by Rajkumar Singh 24 April 2022
From ancient and medieval apart, the two Asian nations- India and Afghanistan, continuing their understanding moved further when India was on the threshold of getting independence from British subjugation of about more than 200 hundred years. In modern times mature co-operation between the two established due to support of Indian unity and independence by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan, Frontier Gandhi, or Bacha Khan, who was a Pashtun freedom fighter and independence activist against the British colonial rule in India. He was a political/ spiritual leader, a devout Muslim, an advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity, an ideology similar to Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and hence they both became close friends, always ready to help each other. In 1929 he founded the Khudai Khidmatgar, an anti-colonial movement which found success and popularity during the national movement of India. In case of India he opposed partition of the country in Hindu – dominated and Muslim – dominated territories and consequently sided with Indian National Congress who was anti-partition in spirit. In 1947, when India was to get independence, he issued Bannu Resolution and demanded an independent state of Pashtunistan which was to comprise all the Pashtun territories of British India, although his demand was not fulfilled by the British and ultimately settled in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), but cremated after death (1988), in the city of Jalalabad, Afghanistan. As modern Afghanistan emerged in the 19th century as a buffer state between the Russian and British Empire, it was bound to accommodate different ruling regimes of diverse character in her state structure through various coups, counter coups, strife, invasions, paving the way for permanent war-like situation from the early 1970s and led to the over through of King Zahir Shah in a Soviet-supported coup managed by Mohammad Daud Khan in 1973 which disturbed the balance of power controlled by the United States of America in the region. Even till date, the foreign relations of Afghanistan is largely affected by the interests of super power and their alliances in the region.
Precursors of Soviet Takeover
The long continuing monarchy rule of Afghanistan ended on July 17, 19973, when Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king reigning from November 1933, was deposed after serving the nation for 40 years. He was the last king of Durrani dynasty, founded in 18th century, who in the 1950s began modernising the country and expanded Afghanistan’s diplomatic relations with world powers of the time and also maintained balance in the region, created new constitution (1964) for the country which made Afghanistan a modern democratic state by introducing free elections, civil rights, women’s rights and universal suffrage and established constitutional monarchy in Kabul. In 1973 when he went in Italy for medical treatment, his cousin and former prime minister Mohammad Daoud Khan hatched a coup against him and took over the reign of administration in July 1973. The development ended the rule of Durrani dynasty continuing for more than 225 years. In general, Zahir Shah was considered a mild leader who took all helps and aid from both super powers during the periods of extreme Cold War when most countries of the world were divided in groups or camps, but never aligned with any of them. Within five years, the same history of coup was repeated in Afghanistan in April 1978through a revolution called the Saur/Sowr, April Revolution or April Coup, in which the General Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDPA), Nur Muhammad Taraki, taken over the power and established an autocratic one-party government. The said revolution claimed to be not a coup but a revolution by the “will of the people” which resulted in heavy fighting in the country between military and civilians leading to the brutal death of more than 2000 people on both sides. Soon after the revolution large number of countries expressed reactions including the US and China which said it the government controlled by pro-Soviet communists. They also detailed rising influence of USSR in Afghanistan and hoped that Kremlin would provide all help and assistance to the country, speculating it an expensive venture, if US programmes continue in Kabul.
New government and Soviet Invasion
The post-revolution government of Afghanistan was formed under the premiership of Nur Muhammad Taraki (a Khalqist) with the support of Parchamites whose leader Karmal was designated as senior Deputy Prime Minister and Afghan National Army Air Corps colonel Abdul Qadir was made foreign minister in the new set-up. However, months after the formation of the government differences arose among them resulting in the ousting of Karmal first followed by Abdul Qadir and by the end of the year 1979, the turn of Taraki’s exit came. Although, the new government of Afghanistan was moderate in approach and reforms made by it were not felt strongly, but from late October it launched drastic scheme which struck the socio-economic tribal structure of the country including the colour of the national flag that was near the copy of the red flag of the Soviet Union. As all changes were brought about without providing any viable alternative and an experiment was in place for each and every sector of the public concern consequently, the government of the day soon became unpopular among the masses and in a political development Nur Muhammad Taraki was assassinated in September 1979 under the order of the Hafizullah Amin, second-in-command. The assassination of Taraki soured Afghan’s relations with Russia who apprehended a conspiracy against it and feared come back of US power/influence in Afghanistan. In the circumstances, the Soviet Union decided to deploy its 40th army across the Afghan border who soon arrived Kabul and staged a coup by killing General secretary Amin and installing a Soviet loyalist, Babrak Karmal of rival Parcham faction. The change of guard in Afghanistan was executed by the Soviet Union under the Brezhnev Doctrine which impacted world politics and upset the regional balance of power in days to come.
Global reaction and Indian policy
The world witnessed a wide reaction of Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and in the very next month, January 1980, and while the foreign ministers of 34 nations of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation adopted a resolution demanding immediate, urgent and unconditional withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution and protested Soviet intervention by a vote of 104 in favour and 18 in against. In the summit India was among few countries who supported the intervention. Perhaps, keeping in view India’s long understanding and sound bases of its relations with the Soviet Union, especially after the Indo Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation signed o 9th of August 1971. On the other hand, it was the starting of US and its allies war against the USSR in Afghanistan where Central Bureau of Intelligence (CIA), the US agency, prepared and executed a full-proof plan to oust Soviet forces. It created an insurgent group called Mujahideen and began giving them all helps including arming, training, financing as well as providing anti-Russian literature, particularly in the neighbouring country, Pakistan. At the time India was the only South Asian country to recognise Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and extend humanitarian aid to President Najibullah government in the country. It continued its support to the then government after Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and also supported a coalition government along with international community up to installation of Taliban government in 1996.