August 17, 2021

Beyond the Burqa: The Taliban, Women and NGOs.

Those who fail to mention Pashtun nationalism when discussing the Taliban show that they do not understand anything about Afghanistan and its turbulent history since the coup that ousted King Mohammed Zahir Shah in 1973 and ended the Afghan Pashtun-led monarchy.

It should come as no surprise that the porous Afghan-Pakistani border lands are the birthplace and home of the Taliban. Had it not been for Mortimer Durand, a rather lackluster British diplomat, who served as Foreign Secretary of India, political secretary in Kabul, minister in Tehran, and ambassador in Madrid and Washington, DC, the world would not be facing the situation that exists today in Afghanistan or northwestern Pakistan.

The events currently taking place in Afghanistan are a direct result of meddling British bureaucrats who were trying to preserve the last vestiges of British political superiority. The haughtiness of Mortimer Durand and Lord Mountbatten remains alive within the far-right ranks of Boris Johnson's merry band of Tories.

If the world wants to stabilize Afghanistan, it can start by supporting the creation of a united Pashtunistan and abrogating the Durand Line treaty.

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