Anglo-Afghan Power and Politics, 1893-1947

The Durand Line Unmasked

Nabi Sahak

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN:
  9783031952630
• eBook ISBN:
  9783031952647
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

The Durand Line, an enduring symbol of colonial imposition dividing British India and Afghanistan since 1893, and Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1947, fuels relentless regional instability and geopolitical strife. This book amplifies silenced Afghan voices and shatters long-held imperial narratives with new historical evidence. Through groundbreaking analysis, the author’s research uncovers the Durand Line's unlawful and unscrupulous beginnings, its deliberately skewed history, and its unceasing, devastating human consequences, laying bare a persistent legacy of colonial injustice. By exposing untold truths, this book forges essential pathways toward genuine reconciliation, making it an essential read for scholars of South Asian history and the British Empire.

Table of contents

• Anglo-Afghan Power and Politics, 1893–1947
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgement
• Contents
• List of Figures
• About the Author
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Origins of Anglo-Afghan Relations (1761 to 1839)
• 3. Anglo-Afghan Relations (1839–1893), the First and Second Anglo-Afghan Wars
• 4. The Original Purpose of the Durand Line Agreement
• 5. Afghanistan’s Arguments Regarding the Invalidity of the Durand Line Agreement
• 6. Primary Source Materials Regarding the Durand Line
• 7. The Demarcation of the Durand Line and the 1897 Pashtun Rebellion
• 8. Durand Line from 1901 Until 1919
• 9. Durand Line from 1919 Until 1947
• 10. Why the Durand Line Is an Impossible Knot to Untie
• Appendix A: Treaty of Friendship with Shah Shuja, Ratified on 17 June 1809
• Appendix B: Anglo-Afghan Treaty of Friendship with Shah Kamran of Herat
• Appendix C: The Treaty of Capitulation (I)
• Appendix D: The Treaty of Capitulation (II)
• Appendix E: The Treaty of Capitulation (III)
• Appendix F: The Ratified Treaty of Capitulation (IV)
• Appendix G: Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1855
• Appendix H: Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1857
• Appendix I: Anglo-Afghan Treaty of Gandamak
• Appendix J: Durand Line Agreement One
• Appendix K: Durand Line Agreement Two
• Appendix L: Anglo-Russian Agreement Regarding the Demarcation of Afghanistan’s Northern Boundary
• Appendix M: Anglo-Afghan Agreement of 1905
• Appendix N: Anglo-Afghan Treaty of Peace, 1919
• Appendix O: Anglo-Afghan Neighbourly Treaty of 1921
• Appendix P: Anglo-Afghan Trade Convention of 1923
• Appendix Q: Notes Exchanged Between His Majesty’s Government and the Afghan Minister in London—1930
• Appendix R: A Copy of a Receipt for Kabul Subsidy
• Appendix S: British Government’s Policy Regarding Afghanistan During King Zahir Shah in 1940s, Outlined by Lord Zetland, His Majesty’s Secretary of State for India12
• Bibliography
• Index