By Emal Pashtunyar
Special to Korea Times
KABUL _ As more confusion is added to the hostages crisis with each passing day, many Afghans and some foreigners, who know the history of the Taliban, believe that Pakistan might have a role in the kidnapping, or at least influence the Taliban militants to set free the Korean hostages.
Since their abduction on July 19, the hostage-takers had killed two innocent individuals while the lives of the rest are said to be at stake as long as the
Afghan government is adamant not to release the Taliban prisoners.
Sensing this possible role of Pakistan, the Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon telephoned his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri soon after the kidnapping and discussed with him how to secure the safe release of the hostages.
The second contact between the Pakistani and Korean officials came when Korean Ambassador to Pakistan Kim Joo-seok called the Pakistani opposition leader in the National Assembly and a pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Wednesday.
The third glimpse of Pakistan's possible role came to the fore when Governor of Ghazni province, where the Koreans were seized by the Taliban, told journalists that the Pakistan side was interfering in the issue and this is why they were unable to achieve a solution to the crisis.
It was in 1996 that the hardliner student militia captured Afghanistan's central capital Kabul after seizing several provinces from the mujahideen (holy warriors) leaders.
Pakistan was among only three countries that recognized the Taliban government. The other two countries were Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Since 1996 to 2001, when the Taliban government was toppled as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, the opposition parties in this war-ravaged country as well as the neighboring countries of Afghanistan and the world at large, including the United States, believed that the Taliban were the brainchild of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.
Foundation for that impression were even more strengthened when then Pakistan Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar (a retired army general), who was close confidante of Pakistani premier in 1996 and chairperson of Pakistan's largest political party, Pakistan People's Party, publicly claimed that he had created the Taliban.
Several other leaders, like a retired intelligence chief Gen. Hameed Gual, chief of a religious party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) Maulana Fazlur Rahman, another religious leader Maulana Samiul Haq and many others also joined the chorus with Naseerullah Babar and started taking credit for themselves by saying that the Taliban were their creation.
However, all those voices suddenly hushed after the attack on the U.S. Trade Center and the overthrow of Taliban government in late 2001 as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Pakistan. Many of those, who supported or financed the Taliban, ended up in Guantanamo (Cuba) or Bagram (Afghanistan) detention facilities of the United States.
Although Taliban have many sympathizers in Pakistan, especially in its Pashtun-dominated settlements and tribal areas, none of the government functionaries have any links with the Taliban. It is because the existing government, led by a military general, who is staunch ally of the United States, is totally against the Taliban.
The existing military-cum-democratic government in Pakistan is averse to the spread of extremism and is fighting a war against al-Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban in its own tribal areas.
How can such a government in Pakistan, influence the Taliban in Afghanistan when it is waging a war and killing them (the Taliban) on its own territory. It was the incumbent Pakistani government that handed over the Taliban ambassador to Islamabad Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef as well as hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders to the United States.
At the same time, the Taliban will never pay heed to any request from the Pakistani government because they (the Taliban) believe that they are independent and without the influence of any government or state.
When the same question was posed to Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, he said they had nothing to do with Pakistan. ``We are independently fighting for the establishment of an Islamic government. We don't care for Pakistan or any other country in our struggle,'' said the Taliban spokesman, who said they will only obey the order of their leader Mullah Muhammad Omar.
As for some Pakistani religious scholars like Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Maulana Samiul Haq, the Taliban in Afghanistan might be under their influence up to some extent.
The former (Maulana Fazal) is also a political leader who supported the policies of Taliban in Afghanistan and staunchly opposed the invasion of the United States on that country.
As for the latter (Maulana Samiul Haq), he is running a big religious seminary in Pakistan and majority of the Taliban and their leadership got their religious education at his Haqqania Madressah in Akora Khattak city of Pakistan's NWFP province.
This is why, Maulana Samiul Haq might influence the Taliban in the release of the hostages.
As for the allegations of the Afghan governor regarding involvement of Pakistan in the hostage drama, it seems hollow and the voice of a desperate official, who finding no other way out of the crisis, desperately tried to shift the responsibility on the neighboring country.
Afghan and Pakistani officials usually accuse each other of any wrongdoings on their soils and their propaganda war against each other is not new; it is as old as the 56-year history of Pakistan.