Scene 1 – Moscow's Gamble
Location: Kremlin, Moscow – December 1979
The Kremlin war room was filled with cigarette smoke. Maps of Afghanistan were spread across a long oak table. Soviet generals stood with files in their hands, while Leonid Brezhnev, the aging Soviet leader, listened with a heavy face.
General Ivanov pointed at Kabul on the map.
"Comrade Brezhnev, the situation is deteriorating. Hafizullah Amin is unreliable. He executes his own comrades and flirts with the Americans. If Afghanistan collapses, our southern frontier will be threatened."
Brezhnev coughed, gripping his glass of water.
"You propose intervention?"
Ivanov's eyes sharpened.
"Yes. A limited deployment. Our troops will secure Kabul, remove Amin, and install Babrak Karmal. Stability will return within weeks."
Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko interjected, skeptical.
"Comrades, we said the same in Czechoslovakia, in Hungary. Weeks became years. Afghanistan is not Prague—it is mountains and tribes who bow to no one."
But Brezhnev leaned forward, tapping his finger on the map.
"The Americans are weakened by Vietnam. If we move fast, they will protest but do nothing. The revolution in Afghanistan must not fail. Approve the deployment."
A silence lingered. Then, reluctantly, the Politburo nodded. The invasion was set.
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Scene 2 – Kabul Falls Under Red Shadow
Location: Presidential Palace, Kabul – Night of December 27, 1979
Gunfire crackled in the distance. Soviet spetsnaz stormed the Afghan Presidential Palace. Hafizullah Amin, paranoid and restless, rushed through the halls with a pistol in hand.
"Where are my guards?" he shouted.
Before his bodyguards could respond, explosions shattered the palace windows. Soviet commandos swept in. Amin fired blindly, shouting:
"Traitors! Long live Afghanistan!"
A burst of automatic fire cut him down. Within hours, Babrak Karmal was flown in from Moscow, declared the new President.
Soviet tanks rolled through Kabul's streets, their red stars glaring under the Afghan winter sky. The invasion had begun.
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Scene 3 – Shockwaves in Islamabad
Location: President's House, Islamabad – December 28, 1979
General Zia-ul-Haq paced the floor, holding the emergency briefing papers. With him sat General Akhtar Abdur Rahman (ISI Chief) and Foreign Minister Agha Shahi.
Zia's voice was grave.
"The Soviets have crossed into Afghanistan. This is no local coup—it is an invasion. Kabul is theirs. And tomorrow, Peshawar may be theirs too."
Agha Shahi adjusted his glasses.
"Mr. President, this changes everything. Pakistan is now the frontline. If the Soviets establish themselves in Kabul, their next logical step is the warm waters of the Arabian Sea."
General Akhtar leaned forward, his voice sharp.
"We cannot fight the Soviets directly. But we can bleed them. Afghanistan's tribes hate foreign occupiers. They resisted the British, they will resist the Russians. We can help arm them."
Zia stopped pacing and turned.
"But Pakistan alone cannot bear this. We need allies."
Akhtar smirked.
"The Americans. The CIA will come running—they cannot tolerate Soviet expansion."
Zia looked at both men, a decision forming.
"Then let us prepare. If this is the Soviet's war, we will make Afghanistan their graveyard."
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Scene 4 – Washington's Awakening
Location: White House Situation Room, Washington D.C. – Early January 1980
President Jimmy Carter sat with National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and CIA Director Stansfield Turner. The mood was tense.
Brzezinski slapped the table.
"Mr. President, this is the greatest Soviet challenge since World War II. They now sit at the doorstep of the Persian Gulf, threatening oil supplies and American credibility. We must respond!"
Carter rubbed his temples.
"What options do we have? Direct intervention is impossible."
Brzezinski leaned in.
"Pakistan. They share a border. Their military ruler, Zia, is pragmatic. If we give him weapons and money, he will funnel them to the Afghan resistance. The Soviets will be trapped in an endless war."
CIA Director Turner added,
"We can supply Stinger missiles, rifles, explosives—through covert channels. The Mujahideen will fight; they need only arms and training."
Carter hesitated, then finally spoke.
"Then do it. Open the channels. Afghanistan will be their Vietnam."
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Scene 5 – The Meeting of Allies
Location: Islamabad – U.S. Embassy Residence, February 1980
General Zia sat across from U.S. Ambassador Arthur Hummel and CIA station chief Howard Hart. Tea cups rested untouched on the table.
Hummel began politely.
"Mr. President, Washington stands ready to assist. Financial aid, military hardware, intelligence support—all at your disposal."
Zia gave a measured smile.
"Pakistan appreciates America's friendship. But let me be clear—we will not become your pawn. This is our war as much as yours. If we fight the Soviets, we fight for Pakistan's survival first."
Howard Hart leaned forward.
"General, the Mujahideen need arms, training, logistics. The CIA can provide them—but ISI must be the channel. No direct American footprint."
Zia nodded.
"Good. Pakistan will not allow foreign boots on our soil. The ISI will handle distribution. You provide the weapons—we will provide the warriors."
He raised his finger.
"And remember, Afghanistan's tribes fight for Allah, not for America. Respect their faith, and they will never surrender."
The meeting ended with handshakes, but in reality, a covert alliance had been born.
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Scene 6 – The Arms Pipeline
Location: ISI Headquarters, Rawalpindi – Spring 1980
General Akhtar Abdur Rahman stood before a large map of the Durand Line. Around him were ISI colonels and CIA liaison officers.
Akhtar pointed with a stick.
"These are the smuggling routes. From Karachi port, American weapons arrive disguised as agricultural machinery. Trucks carry them to Quetta and Peshawar. From there, our field officers hand them to Afghan commanders across the border."
A colonel added,
"Commanders like Ahmad Shah Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Jalaluddin Haqqani—they will distribute to their fighters."
Howard Hart nodded approvingly.
"This is exactly the kind of deniability Washington wants. Officially, no American guns enter Afghanistan. Unofficially, thousands will."
Akhtar smiled thinly.
"And every rifle that fires, every mine that explodes, will remind the Soviets that they are unwelcome in Kabul."
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Scene 7 – The Mujahideen's Resolve
Location: Tribal Meeting, Kunar Province – Summer 1980
A group of Afghan Mujahideen commanders sat under a tent, rifles leaning against the poles. The bearded leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, addressed the gathering.
"The Russians think they can crush us with tanks and planes. But we have mountains, and we have faith. The ISI brings us weapons, but victory will come from our courage."
A younger fighter, holding a newly supplied rocket launcher, grinned.
"With these, we can strike their helicopters. Let them come!"
The men chanted,
"Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!"
The sound echoed across the valleys.
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Scene 8 – Zia and Akhtar in Private
Location: President's House, Islamabad – Late 1980
Zia and General Akhtar sat in a quiet study, maps of Afghanistan spread before them.
Zia spoke softly.
"Akhtar, history will judge us. The Americans think this is their Cold War. But for us, it is survival. If the Soviets succeed, Pakistan is finished."
Akhtar adjusted his cap.
"Mr. President, the Soviets underestimate Afghan blood. They think guns can rule mountains. They will learn otherwise."
Zia nodded, his eyes distant.
"Then let us bleed them, drop by drop. Afghanistan will be their grave, and Pakistan will be the sword."
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