Pakistan Defense Minister Calls Soviet-Afghan War a 'US Theory,' Not Jihad

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated in parliament that the war against Soviet forces in Afghanistan was not a 'jihad' but a 'theory of the Americans.' He explained that Soviet troops entered Afghanistan at the invitation of the Kabul government at the time, and no invasion occurred.

Asif said Pakistan participated in the conflict not for Islam or religious devotion, but to gain political legitimacy and support from superpowers. He noted that Pakistan even altered its educational system and rewrote history to support the war effort. After these changes, the United States abandoned Pakistan.

Asif further claimed that no Pashtun, Tajik, or Hazara was involved in the September 11 attacks. He described Pakistan's role in the Afghan wars and subsequent conflicts as that of a mercenary for the United States over two decades, leading to ongoing security and terrorist crises.

The statements have prompted analysis linking them to George Orwell's novel '1984,' where those in power rewrite history and control narratives to shape collective memory. References were also made to theorists Slavoj Žižek, who views war narratives as ideological tools for legitimacy; Giorgio Agamben, on the 'state of exception' enabling unrestricted decisions; and Jean Baudrillard, on wars as simulations producing meaning rather than reflecting reality.

These interpretations frame Asif's remarks as an example of power managing narratives to legitimize wars, with the Soviet-Afghan conflict constructed as 'jihad against the Soviets' by the US and Pakistan for political gain, rather than based on religious defense or invasion.