The Pashtunistan issue and politics in Afghanistan, 1947-1952

After the 1947 Partition of India, the government of Afghanistan found an opportunity to reclaim the lands lost to British India as a result of the Durand Line Agreement in 1893. These lands, known as Pashtunistan, were annexed to Pakistan. The issue of Pashtunistan s fate became the backbone of Afghanistan s foreign and domestic policies. This article explores the reasons for the Pashtunistan issue s significance to Afghanistan s royal family and how a policy of advancing Pashtun nationalism was conducted by the government, and what the issue meant for newly established political parties.