Taliban President Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Pashtuns, the Durand Line and Pakistan

 Did Afghanistan "fall" to the Taliban so suddenly or was it a planned handover? I am fully convinced now that there was no fall of Afghanistan. It was a carefully planned handover of Afghanistan from the US Army to the Taliban. Hence no shots were fired, or have been fired in Kabul. And right now American planes are still landing and taking off from Kabul. Plus (get this) more US troops have been flown into Kabul to help "evacuate" all Western personnel. 

And that is also why the over 350,000 Afghan Army just stood still and let the Taliban walk in unchallenged. Everything has been choreographed. 

I recall that after the 9-11 attacks took place on September 11, 2001 within a few hours the words Al-Qaeda began to be heard in the western media. And then shortly thereafter the names Osama bin laden, Mullah Omar, Taliban, Afghanistan followed suit.

Sure enough all these names were either hunted down, destroyed, bombed or assassinated. 

The name Al-Qaeda was invented by the US to identify a terror organisation which actually had no real name. The word al-Qaeda means 'the Base'. The arabic word al-qawa'id  means foundation or base or footing.  A housewife / mother is also referred to as 'al-qawaaida' meaning she is the foundation of the household.

The Taliban are largely Pushtuns. Now Afghanistan has "fallen" to the Taliban again (on August 15th 2021).   I was listening to the news broadcasts and within a short time these words 'do not accept the Durand Line' began to be mentioned.  

Durand Line? Not accepted by whom?

This is not a phrase that many people know of. If you are not familiar with the history of the British in India, especially the British Afghan Wars in the 19th century (both of which the British lost) then you will not know what is the 'Durand Line'.  

The Durand Line was a line drawn on the map by the British in 1893 to separate Afghanistan from India.  (At that time there was no Pakistan ok).   Here is a map of the Durand Line that divided Afghanistan from India in 1893. 

Look at those areas shaded in green colour.  The Durand Line cuts through these green areas.  This green area is the land populated by the Pashtun people. 

The Pashtuns are the single largest racial group in Afghanistan (15 million or about 40% out of total 40 million population). 

Today the other side of the Durand Line is occupied by Pakistan. On the Pakistani side of the Durand Line there are 42 million Pashtuns (making up about 25% of the 216 million Pakistani population).

Afghanistan was historically dominated by the Pashtun people. And there is a name called Pashtunistan which has been floated by the Pashtun people ie to have a country emcompassing all the Pashtun population on both sides of the Durand Line totalling over 57 million Pashtun population. That is a lot of Pashtun people.

And get this folks - Afghanistan and ALL the Pashtun people on both sides have never accepted that Durand Line. Hence that phrase 'do not accept the Durand Line'. 

But why now? Are the Taliban going to invade Pakistan? Do read on.

The Taliban have named Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as the President of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.  Thats the handsome guy on the right (below), standing beside the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the left. 

The fact that the US Secretary of State met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (circa 2020) and stood for photographs with him says a lot about Mullah Baradar's importance and status. 

Not only did Mike Pompeo meet Baradar but then President Donald Trump - the architect of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan - made a phone call and spoke with Mullah Baradar. Here is a news headline from 2020: 

And then in February 2020,  while there was a functioning government in Afghanistan headed by President Ashraf Ghani,  the United States of America signed a separate Peace Treaty  with the Taliban in Doha in Qatar. The fellow who signed for the Taliban was the same Mullah Baradar - now the President of Afghanistan.  You can see the picture here.

Everything has been already scripted and signed in February 2020.  This includes the standing down of the Afghan Army, the non violent entry of the Taliban into Kabul, the safety assurances given to former president Hamid Karzai, no repercussions against former US employees in Afghanistan etc.  

However Ashraf Ghani's exit was possibly necessitated by his having bags of cash plus his own private jet which may have been too much for the Taliban to ignore.  

So who is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar who is only 53 years old?  He was the original founder of the Taliban in 1994 (when he was just 26 years old) together with Mullah Omar.  Both are Pashtuns from the same tribe and they were friends since they were teenagers. Omar died in 2013. 

Bear this in mind. Mullah Baradar was appointed President of Afghanistan yesterday 18th August 2021. 

He flew into Afghanistan from  Doha just the day before on 17th August 2021.  

For 20 years from 2001 until two days ago Mullah Baradar had been outside Afghanistan - in Dhoha since 2018 and for eight years before that in a Pakistani prison.  

Feb 8, 2010, Baradar arrested near Karachi in Pakistan.

U.S. officials claimed his arrest "turning point" in the struggle with the Taliban.

• Some said Pakistan arrested Baradar to stop his negotiations with Karzai government, so that Pakistan would get a seat at the table
• Because an agreement between the Taliban and the Karzai government could deprive Pakistan of influence in Afghanistan.

Karzai government was holding secret talks with Baradar and his arrest by Pakistan infuriated President Hamid Karzai.

• On 25 October 2018, Pakistan released Baradar (upon US insistence). 
• Immediately appointed  chief of the Taliban's diplomatic office in Doha.
• Feb 2020, Baradar signed that Doha Agreement on US withdrawal .
• Aug 17, 2021, President Baradar returns to Afghanistan for 1st time since 2001

Oct 2018 the Americans got him released from an EIGHT YEAR JAIL term in Pakistan. 
Feb 2020 the US signed that Peace Deal with Baradar.
Aug 2021 Baradar returns home to Kabul as President. 

Mullah Baradar was obviously willing to talk with the West. 

Although the US has pulled out of Kabul it would be foolish of the Americans to ignore Afghanistan completely. It looks like the Taliban want to make new friends. It is better for the US to engage with Afghanistan amicably and honestly in trade, investment, education and other areas of mutual benefit. It may help reduce that really troublesome opium business. 

The huge problem now is Pakistan. The Pushtuns in Afghanistan and in the Taliban do not like Pakistan anymore. Not since Pakistan allowed the US to invade Afghanistan from Pakistani territory in 2001. 

Not since the Pakistanis jailed Mullah Baradar for EIGHT LONG YEARS just to keep him from cutting a separate peace deal with Hamid Karzai (and the Americans). 

Plus all Pushtuns do not recognise that Durand Line. 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.