If you can't win in Kashmir, change the subject and find a way to end up on the winning team of something.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Thanks for your take on this, Jmfcst.

Isn't there a difference between the Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban, though. I seemingly remember the Pakistani military fighting the Pakistani Taliban quite a lot in 2009-10. Wouldn't the ISI and Zardari realize that they're probably indirectly supporting the Pakistani Taliban by providing support and protection to the Afghan Taliban? The two entities seem to have similar goals and beliefs and I wouldn't be surprised if they share resources (i.e. men, material).

sure the Taliban and the Pakistan security forces have battled - not all the grunts of the Pakistan military is in bed with the Taliban.  But there are too many Taliban members within the Pakistan ISI and military leadership for there to be all out war...instead there is simply a gradual morphing that will get to the point that distinguishing between the two is pointless.

[Insula Dei]

Pakistan didn't create the Taliban, and one would hope their support for Afghan islamists was hardly a secret to Western Governments.

[Link]

Pakistan didn't create the Taliban, and one would hope their support for Afghan islamists was hardly a secret to Western Governments.

It's never been a secret to most well informed people.