Pakistan's History
by Erin Kronabetter
Before 1947, Pakistan was a part of the British Empire’s territory, India. The desire for independence also started talks about creating a country for the Muslim minority that lived in the area. In August of 1947 Britain granted India independence and it was divided into India, East Pakistan and West Pakistan. Muslims in Pakistan and Hindus in India fought over the newly divided lands. Later, West Pakistan split from East Pakistan to become Bangladesh.
Pakistan went through periods of democracy and periods of military dictatorship. The country has never had a secure government, which helped the Taliban rise to power. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Pakistan’s neighboring country, Afghanistan. This was at the same time as the Cold War, so the United States was willing to fund anyone fighting against the Soviets. This included Afghan troops, called Mujahedeen. The Taliban was formed from the Mujahedeen as a movement to remove the Soviet troops. Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence and the United States provided the Taliban with money, weapons and training, which later assisted their takeover of Afghanistan. The Taliban continued to gain power in the area due to religious beliefs and began to commit acts of terrorism, such as the bombing of United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These strikes increased the United Nation’s pressure on the Taliban to hand over a powerful leader, Osama Bin Laden. Five days after 9/11, Pakistan’s president, General Pervez Musharraf, vowed to assist the United States in their war against terrorism. However, Pakistan is hesitant to fight the Taliban because they have close bonds and the terrorists ended up hiding the the Northwest tribal areas of Pakistan. The Swat Valley, where Malala grew up, is near this area.
The Taliban gained influence in the area, enforcing beards for men and veils for women. A man named Mullah Fazlullah began to make radio broadcasts in the area to recruit more supporters. The government was very corrupt and did not make much of an effort to help. They gave in to the Taliban’s demand for Sharia law, or laws based on Islamic beliefs. The Taliban also banned entertainment and threatened girl’s schools. On January 15, 2009 the Taliban began enforcing a ban on female education. Many schools were bombed as a result of this ban. Boys are sent to madrasas, Islamic schools, to learn about jihad and anti-Westernism. The military began to fight against the Taliban in their area. Many people were afraid and left their homes. On February 22, 2009 the military and the Taliban agreed to a permanent ceasefire and girls were able to return to school. The Taliban continued to threaten and control the people of Swat Valley and the surrounding areas, while expanding their influence across Pakistan.