12 November 1893

The Durand Line Agreement is signed between Mortimer Durand and the Afghan Amir Abdur Rahman Khan demarcating the frontiers between British India and Afghanistan. Though, the Durand Line currently serves as the international

border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, no Afghan Government has accepted it as such.



3 June 1947

The Plan to hold a referendum in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) to determine its future

is proposed.

6 July 1947

Polling for the referendum starts and the results areannounced on 20 July 1947. An overwhelming majority of voters (99 percent) vote in favour of joining Pakistan.

However, as the referendum did not have the option of joining Afghanistan or

becoming independent, Afghanistan rejects the outcome.

14 August 1947

Pakistan emerges as an independent state

following the Partition of India.

30 September 1947

Afghanistan is the only country to vote against Pakistan’s admission into the UN.

February 1948 Afghanistan and Pakistan exchange ambassadors.

26 July 1949

A Loya Jirga in Afghanistan rejects all the boundary treaties signed between Afghanistan and British India.

12 August 1949

A “Pashtunistan” Assembly is established during a meeting of Afridi Pashtuns at Tirah Bagh on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line. The Afghan government extends support to this assembly

provoking Pakistan to cut off fuel supplies to Afghanistan.

4 January 1950

India and Afghanistan sign ‘Treaty of Friendship’.

30 September 1950

Afghan forces disguised as tribesmen, along with regular Afghan troops, cross over into Pakistani territory. Pakistan reacts by putting an end to imports from Afghanistan for three months.

17 October 1951

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan is assassinated. His assassin is said to be an Afghan living in exile in Pakistan and the Afghan government is suspected of being involved in the assassination. However, the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan is still an unsolved mystery.

7 September 1953

Daoud Khan, a strong champion of the Pashtunistan issue, is appointed the Prime Minister of Afghanistan.

To be continued......