There are two major problems with history. Firstly, the historian has to rely on sources in developing a narrative, since history recounts the past and he or she is not witness to that time frame. Secondly, objectivity is the first casualty, however truthful the historian may be, because the biases nurtured over the years inevitably affect the outcome. Nevertheless, I grew up in this era and will try to shed light on it as objectively as possible.

The Zia regime has been criticised for many valid reasons, and the more one studies this period and the demons it created, the more depressing it becomes. From a relatively peaceful and secular country, Pakistan transformed into a land of extremism. Yet one needs to appreciate the threat we faced back then in order to make a fruitful analytical exercise for today’s generation.

It was in March 1980, during a class break at St Anthony’s, when two of my classmates—both sons of army officers—told us that Pakistan faced a serious threat if the Soviet Union invaded. We were only twelve‑ or thirteen‑year‑old children, and the fear of the Russian bear was palpable. When I came home and asked my father, a retired army officer, he tried to comfort me as fathers do, but I overheard him telling my mother, “Let us pray the Soviets stop at Afghanistan.” That was the atmosphere. If General Zia and his government, backed by the international community, had not helped defeat the Soviet Union, the history of Pakistan would have been very different. So let us acknowledge this positive aspect of the Zia regime in safeguarding Pakistan........

© The Friday Times