Re: Deconstructing Imran Khan’s Taliban narrative - Farhat Taj
Just because they were not using the name “Taliban”, doesn’t mean that Pakistani Taliban did not exist. They may not have been named Taliban at that time but everyone knows where their sympathies were.
There was no Taliban by name in Pakistan before Musharraf because Pakistani ISI was actively supporting Afghan Taliban in their fasaad in Afghanistan. Actually they were created by Pakistan ISI itself. This is why there was no need for them to have a separate organization with this name.
But when ISI stopped their support to Afghan fasaadis then it infuriated their fellow fasaadis in Pakistan. And that’s when they started calling themselves Pakistani Taliban.