17th of August 1988 was one of the darkest days in the history of Pakistan. It is the day when 29 high-level military officers, including the Chief of Army Staff, General Zia-ul-Haq and Joint Chief of Staff General Akhtar Abdul Rahman, were assassinated as a part of a conspiracy. Whoever did it knew it was critical to remove both the Generals Zia and Akhtar. It was this leadership of the Pakistan Army that had forced the superpower of the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan and were pressurising the US to constitute a stable government in Afghanistan before signing of the Geneva agreement. As such this military leadership was equally a thorn in the side of both the US and the Soviet Union.
The odds of the Soviets ever exiting from Afghanistan were quite slim after they had invaded the country on the back of their fearsome military might in 1979. They had not retreated from any territory they had ever invaded so far. Today it is backed by solid evidence that it was the then ISI chief General Akhtar Abdul Rahman who suggested to General Zia-ul-Haq that the Soviets could be trapped in Afghanistan by Pakistan without directly indulging in war. General Akhtar was of the view that it was imperative to stop the Soviets in Afghanistan as their next target would be Pakistan. The conquest of Afghanistan would leave just Balochistan between the Soviets and the Arabian Sea. In General Akhtar's view, the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan was pivotal for the safety of Pakistan.
What was the strategy General Akhtar had up his sleeve? In this regard, an international expert on military affairs, Stephen Tamer wrote in his book "Afghanistan - from Alexander the Great to the Fall of Taliban - a Military and Historical Overview", "General Akhtar Abdul Rahman said to General Zia-ul-Haq Pakistan could block the Soviets in their steps in Afghanistan by secretly providing monetary and military aid to Afghan resistance groups through ISI. General Akhtar was of the view that it would be the Afghans combating the Soviet Union while Pakistan would be providing them with ammunition and military skills. However, it would be done in a manner not to prompt the Soviet Union to launch a direct attack on Pakistan i.e. the (war) temperature would be maintained at a set point".
It is now historically proven that the decision to challenge the Soviet Union in Afghanistan was Pakistan's own. The Americans initially never believed that with the help of the Pakistan and Afghan groups, the Soviets could be defeated in a gorilla war in Afghanistan. Later, when the Americans saw Pakistan succeeding they offered support to achive their own "universal objectives". Pakistani secret agency ISI, the command of which remained in the hands of General Akhtar during this time, defeated the Soviet and the Indian Secret Service counterparts on every front till the Afghans got rid of the Soviet claws.
General Akhtar Abdul Rahman was well aware of the post Soviet withdrawal scenarios in war ravaged Afghanistan. He knew well that if the Americans are not pushed to form a stable government in Afghanistan after the exit of the Soviets it would lead to civil war. The racial, linguistic and the tribal differences of the Afghan nation would come to the surface. The precision of General Akhtar's opinion at the time can be measured by recent American confession that they did not fulfill their responsibilities after the exodus of the Soviet forces. Consequently Afghanistan suffered severe chaos. The truth is that had the Jonejo government not hastened to sign the Geneva Agreement at that time and instead forced America to form a stable government in Afghanistan, Afghanistan would not have suffered from anarchy and Pakistan would not have faced such dire consequences.
General Akhtar Abdul Rahman was appointed Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff in August 1987 at a time when the Afghan Jihad was entering its decisive phase. Why was General Akhtar removed from the command of ISI? It is a question that still remains unanswered. One opinion is that it was done at the behest of Americans. The Americans wanted to provide the Soviets a "safe passage" back. The American goal had been achieved and whether a stable government in Afghanistan was formed or not was not their issue. The U.S. was concerned that safe passage for Soviet forces could be tough if General Akhtar remained the ISI Chief.
Brigadier Muhammad Yousaf, who remained incharge of ISI's Afghan cell from 1983 to 1987 writes that till 17th August 1988, only a few people knew the name and work of General Akhtar. Even in the Army itself, only a few people knew about the services of General Akhtar in Afghan war. One reason for this was the secret nature of his job as an ISI Chief. But General Akhtar also never wanted to publicize his achievements. But from all accounts it was Pakistan's General Akhtar Abdul Rahman who stands out today to be the only General of the modern world's military history who not only fought the military might of the Soviets after the 2nd World War, but inflicted an embarrassing defeat upon them which resulted in its dismantling.
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