The Clash of the Great Powers in Afghanistan: Impacts on Pakistan (2001-2020)

Abstract

Afghanistan is landlocked country located at the confluence of Central Asia, and South Asia. It has been widely admitted that Afghanistan contributes into connectivity of Eurasia because of its strategic location. Afghanistan has an area of 652860 square miles k/m and is the fortieth largest country in the world, larger than France and smaller than Texas. It has 34 provinces known as “Wilayats” and these Wilayats are divided into Sub-national districts known as “Wulaswalis”. It has five major rivers mainly, the Kabul River, the Amu Darya, the Balth Ab, the Murghab-Hari Rud and the Helmand Arghandab Rud.1 It is lying along important trade routes connecting Eastern and Southern Asia to Europe and to Middle East. Afghanistan and Pakistan consist of feudal and tribal ethnicities. Ethnically, Afghanistan consists of ethno-linguistic groups and this is source of contestation and political manipulation. Numerous ethnicities living in Afghanistan are Pashtuns, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmans, Hazara, Aimaq, Baloch, Nuristani, Gujjar, Arab, Brahui, Qizilbash, Sadat and Kyrgyz. Many languages are spoken in Afghanistan but Pashto and Dari are the official languages. There is no confirmed consensus about the majority of any specific ethnicity, but according to most generous estimates Pashtuns are one-third of Afghanistan`s population.2 Therefore, Pashtuns, known as Afghans or Pathans are the largest ethnic group in country.