The mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks was al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was being sheltered by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Musharraf wrote in his autobiography ‘In the Line of Fire’, ‘After the 9/11 attacks, America was sure to hit back like a wounded bear. If the conspirators are al-Qaeda, the wounded bear will come straight to us.’ According to the autobiography, the then US Secretary of State Colin Powell told Musharraf after the 9/11 attacks that Pakistan would either be “with us or against us”.
Musharraf’s decision overshadowed Pakistan
Despite the nature of the American message, the invasion of Afghanistan did not come at a more opportune time for Musharraf, who was still scrambling in the dark to regain legitimacy after a military coup. But, then he sided with America and opened the way for US dollar to Pakistan. This decision had far reaching consequences. Extremist groups in Pakistan turned against him and not only provided support to Afghan terrorists, but also launched attacks inside the country. In the absence of local mobility and security along the border with Afghanistan, Musharraf could not prevent terrorists from entering the border.
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TTP is the result of Musharraf’s failed policy
The West blamed them for this ‘double game’, but they failed to break the nexus between Pakistan and the Taliban. The Taliban eventually returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, long after Musharraf had disappeared from the political scene. Pakistan was used as a transit route for NATO and US forces to enter Afghanistan, and Musharraf endured attacks launched by US forces against suspected terrorists in Pakistan’s rugged border areas. The result of Musharraf’s failed Afghan policy was that terrorist organizations like TTP came into existence in 2007, the consequences of which Pakistan is still suffering.