This was Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion !

[chops3d]

Had Pakistan not interfered in Afghanistan supporting the Mujaheedin against the "Godless Commies", Soviet Union would never have entered the country in support of the then government. And neither would have US jumped into the conflict by pumping money through ISI.

Afghanistan would have progressed, but for Pakistan's short sighted, misguided, blunder of a "strategic depth" policy.

more conspiracies, pakistan didnt want to do anything to afghanistan, soviet entered the country when it saw plans are not working accordingly, read history, why soviets entered afghanistan, afghans and their authority were not even serious about implementing rusky system and american can enter into afghan politics anytime, after all the hooooooooooo haaaaaaaaaa in the kabul streets

afghanistan was another site for cold wars between the two countries, and pakistan did what it could do to protect it self from commies, we were promoting our interests not afghan of american interest.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Had Pakistan not interfered in Afghanistan supporting the Mujaheedin against the "Godless Commies", Soviet Union would never have entered the country in support of the then government.

and why did the soviet union need to interfere and meddle in the country when the sentiment on the ground was largely against their presence (as was demonstrated by Afghans joining the mujahideen)

the then government had no credibility with the people; and the fact of the matter is -- there was a total humanitarian crisis. Refugees/dissidents flooded into Pakistan, scores of Afghans were being killed.


(the same logic and partially the same reason why hindustanys justify their meddling and action in Bangla Desh in 71 ---though in that case it was part of Pakistan and not a foreign country we were occupying )

And neither would have US jumped into the conflict by pumping money through ISI.

''should haves would haves could haves''

all you can do is open your beak about it....doesnt change history. So spare us. Nation stands 100% behind the decision even today, though admittedly there was a lot of fall-out and externalities from the conflict still being felt today in the region.

Afghanistan would have progressed, but for Pakistan's short sighted, misguided, blunder of a "strategic depth" policy.

says the one whose country helped impede the security and stability of Sri Lanka. Pakistan did it's utmost to promote security and stability in Afghanistan since it has a direct impact on the security and stability of our northern tribal regions and other parts of Pakistan.

its a real pity that in later decades, Afghan 'leaders' demonstrated time and again that they fail on both counts to promote a friendly/secure atmosphere and, at the same time do hindustan's bidding in harming Pakistan and its interests.

so shove your reservations, qualms and whining up your rear-end. . .

Pakistan has the basis for an excellent peaceful relationship with Afghanistan, including large crossover of ethnic tribes, but it will not materialize as long as Afghanistan lets itself be used by hindustan or other entities against Pakistan....

let it also be known that Pakistan has invested a lot in Afghanistan.....and it has housed millions of Afghan refugees at the same time.


bhartis like you can whine and complain all you want, it is unfounded. And nobody is listening or caring what you say.

 

[Truth Teller]

 

[krash]

Had Pakistan not interfered in Afghanistan supporting the Mujaheedin against the "Godless Commies", Soviet Union would never have entered the country in support of the then government. And neither would have US jumped into the conflict by pumping money through ISI.

Afghanistan would have progressed, but for Pakistan's short sighted, misguided, blunder of a "strategic depth" policy.

Puff and pass please................

 

[Meengla]

Very sad to see what became of Afghanistan after the Soviet invasions.
Civil Wars in extremely tribal societies like Afghanistan where international giants like Waraw Pack and Nato countries using their resources and pawns from both inside and outside of Afghanistan, with a huge dose of religious-fundamentalism, is just about the worst than can happen to any country, short of being nuked.

Whether the pictures show only Kabul or the Afghan elites should not matter: Afghans would have eventually sorted out their internal problems. They are just as human as we are and would evolve in any sense at their own pace.

May peace return to this entire region. And may the colonialists pay for their crimes one day.

PS. Afghanistan never achieved the kind of social freedoms even Pakistan had. I am old enough to remember than even in 1979 some of the women teachers in Karachi still wore skirts--if that is the sign of social freedom. In Pakistan the social freedoms were generally much more widespread: Theaters, educational institutions, and other entertainment places could be found not just in Karachi or Lahore but in smaller cities like Hyderabad, Faisalabad, and indeed Abbotabad.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Pakistan has the basis for an excellent peaceful relationship with Afghanistan, including large crossover of ethnic tribes, but it will not materialize as long as Afghanistan lets itself be used by hindustan or other entities against Pakistan....

let it also be known that Pakistan has invested a lot in Afghanistan.....and it has housed millions of Afghan refugees at the same time.


bhartis like you can whine and complain all you want, it is unfounded. And nobody is listening or caring what you say.

Pathans are a close knit lot even if they have their tribal loyalties.

Even when Afghanistan was controlled by the Taliban, they refused to recognise the Durand Line.

So, all that glitters is not gold!

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

hehehe the taleb elder with the eye-patch......

all he needs is the prosthetic arm hook!

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Pathans are a close knit lot even if they have their tribal loyalties.

Even when Afghanistan was controlled by the Taliban, they refused to recognise the Durand Line.

So, all that glitters is not gold!

all that glitters is not gold...and on Afghanistan, unfortunately, not a lot has glittered in the past several generations and that is partly because of their puppet leaders not respecting our border. We saw it in 1970s when Afghans ragtag forces tried to enter Bajaur and the Pakistani Pakhtun tribes as well as frontier constabulary repelled the attack and drove them out effectively.

in all honesty, it is true that even some talebs had reservations over the demarcated border but it was hardly an issue under their government. Seems a LOT of people think that everything between us was honky dory with them; whereas in late 1990s there were several issues of contention with them. We had diplomatic relations with them as they were seen as the legitimate power holders and government in Afghanistan. So did the US, apparently.

 

[gubbi]

and why did the soviet union need to interfere and meddle in the country when the sentiment on the ground was largely against their presence (as was demonstrated by Afghans joining the mujahideen)

You really need to read the history of civil wars in Afghanistan and the role of Soviet Union.
read this
The Afghan government, having secured a treaty in December 1978 that allowed them to call on Soviet forces, repeatedly requested the introduction of troops in Afghanistan in the spring and summer of 1979. They requested Soviet troops to provide security and to assist in the fight against the mujahideen rebels.

the then government had no credibility with the people; and the fact of the matter is -- there was a total humanitarian crisis. Refugees/dissidents flooded into Pakistan, scores of Afghans were being killed.

And this:
Initiation of the insurgency
In June 1975, militants from the Jamiat Islami party attempted to overthrow the government. They started their rebellion in the Panjshir valley (a part of the greater Parwan province), in the present day Panjshir province, some 100 kilometers north of Kabul, and in a number of other provinces of the country. However, government forces easily defeated the insurgency and a sizable portion of the insurgents sought refuge in Pakistan where they enjoyed the support of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government, which had been alarmed by Daoud's revival of the Pashtunistan issue.[31]

all you can do is open your beak about it....doesnt change history. So spare us. Nation stands 100% behind the decision even today, though admittedly there was a lot of fall-out and externalities from the conflict still being felt today in the region.

What history, the one you have been taught or the real history? As for the consequences of all the policies Pakistan followed/follows, are there for all to see.

Pakistan did it's utmost to promote security and stability in Afghanistan since it has a direct impact on the security and stability of our northern tribal regions and other parts of Pakistan.

What stability? Pakistani establishment simply supported the mujaheedin against the govt of Afghanistan. That religion fueled, fomented unrest still simmers even today. Either your support was incompetent or had ulterior motives. Now which one was it?

its a real pity that in later decades, Afghan 'leaders' demonstrated time and again that they fail on both counts to promote a friendly/secure atmosphere and, at the same time do hindustan's bidding in harming Pakistan and its interests.

According to the whims of Pakistan's establishment?

so shove your reservations, qualms and whining up your rear-end. . .
Pakistan has the basis for an excellent peaceful relationship with Afghanistan, including large crossover of ethnic tribes, but it will not materialize as long as Afghanistan lets itself be used by hindustan or other entities against Pakistan....

Its not my rear thats on fire, check yours...

Had, was, blah blah. And yet your authorities royally messed this one up. Just like the lost opportunities in erstwhile East Pakistan. Who do you blame? India? Soviet Union? America? Or your incompetent leadership?

Afghanistan isnt your backyard, to treat the way you want. It backfired.
As for acting against Pakistan, those are just delusions. What do you have that the world possibly wants?

 

[Truth Teller]

Pakistanis; please dont feel as if you owe these insecure, jealous Bhartis any explanation for yourself.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

i mean this issue has been discussed so many times in this forum, these bhartis are just too adament and too stupid to read and understand our own grievences, concerns etc.

it's a learned behaviour of theirs....oh well..

fact of the matter is, the border issue is a non-issue though in the past their corrupt monarchs and other leaders (many of whom were received badly by the masses) made big deal over Pashtunistan issue and it cost them severely.

we should work together to continue to promote a stable and friendly Afghanistan as it is indeed in our interests and always has been. No amount of indian troll-like behaviour and empty, over-used and recycled rhetoric changes the facts.

Afghanistan isnt our ''backyard''....it is a conjoined twin in many ways. And in fact, given the long rugged border with them, the cross-border movements, the refugee issue, the security issues, and the inter-linking between our tribes and our economies --- it is immature to think that we have no stake or interest in Afghanistan. Doesnt mean that they report to us and we control their lives....only a small select few MORONS think that way (as we can see here)

 

[Meengla]

Pakistan and Afghanistan always had an uneasy relationship from the very beginning of Pakistan. The genesis of that lies in the setting up of the Duran Lines by the colonial British and the imperial Russia. That arrangement worked for the two powers but not for the Pashtun tribes straddling that border--sometimes literally.
From the colonial British (and hence, later) and the Pakistani side the issue of the border was settled. But not to Afghanistan.
Even though the two countries had disagreements over that right up to 1979 but there was much cooperation as well. Afghanistan, being land-locked, was far too dependent upon Pakistan for that.
At any rate, Afghanistan cannot blame Pakistan alone for their problems. While Pakistan relatively prospered after 1947 Afghans achieved too little despite the fact that they did not have a huge, hostile neighbor like India breathing down their necks.
Had the Soviets not invaded--or were forced to invade by the Western powers--things would have been much more peaceful in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan did not consider Afghanistan at its 'backyard' at least till 1979. Nuisance yes. But a manageable problem.
Blame the colonialists of both the 19th and 20th century. We let them into our region at great peril to ourselves.

 

[EjazR]

I even remember reading somewhere many years back that an Afghan was being prepared to be sent to space. But the Soviet invasion and the later conflicts changed the course of the country.

Actually the Soviets DID send the first Afghan in space. He spent nine days aboard the Mir space station in 1988 as a Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut.

Also the first Pashtun in space and fourth Muslim in space. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Ahad_Mohmand

People don't realise how much of a horrible experience and disaster the US/Saudi/Pakistani "Jihad" was in Afghanistan. There could have been other diplomatic ways to get USSR out but making it a war based on fake religious reasons destroyed the country.

 

[TOPGUN]

I sure hope the best for Afghanistan and for its future to be so help them GOD. But they have to get rid of their terrorist if they want to life in peace and to let live in peace for others as well has it is the mother root of terrorist today.

 

[salvage]

Are they? Will you be happy living with them. It's not funny.

i know its not funny..where did i said its funny?Considering that pic is from 50's or 60's one can safely assume when he grew young he got trained by americans to fight the soviets.

on lighter note i might not be happy with women walking in skirts around me