LINKAGE BETWEEN THE GREAT OCTOBER REVOLUTION AND THE SAUR REVOLUTION OF AFGHANISTAN AND ITS EFFECTS ON PAKISTAN

Abstract

It has been 39 years since the then Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 in order to protect the communist regime- a communist regime which got inspiration from the Great October Revolution in Russia. To many, the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan was another attempt by the Soviet Union to export communism to other countries. However the famous historian Peter Kenez says that the Soviet standing in world affairs was not based on ideological appeal, but on military strength. 1 At the end of the Brezhnev era, when the Soviet economy ceased to perform well and the political system was troubled, the Soviet Union possessed an influence in the international arena that neither it nor its predecessor, imperial Russia, had ever before achieved. By sending Soviet troops into Afghanistan, the Soviet Union wanted to support the Saur revolution through its military might. However there is no denying the fact that many youth, including Nur Mohammad had been trained in the Communist ideology. So the Great October Revolution in Russia influenced the Saur Revolution- the Communist revolution in Afghanistan. Though communism vanished along with the Soviet Union as it did from Afghanistan but it left behind war and destruction not only in Afghanistan but also neighboring Pakistan. Both the countries have suffered immensely. The continued policy of confrontation has not yielded the desired results. Would the continuation of a deliberate policy to make war and more war, really result in gaining peace? Why not give consideration to political negotiations and political settlement. This paper looks into the background to the current issue of Afghan crisis, and its implications for Pakistan. How the Afghan crisis affected world politics, and what role Russia has played all along. What has the implications been for Pakistan, and what will be the future policy of Pakistan for its survival, now that another, more brutish super power is sitting in its neighborhood and has no plans to leave soon.