Afghan experts should deconstruct old narratives first

Afghan experts should deconstruct

Old Narratives first

Various yet contradictory reasons to sign and accept D L A by signatories, Rise of Bismark, Tripartite agreement between Russia, France & UK, Suppressing various communities/tribes in Afghanistan especially Hazaras and Kafirs, controlling internal Pukhtoon infighting especially traditional rivalries of Sadozias and Barakzias and creation of 3-Duct policy in Afghanistan, FATA and KPK(NWFP) region 

Why various Afghan rulers signed and accepted Durand Line Agreement(DLA) since 1893 till 1947? Afghan elite and colonial masters had different reasons but instead of exploring those contradictory reasons our intellectuals are still in the state of denial. Ameer Abdur Rahman and his successors accepted D L A  in order to fix internal pressures yet Britishers had their own internal pressures in Europe where Bismark's Germany was ready to challenge the Empire. Keeping in view international politics of late 19th century and strategic importance of Pak-Afghan-Iran region  we should revisit old narratives for once. Here we can separate facts and perceptions first.
Just read an article Durand line or border written by a well read and balanced intellectual Rahimullah Yusufzai in the TNS about infamous Durand Line Agreement (DLA) and it instigated me to write this piece.
We often confront with misleading narratives especially coined during the Raj and we also found that even the opponents of Raj carried those narratives with little change. Construction of Hindu period , Muslim period,  Invader theory, Theory of Matrial Races ,  Warm Water ports theory, FATA and Afghanistan: The Unconquered Land theory are among various misleading narratives penned during Raj era. Through these misleading narratives they created a perception about Pak-Afghan-Iran region. In past i wrote some pieces in which i tried to challenge various narratives in this regard and i am sharing some links before you.

HALF TRUTH A Wrong Statement by Achakzai regarding Afghanistan Following the Wali Khan Legacy
Colonial masters & misleading Pukhtoon Prides Deconstructing colonial myths
Our anti-Punjab clamour — 1
Our anti-Punjab mayhem — II
Half Truth in NYTimes editorial Time to Put the Squeeze on Pakistan
When Pak and Afghanistan agreed on DLA
 Shah Shuja , Punjab and politics in Kabul 1838
Politics of trade routes & Pak-Afghan-Iran region
When English annexed Afghanistan
Confessions of a Pukhtoon Revolutionary
Roots of extremism in triangular region (Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan)
Rationality vs. State Craft Secret Affairs Use of Religion (Islam) in national & International Politics
Extract from Pakistan and Afghanistan by Riaz M Khan ex foreign secretary Govt of Pakistan
Tribal quarrels & weak Afghanistan: fighting between Sadozais & Barakzais
WHY UNITED STATES REJECTED SHAH IRAN IN 1970s
Anti German Syndrome of late 19th century :MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-49 By Keith JefferyPublisher: Bloomsbury, 2011
When title mislead itself: A story of Word "KHAN"

There are two useful links to understand misleading narrative of martial races , a concept developed after the annexation of the Punjab including Peshawar and FATA. During 1840s colonial army fought against Punjabis, pathans, Kashmiries in three bloody wars and in historic Chilianwalla war son of Afghan King Dost muhammad Khan fought against Colonizers and supported Lhore Darbar army. In those wars Royal Bengal army was with colonizers yet there were some desertions and two purbya battalions joined Lhore Darbar army in 1846 war of Sabraoon. But after annexation of the   Punjab colonizers wanted not only to disband RBA but also needed new recruitment from the areas near Kabul and for that purpose the coined the martial race theory.
Martial races in India
Myth of martial races

The most interesting account regarding internal conflicts in Afghanistan is biography of Ameer Abdur Rahman written with the help of Ch Sultan Muhammad Khan (father of Faiz Ahmad Faiz) and you can download its pdf by clicking HERE

You can easily understand how grandson of Dost Muhammad Khan used the opportunity of DLA against Hazara and Kafirs. It is also a misconception that Abdur Rahman, a hand picked ruler for Afghanistan by the colonizers was against non-Pukhtoons. His first fight was against ruler of Kandhar in 1881 ans he had some Hazaras in his court too. If we read history of Pak-Afghan-Iran region along with European history of 1870s then we can understand the politics well. Russian advancements till Merv, Khanate and rise of Bismark were on cards and in 1881 and 1882 two tripartite agreements were signed one among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy and the 2nd was in 1882 among Britain, Russia and France. The 2nd tripartite secret agreement is important regarding our lands and if you read Keith Jeffery Book it was the same time when Russia was replaced as enemy no 1  with Germans. Till 1879 under frontier forward policy colonizer had plans to capture whole Pak-Afghan-Iran region and ready to develop a train route from the Punjab,Sindh, Qandhar, Iran to Mediterranean yet till 1881 they had abandoned it.  Now they had a policy to convert the region into a conflict zone so no one can occupy it. They have plan to fix Germans first. It is genesis of infamous DLA. They strengthen Abdur Rahman and instigated him to capture northern parts first. It was part of three duct policy and those three ducts were Afghanistan, FATA and NWFP. For this they coined concept of unconquered lands. Without understanding misleading narratives we cannot develop a reasonably balance policy for this region.