25 Years After 9/11, Pakistan Continues to Live with the Consequences of Choices

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS after the September 11 attack destroyed New York City’s iconic twin towers, claiming thousands of lives, the world witnessed wide political, economic, and societal effects, reshaping global security policies and diplomatic relations, even as the United States escalated its war on terror.

Within weeks, Pakistan was designated a "frontline ally" in Washington’s war on terror. Sanctions imposed after its nuclear tests were lifted, and billions of dollars in aid began to flow.

In the short term, this transformed Pakistan’s strategic importance and infused much-needed moolah into its bleeding economy, though Islamabad may not have received as many dollars since the end of its covert war through the 1980s against Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Between 2001 and 2019, Pakistan reportedly received more than $34 billion from the United States, much of it tied to counterterrorism cooperation. Islamabad became a frontline ally of Washington, offering logistical support, intelligence cooperation, and access to military bases.

Pakistan was thus thrust into the spotlight in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

Though no Pakistani nationals were among the hijackers, the capture of terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Rawalpindi in 2003 tied the country indelibly to Al Qaeda’s network, as media reports opined.

And eight years later, Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al Qaeda and 9/11 mastermind, was killed by a US Navy SEAL team in a daring raid in Pakistan’s Abbottabad.

Incidentally, the generally quiet and serene town of Abbottabad in northern Pakistan lay just about 80 km from Islamabad and almost 400 km from the caves of Afghanistan’s Tora Bora that used to be Osama bin Laden’s hideout.

That the globally declared terror chief chose his abode as safe so close to Pakistan’s capital, and far away from the rocky wilderness across the border says a story by itself.

Meanwhile, Pakistan media reports this week opined that the costs soon outweighed the benefits. Terrorism inside Pakistan surged, claiming more than 70,000 lives over two decades. Articles also framed the economic legacy of 9/11 as double-edged.

On one hand, the attacks opened doors to aid and investment that stabilised the economy in the short term. On the other, terrorism and instability drained far more, leaving Pakistan weaker and more dependent.

Analysts writing in Pakistan’s Dawn and The News International argued that while aid provided short-term relief, it failed to generate sustainable industrial growth. Instead, the country became dependent on external financing, leaving its economy vulnerable to shifts in geopolitics.

The Ministry of Finance estimated economic losses reportedly exceeding $150 billion, as instability discouraged investment, disrupted trade, and hollowed out tourism.

A Pakistan Observer report stressed that while Islamabad received its billions in US assistance, it failed to generate sustainable growth. Additionally, commentators argued that the war on terror transformed Pakistan’s internal security environment, multiplying threats beyond its traditional rivalry, like that with India.

Also, the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, sectarian militancy at home, and insurgencies and secessionist movements in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir became pressing challenges in the post-9/11 era.

Diplomatically, Pakistan found itself isolated, and global ties began to strain further.

As its relation with Afghanistan soured, despite Islamabad having hosted, armed, and trained the precursor Mujahideen militia with covert help from the US spy agency CIA, and later, even the Taliban itself.

Pakistan was thus accused of playing a double game after the fall of the Soviet Union – supporting US operations against terror while sheltering Taliban leaders – and that damaged credibility. The discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in 2011 compounded international suspicions.

The Observer report lamented that Pakistan’s actions did not translate into stronger alliances, but rather into mistrust and marginalisation. Today, the narrative centres around words of caution, as Pakistan continues to live with the consequences of choices made before, and in the shadow of 9/11.

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