That was unfortunately the need of the hour but what they did wrong was not to dismantle the camps once the soviets left.
The establishment's hand in proliferation of jihadi camps was great. In the 2000s, South Punjab was another hotbed of sectarianism, likely to turn into another FATA. All of this was orchestrated by the batch of religiously indoctrinated officers recruited during Zia's time which includes Mr Gul, who believed in the fortress of Islam doctrine.