The Role Of The Pashtuns In Afghan Politics

Afghanistan is a culture-rich land consisting of many ethnic tribes. The largest of these groups is the Pashtun tribe which constitutes an estimated 40% to 55% of Afghanistan’s total population. The third largest group in the country is the Hazara tribe which comprise between 15% of the population (Barfield 26). Historically, the Hazara people have been largely persecuted by other tribes in Afghanistan. In Martin Ewan’s book, Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics, he writes, “There has in the past been little love lost between [the Hazaras] and other Afghans, who despise them on both religious and racial grounds, while they themselves have a particular hatred

“’Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our wantan. They dirty our blood….

The Taliban had ruled Afghanistan from between 1996 to 2001. The primary act the world didn't like about Afghanistan was their treatment to the woman and their involvement in terrorism. They are represented by a huge forces of armed men. In 1994, a group of well-trained men were chosen by Pakistan and sent to Taliban.Their role was to Protect a fleet of men who were trying to open a trade route from Pakistan to central

The Taliban are an Islamic political movement. They ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. When they took over, several new laws, rules, and restrictions were made.

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 1979, the goal was to help Afghan communist forces set up a communist government. The Soviet Union felt Afghanistan had key resources and a foothold in the Middle East to spread communist ideas. The result would be a war that the Soviet Union wishes it never got involved in and likened to their “Vietnam War”, meaning winning a number of battles but not the war like what happened to the U.S. in Vietnam. The background of the war, outcome of the war, and impact on the United States are key to understanding the Soviet-Afghan War.

The Taliban are a part of history and people should be aware of who they are and what they do. The Taliban has evolved over the years and unfortunately have grown stronger over the years. They started off as a group of students and it is sad to know that these students who could have started with a good future ended up being a part of a terrorist group. They think they are doing right because they may read the Quran but they only focus on the words and passages they want to hear and say to defend their terrorist group without reading the passage or verse fully and trying to understand the real words of Allah. The Taliban have been around for a long time and as a result the Taliban havetaken over territory such as Afghanistan and many others. One of the territories the Taliban has is Afghanistan and the government is seen as corrupted because they help the Taliban. Corruption may exist anywhere but would the Afghan government be supporting the Taliban with weapons because they want to or because of fear?

For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man

One of the most radical religious groups in the world today are known as the Taliban. The Taliban is a “fundamentalist Muslim group that controlled much of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001” (Maley NP). The Taliban took power after the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. When the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, the Taliban rose to power and took much control of the country. The Taliban leader is Mullah Mohammad Omar. The Taliban in Afghanistan are an Islāmic group, that uses harsh rules against Afghanistan’s women and helped attacked the United States.

Afghanistan has been for years a country struggling with authority issues. These struggles date back to the 16th century of the Mughal Empire and continues with the Taliban today. These historic struggles are responsible of the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of our world. There have been many attempts from other groups to try and “conquer” the land but

The War in Afghanistan has been an all consuming conflict for the US government since we started to launch air strikes on October 7, 2001. This is a conflict that’s been brewing since before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This war has the continuation of past conflicts in it, conflicts that can be connected a good deal to the interference of other large powers, such as the USSR. From keeping an eye on the oil reserves, pressuring Iran, and keeping Pakistan stable, our interests and motives for occupying Afghanistan are undeniably laced with many ulterior motives, providing us with the issue of unfavorable opinion and our interests being the source of terrorist attacks. Afghanistan is a country that has been plagued with

In Afghanistan, there is a divide between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras; the Pashtuns are upper class citizens who are treated with respect while the Hazaras are lower class, minority citizens who are treated poorly. Because of the contrasting history of the two groups, their responses to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul were complete opposites. The Pashtuns “danced on [the] street,” (Hosseini 200) while the Hazaras cried “God help the Hazaras now” (Hosseini 213). The conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in “The Kite Runner” directly reflects the real life issues in Afghanistan starting in the late 70’s and continuing on past 2001.

The Afghans were glad to have the Taliban in the beginning because the Taliban got their start as men started bringing in cash to the Afghans fighting the Russians.

Author Khaled Hosseini addresses ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan by examining the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. The Pashtuns are the largest and most powerful ethnic group composed of several tribal groups. The Pashtuns have historically dominated the government, and other ethnic groups have to deal with them strictly on the Pashtuns terms. Being Pashtun requires adherence to a code of behavior focusing on honor, bravery, and respect for others. The code is dominated by a man’s ability to defend his property and household honor. They are required to seek revenge in the form of physical retaliation to defend this code. This code is often in complete opposition to Sharia. Pashtuns consider themselves the highest ranking ethnic group.

We are the true Afghans, Not the flat-nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watah they dirty our blood.” said Assef “ Afghanistan for pashtuns I say that is my vision”. (Page 40.). My research provides to my claim by showing that all Pashtuns either doesn’t like any other ethnic group that isn’t

After the fall of Amanullah Khan, Habibullah Khan Kalakani ruled for a short term and then the Musahiban family ruled over Afghanistan from 1929-1978. The Musahiban family halted the social changes that Amanullah Khan wanted to make which moved it away from developing the economy, state building and modernization. The economy was the same as it was at the turn of the century. The Musahiban family followed the policy of encapsulated modernization. They only focused on the centers the countryside areas remained untouched because of the fear of rising revolts. Under the Musahbian family they did not impose any changes or taxes, especially no taxes in cash which means they made the rural economy remain untouched. This means that there was no