The Afghanistan crisis has unmasked many “liberals” and “liberal heroes” that the world hailed as the harbingers of truth, compassion, accurate reportage and the upholders of human rights. Besides the USA, several heroes fell, revealing just how easy it was for the Islamic world to crush the so-called ‘civilised nations’ under the weight of political correctness. The USA, for its part, fell from the lofty image it created for itself. After 20 years of being an occupying force for its ‘war against terror’ post the 9/11 attack, they left Afghanistan with their head hanging, lying about ‘achieving their goals’ and whining about a terror organisation not letting their flights leave the airport. The most ‘powerful nation’ in the world was reduced to one that was begging and pleading in front of the very terror organisation it fought for 20 years.
Another liberal hero that fell from the image it had built for itself was the British Broadcasting Corporation. One recalls the liberal wails after BBC had published their fake ‘fake news’ research that declared that nationalists in India ‘spread fake news’. One recalls how the reportage by this portal had forced them to change their conclusion, which was not founded in reality, to begin with. And one recalls how the ‘liberal’ establishment in India had jumped to their defence.
BBC, though, has come a long way. From spreading fake news to allying with terrorists and indulging in a whitewashing expedition to ensure that the world not only legitimises the Taliban but also news terrorists favourably. On the 8th of September, BBC wrote a detailed profile on the cabinet ministers that were selected by the Taliban to lead the nation. 17 out of the 33 cabinet ministers were terrorists.
The BBC had conveniently left out this detail from their profile. They simply forgot to mention that they were on the US terror watch list. In fact, they did not even mention Pakistan or the ISI once in their profile.
It was announced earlier that the Afghan government would be headed by Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund. Hassan is a radical Islamist who was in a leadership position in the terror group’s council in recent years and who also served as the deputy prime minister of the first Taliban government. Hassan is also on the blacklist of the United Nations for participating in terrorist activities.
Perhaps, the most eyebrow-raising appointment made by the Taliban was that of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the new acting interior minister, who heads the terror group known as Haqqani Network and is on the FBI’s most-wanted list. The terror group is said to have close ties with the Taliban, which the appointment of Haqqani had confirmed. They have been behind some of the deadliest attacks in the country’s two-decade-long war – including a truck bomb explosion in Kabul in 2017 that killed more than 150 people.
Unlike the wider Taliban, the Haqqani network has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US. It also maintains close ties to al-Qaeda.
As per the FBI website, “Sirajuddin Haqqani is wanted for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed six people, including an American citizen. He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.”
Besides, the Taliban cabinet also includes four members who were held at the Guantanamo Bay, the American detainment camp, for 13 years before being exchanged in 2014 for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier kidnapped by the Taliban.
The BBC, while profiling the “leaders” deliberately left out details of how these cabinet ‘ministers’ are on the terror watch list and some served sentences in Guantanamo bay. Further, they glossed over the role of Pakistan with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network completely. It is worthy to be mentioned here that in 2001 when the Taliban had fallen, the Talibs had reassembled in Pakistan to come back with a vengeance. The Quetta Shura, a terror organisation functioning from Baluchistan had sheltered the Talibanis and given renewed strength to the Taliban.
Recently, the ISI chief was also in Afghanistan to talk to the Taliban. On the 4th of September, fierce firing had broken out between two factions of Taliban over a power struggle. It is then that Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the Chief of Pakistan’s Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had arrived in Kabul to meet the Taliban. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the major patron of the Haqqani Network, which is designated as a terror group by the United Nations over its close ties Al-Qaeda.
It is no secret that Pakistan and its intelligence service (ISI) are the chief backers of Taliban and have close ties with the Haqqani Network and Al Qaeda. Despite the Taliban “government” inducting terrorists from the Haqqani Network, BBC, in all its wisdom, left out the role of the ISI and Pakistan in fomenting trouble in Afghanistan.
Right before BBC whitewashed terrorists, they shielded Pakistan
An interesting event transpired on the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) on Sunday. A noted academic was cut off by the anchor of the channel when she elaborated on the assistance Pakistan provided to the Taliban in their war against the USA and the west-backed Government in Afghanistan.
Christina Fair was shut down because it would somehow violate the channel’s “impartiality” doctrine as there was no Pakistani diplomat on the show to provide a response. But it is an open secret that the Taliban has been receiving help from the Pakistani Government.
The Taliban acknowledges the support and calls Pakistan their second home. Pakistani Ministers, too, have been celebrating their victory in Afghanistan. It is unclear how elaborating the same would violate policy in any manner.
Why BBC and other western media outlets insist on shielding Pakistan and terrorists in Afghanistan
Needless to say, that the Taliban selected terrorists belonging to the Haqqani Network and some that had served time at Guantanamo Bay was a massive slap to the western world that aimed to fight terror and civilise Afghanistan. After 20 years of their ‘war’, the west left with their tail between their legs, vowing to talk to Taliban (the very Islamists they had fought) and begging for the safety of their citizens. Any criticism of the Taliban, the Haqqani Network and Pakistan’s role would automatically be a scathing indictment of the US, other western countries, their skewed Afghanistan policy and the shameful exit.
On one hand, the West claimed that it was waging war against a medieval army that seeks to impose Shariah law in the country and oppress women and minorities in Afghanistan. On the other hand, they treated as their ally the very country which was helping this band of merry Jihadists. How does that work?
Needless to say, one of the primary reasons why the western media is not too keen on highlighting the role of Pakistan is because it will expose the duplicity of their own governments that gladly got in bed with a terror nation to gain a foothold in Afghanistan.
