Imran Khan is in prison, and we are fighting the Afghan Taliban. These are facts. A third reality may also be taking shape in the wake of Pakistan’s decision to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran, a choice that could finally free us from the last of our imagined messiahs and manufactured monsters.

This myth-making was always state-driven and destined to unravel under the pressures of time. Khan was projected as an ideal leader, but is now an unwanted man. The Taliban, once celebrated as Islam’s true warriors, are today condemned as sponsors of terrorism. The Ayatollah’s messianic aura may also be approaching its moment of reckoning, as his regime’s confrontational course risks dragging our Gulf allies and possibly us into a war not of our choosing.

Each of these myths has its own historical context, without which the narratives that sustained them cannot be understood. Let us begin with the Taliban.

I reported on their rise from Kandahar in the mid-1990s. I briefly encountered Mullah Umar and met some of his commanders and foot soldiers. From what I could see then, this was a ruthless militia with a dangerous agenda for Afghanistan and beyond. That is precisely what I reported at the time: peace would remain a distant dream in that war-torn country.

Back home, however, the Taliban were projected as a liberating force that would disarm rival factions and restore order. They were supported with men and material. After they captured Kabul and much of Afghanistan, we continued to defend their repressive regime. During the War on Terror, we played the familiar “good Taliban–bad Taliban” game with the Americans. And when the Taliban returned to power, some even hailed them for having “broken the shackles of slavery”.

Fast forward to today: Pakistan now finds itself fighting the Taliban, who in turn........

© The Friday Times