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Osama Not the Maiden Call
September 18, 2001
Reported by: Raja Assad Hameed

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Frontier Post
Osama Bin Laden is not the first prize quarry to seek sanctuary in Afghanistan, nor is the United States the first super power up against the exalted Afghan tradition of offering shelter-panah-to fugitives.

Nor is in fact bin Laden the first Arab renegade struggling for survival against heavy odds in this rugged land.

The history of high profile dissidents seeking asylum in Afghanistan with high and mighty of the world in hot pursuit-as well as the tradition of "panah"-is probably as old as the Afghan people itself.

Just as old is the tradition of compromising this tradition under pressure.

For the discerning eye, a cursory look at the history of Afghanistan will be enough to give a sense of déjà vu: Afghans' commitment to this tradition has been tested time and again, and to be just to the warlike people, they have gone to lengths to uphold it, although they have been forced to compromise it on most occasions.

The first high profile case of this nature rises out of history when Afghans, still pagans, were resisting Arab invasions.

After the failure of numerous offensives by Arabs to conquer the region due to its difficult terrain, Hajjaj Bin Yousaf raised an elite force of 10,000 from the ranks of 160,000 Muslim soldiers to conquer Afghanistan.

The chief strategist of the Abbasid dynasty, the then superpower, appointed a general by the name of Abdur Rehman bin Mohammed Asghghas as commander of this elite force, and assigned him the hard task to take over Kabul at any cost.

Abdur Rehman led his force to the outskirts of Kabul, where he was overtaken by chilly Afghan winter, and suspended the campaign.

Hajjaj back home, became ferocious when heard about the delay and ordered Abdur Rehman to carry on with the attack on Kabul at the earliest.

Infuriated, Abdur Rehman turned against Hajjaj and made peace with Kabul.

According to the agreement, Abdur Rehman was to respect the independence of Afghanistan without any payment in tribute (khiraj) in case of his victory over Hajjaj.

In case he lost, Kabul was to be his safe haven.

In the event, the renegade Arab general met with a graceless defeat, and escaped to Kabul, where he got asylum under the agreement.

When this news reached to Hajjaj, he sent a stern ultimatum to the king of Kabul to either hand over Abdur Rehman to him or face his brutal forces.

According to historians, the Afganhs sensing the intensity of caution, chained Abdur Rehman for handing over to Hajjaj.

When the captive general committed suicide, Kabul sent his head to Hajjaj in a bid to save his land from Arab invasions.

In 871, overthrown by his military commander Yaqoub Lais, Saleh Nasar, the ruler of a tiny state in Afghanistan, sought asylum with the Hindu King Samenta Deva of Kabul.

Yaqoub's request for extradition of Saleh was turned down by the king on the basis of the tradition of panah.

Reputed a shrewd tactician, Yaqoub, is said to have covertly mobilised his forces for attack on Kabul on one hand, and sent a message of friendship to the king on the other.

When the fish bit the fly, he was too happy to lead a mighty offensive against unprepared Kabul.

Samanta Deva lost his throne and his "royal guest".

He was killed according to some historians and converted to Islam according to others.

After a span of more than one thousand years, Afghanistan was again facing the same situation but this time with a bit difference.

It was in 1221, when almost all the Afghans had converted to Islam and some parts of Afghanistan were ruled by Jalaluddin Khawarzam Shah, the valiant son of great Central Asian ruler Khwarzam Shah.

It was the period of Genghis Khan's conquest of Central Asia and a series of defeats for Khawarzam Shah.

After the death of Khawarzam Shah, young Jalaluddin attempted to resist Genghis Khan.

However, the terrible Khan never gave him enough time to organize a strong force, chasing him through Afghanistan.

Defeated in one after another battle, Jalaluddin took refuge in every major town of Afghanistan and Genghis Khan burnt down each one to ashes.

When there remained no big hideouts, Jalal-uddin Khawarzam Shah made the historic escape to India via Indus River.

Nearly seven hundred years later, history repeated itself yet again.

The kingdom had been busy building a cordial relationship with Hitler's Germany during and perhaps before the World War II.

The Fuhrer was probably cultivating Afghanistan as a vantagepoint against British India.

Among the manifestations of cordial ties were some military experts or advisors to Afghanistan to organise Afghan army and air force on modern lines, who were still in Afghanistan when Germany was forced into a humiliating defeat.

In 1945, the allied nations demanded extradition of German advisors from Afghanistan.

Young Zahir Shah, who was the king of Afghanistan at that time, offered his regrets, maintaining the Germans were "guests" of the kingdom and it was against the tradition of hospitality and the custom of panah to hand over guests to their enemies.

The Allied nations sent a strong warning to Afghanistan saying that in case of its failure to hand over the advisers, Afghanistan will be invaded.

Zahir Shah sensed the gravity of the situation and decided to call Loya Jirga-(Grand Assembly of the representatives of all the tribes and people of Afghanistan-to decide the fate of the advisors and to discuss the new development around their country.

This was perhaps the last representative Loya Jirga of the people of Afghanistan in the modern times.

The Jirga decided that Afghanistan will not extradite "German guests" to the allied nations as it is against their tradition.

But, said the elders, the country could not offer any asylum to them any more.

In an awkward bid for face saving, Afghanistan shipped the Germans back to their country-which had already fallen to the Allies.

The tradition may or may not have been upheld, but the decision saved Afghanistan from a devastating war.

History is again repeating itself in this unfortunate country.

The US has declared Osama Bin Ladin as the 'prime suspect' of terrorism New York and Washington on September 11.

Kabul's refusal to extradite the Arab dissident is likely to invite a massive military action from the United States, which may cause horrendous loss of life.

The world is backing the US in its 'smoking out, hunting down the terrorism campaign'.

Pakistan is advising the Taliban to hand over the national guest to the bereaved Americans ensuring he will get a free trail to prove his innocence.

The rulers of Afghanistan have to take the final decision and now.

Their options are very clear.

Extradite a controversial individual and avoid destruction, or stick to a tradition that has been compromised many times in past.
(Source)
Sabawoon Online, © 2000
A Service of the DAUD Network

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