AN UNSUNG HERO

by Mariam Shah

General Akhtar Abdul Rahman ,the architect of the Afghan war against Soviet Union , is one of the
true heroes of this land, who defeated a world super power in the Afghan jihad. He was a silent
soldier who crafted the destruction plan of the Soviet Union at the hands of the Mujahedeen. He
showed passion, commitment, intelligence and the warrior spirit of the great Islamic conquerors.
He gave a spark to and ignited the lifeless intelligence agency of Pakistan and made it one of the
finest and a dynamic spy agency of the world. Through his tireless and tacit efforts, ISI played an
important part in the destruction of the Soviet Union. He was the real architect of the Soviet defeat
and worked as a mason, building day and night, to turn the tables on the enemies of Islam. With his
foresight, commitment and dedication he increased the power and effect of the ISI as an intelligence
agency. He was a background player and executed his plans from behind the curtain.

The anecdote of General Akhtar Abdul Rahman’s life, who is one of the finest generals of Pakistan
army, is that being a child he would never have know that he will become a mastermind for the
devastation of a world super power. He was born on 11 June 1924 and his father, Dr. Abdul Rehman
died when he was three and a half years old. He completed his high school education from the
Ajnala High school and after that he entered the Islamia College Amritsar. Then he joined
Government College Lahore and did his masters in economics in 1945. Soon after completing his
education he joined the Army and was commissioned in 1946. He led the journey of his life without
a father, not knowing that he is going to even the scores with a super power in the near future; he
was raised and educated by his mother.

He joined the Indian army in 1945 and was commissioned in 1946. Akhtar was a very junior
artillery officer at the time of the partition of India and the birth of Pakistan. He witnessed the
unspeakable horrors of the partition and was dismayed by the brutalities committed by Hindus and
Sikhs against Muslims during the course. The whole traumatic episode left a deep mark inside him
and it was never forgotten nor forgiven by him. After this, for the rest of his life he considered India
as a relentless enemy both for his country and his religion. He fought in three wars (1948, 1965, and
1971) with India and defended the beloved land. He had several appointments before he was offered
the position of DG ISI.

In 1979, General Akhtar was offered a very important and coveted position of Director General
Inter Services Intelligence. He headed the intelligence agency and built it as a very effective
military institution which impacted both national and international affairs. Within the span off seven
years he, along with his potential and loyal team, gave life to ISI and made it one of the most
vibrant and effective institution. He conceived and crafted the plans to deal with the Soviet Union
through the Afghan Mujahedeen and covert guerilla fighters from Pakistan.

In the wake of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan there were apprehensions that they might attack
Pakistan too, so there were many potential threats to the security of Pakistan at that time. After the
initial years of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, the military leadership under General Zia decided to
fight with soviets and to teach them a lesson, even before the American assistance initiated through
CIA. At that time US President Jimmy Carter was entangled in the internal dilemmas and threats
which emerged after the hostage crisis in Iran, so no considerable assistance was provided. In the
beginning Gen Akhtar was alone in considering that he can force the Soviet forces out of
Afghanistan, he was way too optimistic. He was of the view that Pakistan should support the Jihad
covertly.
America followed the “wait and see” policy as they believed that Soviet troops would take over
Afghanistan in few weeks. So they did not offer any support as they thought of Afghanistan as a lost
case; so why throw good money and provoke the Soviets by supporting the Mujahedeen. The US
also thought that Afghan resistance cannot go more than six months, so they didn’t bothered to
assist, but once they witnessed the slaughter of soviet troops at the hands of Afghan Mujahedeen,
they changed their plan and fueled the money inside. It should be very clear that when USA sensed
the victory in Afghanistan at the hands of Mujahedeen then they initiated the aid and assistance.
When Reagan came in the White House he announced an aid package for Pakistan, which Gen Zia
accepted. Although the covert operations by ISI were funded by CIA but Pakistan became a
frontline state and Afghanistan a battle ground. In making Afghanistan a “graveyard of a super
power”, ISI in general and General Akhtar played a central role and made the Soviet pullout
inevitable. To come face to face with a super power like Russia was not a joke nor it was that
simple, but Gen Akhtar was determined to wipe them out, and he never looked back once he had
come to his decision.

When Gen Akhtar took the command of ISI as DG, he started each and every task from the scratch.
It was a very major task to provide assistance to Afghan Mujahedeen at every front. But there was
no such strategy and plan to deal with all the emerging scenes, never dealt with by the Pak forces
before. Gen Akhtar was solely responsible for devising and executing plans and organizing massive
covert military operations against the Soviets. He established training centers and many army
officials were made responsible to train the Afghan Mujahedeen, equipping them with warfare
strategies and necessity skills so that they would be able to defend their homeland against the Soviet
invasion. ISI trained the guerilla fighters and even a few army soldiers were trained to assist, guide
and fight with the Mujahedeens in Afghanistan in the covert operations.

Gen Akhtar established a very close relation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan, and
with the State Department, especially the branch that interacted constantly with the CIA. Gen Zia
managed the diplomatic affairs and Gen Akhtar directed and led the troops in the ground. The
constant nine years of training, guidance and military assistance to guerilla fighters in Afghanistan
by ISI, demolished the base of the Soviets and claimed around 13000 lives of soviet troops. The
world stood in surprise and shock as less trained, less equipped and sometimes illiterate guerilla
fighters defeated the well trained and highly equipped army of thousands.

Gen Akhtar was on the hit list of KGB and huge prize-money was put on his head, but he fearlessly
involved himself in the planning and execution of the jihad, and never bothered about the personal
threats which emerged against him. He not only countered the communist threat but pushed them
back in the hell. He was an inborn strategist, as the way he articulated the guerilla warfare against a
conventional army is still unparalleled. He was sharp at the diplomatic end as well and dealt at all
fronts with intelligence and open mindedness. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan owe a lot to him, as
he fought for the cause of the Ummah. He died in a fatal plane crash on 17th August 1988 near
Bahawalpur and was never able to see the dawn of the Afghan Mujahedeen and fall of the Soviet
Union.

He had a complex personality, as he never showed his emotions nor ever revealed himself outside
his family. As an individual he was too honest and upright as he always reported what was going on,
never overlooking anybody including his own staff, but Zia never reacted. He was very straight and
never accepted corruption on the other hand Zia seemed to accept corruption as a way of life in
Pakistan, and would not sack individuals for this offence. He never encouraged nor was he an
admirer of favors and popularity. He was very crucial for the Afghan Jihad and he worked closely
with Gen Zia on national and international matters. Based on his competence, integrity, and loyalty
Zia developed a great trust and confidence in Gen Akhtar and at last promoted him to the rank of a
general.
What ISI is today can be very much attributed to the efforts and commitment shown by General
Akhtar Abdul Rahman. He very tactfully maneuvered the annihilation plan of the Soviet Union and
through the ISI, gave a serious blow to it, which demolished communism as such. This role of
Pakistan was acknowledged by the Germans and the ISI was presented with a piece of Berlin Wall
marked with the inscription “those who struck the first blow” in appreciation to its efforts which
eventuated in the demolition of the Soviet Empire. This piece of stone is one of the most valued
possessions of the ISI.

One year before the Bahawalpur incident, a young Pakistani man met an American journalist
carrying photographs of injured Afghan children with General Akhtar Abdul Rehman. The Pakistani
asked the journalist the reason for keeping these photographs and he answered that whenever he
was disappointed he looked at the photographs of the general and the children, to get courage.
Today, the US and Western analysts and experts admit that the DG ISI, CJCOSC and right hand of
General Zia ul Haq, General Akhtar Abdul Rehman was the man who forced the superpower ‘Soviet
Union’ to be torn into pieces. For the first time in history the mason of a great victory was known
by the world after his death.