1950 Afghan invasion of Pakistan

Armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan

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On 30 September 1950, Afghan regular troops and tribesmen crossed the Durand Line and into Pakistan, mainly in and around the Chaman District.[1] This resulted in the 1950 Afghan invasion of Pakistan. The Afghans launched the invasion anticipating the collapse of the newly independent Pakistan, paving way for Afghan irredentist claims.[2] However, Pakistani forces managed to repel and defeat the Afghan intruders in just six days, resulting in a Pakistani victory.[1]

Afghan invasion of Pakistan

Part of Afghanistan-Pakistan skirmishes

Afghan soldiers on parade c. 1950
| Date| 30 September 1950 - 6 October 1950

|

Location|

Pakistan, mainly in Chaman District

Result|

Pakistani victory[5][6]

* Afghan invasion repelled in only six days[7]
* Deterioration of relations[8]

Belligerents
Afghanistan[3][4]|  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Mohammad Zahir Shah
(King of Afghanistan)
Shah Mahmud Khan
(Prime Minister of Afghanistan)
Mohammad Daoud Khan
(Minister of Interior Affairs)|  Khawaja Nazimuddin
(Governor-General of Pakistan)
Liaquat Ali Khan
(Prime Minister of Pakistan)
Douglas Gracey
(Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army)

## Background[edit]

Afghanistan-Pakistan relations were under heavy strain following Pakistan's independence from the British, as it had inherited the Durand Line, which Afghanistan does not recognise.[9]

Despite their lack of recognition, Afghanistan confirmed the demarcation of the Durand line several times in history, in agreement in 1905, 1919, 1921, and 1930.[10]

This resulted in Afghanistan being the only country that voted against Pakistan's admission into the United Nations, and it's funding of proxies in Pakistani lands.[1] Afghan Prime Minister, Muhammad Hashim, doubled down on Afghan irredentist claims, stating that "if an independent Pashtunistan cannot be set up, the frontier province should join Afghanistan. Our neighbor Pakistan will realize that our country, with its population and trade, needs an outlet to the sea, which is very essential.”[11]

Greater Afghanistan therefore frequently included Balochistan, resulting in Afghan troops and tribesmen entering the Chaman district in Balochistan.

## Invasion[edit]

On September 30, Afghan troops intruded into the Chaman district along with Afghan tribesmen. This was possible due to Pakistan having a lack of a consolidated western command and due to the unpopularity of the Balochistan Frontier Corps.[12]

However, the Pakistani military engaged in fierce fighting with their Afghan counterparts, with the fighting being described by historians as “crude”.[13] Eventually, in only six days, the Afghan invaders were driven across the border, resulting in an Afghan defeat.[1]

## Aftermath[edit]

The failed invasion brought condemnation and humiliation to the Afghan side, in an effort to curb this, the Afghans claimed that no Afghan troops took place in the fighting, with the incursion being only Pashtun separatists. However, these claims lack credibility and it is agreed that Afghan troops did take place in the fighting.[4] [3]

Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan condemned the invasion, and he himself would be assassinated by an Afghan national the next year.[14]

Both nations would still suffer from strained relations, and a second war would begin, with Afghans mainly invading the Bajaur District.[citation needed]

## See also[edit]

* Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
* Bajaur Campaign
* Pakistan-Afghanistan skirmishes
* 2023 Chitral cross-border attacks

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (22 February 2012). "The Forgotten History of Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations". www.yalejournal.org. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
2. ^ "The Afghans had anticipated the collapse of Pakistan". “And even if Pakistan never acceded to the Pashtunistan demand, Afghanistan had essentially staked its claim to that area if the Pakistani state were to fail.”
3. ^ a b Pande, Aparna, ed. (2017). Afghan claims uncredible. doi:10.4324/9781315696706. ISBN 9781315696706. Retrieved 2023-11-26. `{{cite book}}`: `|website=` ignored (help)"Afghanistan claimed that it had been uninvolved, that the attackers were tribesmen spontaneously agitating for an independent Pashtunistan. But its denials lacked credibility."
4. ^ a b "Afghan claims seem uncredible". Yale Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-26."For its own part, Afghanistan claimed that it had no involvement in this attack, which it said was comprised exclusively of Pashtun tribesmen agitating for an independent Pashtunistan. But given Afghanistan’s later use of irregular forces dressed as tribesmen, Pakistan’s claims that the aggression had emanated from Afghanistan’s government seem credible."
5. ^ Pande, Aparna, ed. (2017). Pakistani forces repel Afghan invasion. doi:10.4324/9781315696706. ISBN 9781315696706. `{{cite book}}`: `|website=` ignored (help) “It didn't take long for Pakistan to repel this rather crude invasion, as its government announced that it had ‘driven invaders from Afghanistan back across the border’ after just six days of fighting” (Associated Press 1950b).
6. ^ "Pakistani forces repel low-level invasion". “It didn’t take long for Pakistan to repel this low-scale invasion, and its government announced that it had “driven invaders from Afghanistan back across the border after six days of fighting.”
7. ^ "The Forgotten History of Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations". 22 February 2012.
8. ^ "The Durand Line: A British Legacy Plaguing Afghan-Pakistani Relations". 3 November 2023.
9. ^ Vinay Kaura (27 June 2017). "The Durand Line: A British Legacy Plaguing Afghan-Pakistani Relations". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
10. ^ "Afghanistan confirms Durand line". Yale Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-26.Though Afghanistan claimed that the border had been drawn under duress, it had in fact confirmed the demarcation of this international frontier on multiple occasions, including in agreements concluded in 1905, 1919, 1921, and 1930.
11. ^ Hafisullah Emadi (1990-07-14). "Durand Line and Afghan-Pak Relations". Durand Line and Afghan-Pak Relations. 25 (28).
12. ^ "Unpopularity of FC Balochistan". Jamestown. Retrieved 2023-11-26."Secondly, FC Balochistan, comprised of 13 units, is not popular in Balochistan and is seen as an outside force"
13. ^ Pande, Aparna, ed. (2017-08-23). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Pakistan. Routledge Handbooks Online. doi:10.4324/9781315696706. ISBN 978-1-138-90371-5.
14. ^ "PAKISTAN: The Murder of Liaquat". Time. 1951-10-22. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-11-30.