Pakistan and the Afghan conflict, 1979-1985

by Frédéric Grare

"To the superficial observer Pakistan's involvement in the Afghan conflict with the USSR was the outcome of an ideological alliance. This study seeks to establish that the causes for this involvement lay neither in Pakistan's concern for Afghanistan nor in its engrossment with ideology but rather in Pakistan's preoccupation with its neighbour in the east. The importance accorded to the Afghan conflict at the global level enabled Pakistan to obtain economic and military aid from the United States, partially bridging the gap between its armed forces and those of India. This study further investigates how unwilling Pakistan was to relinquish its status as the ̀frontline state' and the benefits that accompanied it, all of which it obtained as payoffs for its role in bleeding the Russian giant to death." "Specifically, a question that is central to this study is whether Pakistan had the option of signing an agreement with the USSR between 1983 and 1985 that would have ended the hostilities?