The story of India’s northwest frontier is a tale carved in blood and valor, one where Afghanistan sits not merely as a neighbour, but as a bulwark, a crucible, and a mirror of India’s destiny. To understand the high stakes today, one must journey back to the very dawn of Indian civilisation.
Purushpur, Afghanistan: The Outpost of Men
When the Vedic age blossomed, Purushpur—now Peshawar—was founded as the “city of men,” its express purpose to act as the forward bastion against the unruly tides from the west. Here, the mighty Khyber Pass cut through the mountains creating a geographic wound and a natural highway. Ancient Indian rulers recognized its perils, and so, their bravest kshatriyas, the “purush,” were stationed here to protect the fertility and prosperity of the subcontinent from predatory tribes and empires pressing in from Central Asia. It was not a mere town; it was a promise—an oath of blood—that the wild west would not breach the Indian heartland uncontested.
The First Line of Blood: Afghanistan, its Pashtun Warriors and Epic Invasions
The tale of this living boundary is etched with the names of the Pakthas (the ancient ancestors of modern Pashtuns). Mentioned in the Rigveda and earned a reputation among Persians and Greeks alike as the subcontinent’s fiercest defenders.
Alexander – The Butcher, and the Bloody Khyber
When Alexander – the butcher of Macedonia arrived with his gang of thugs at the Khyber Pass in 327 BCE, they encountered not just a hostile land, but an existential resistance. The local Hindu tribes—Aspasioi, Assakenoi, and others—fought bitter, protracted battles and wielding their valor and knowledge of the terrain, inflicted upon the Macedonians their harshest campaign losses yet. Outnumbered up to 5:1, Alexander’s best men faced death at every turn: arrows rained from unseen crags, ambushes in the swirling dust, starvation, and attrition at the hands of the defenders.
Only through siegecraft and tenacity did Alexander prevail, but these victories were pyrrhic—the blood price so high that after their self proclaimed victory at the next battle of Hyphasis on the Beas River, when Alexander decided to retreat, he could not dare to take the Khyber route back home, and instead decided to sail down the Indus and retreat.
Fending Off the Caliphate: When Islam Knocked at the Door in Afghanistan
Centuries later, the rise of Islam brought new waves of invaders—but once again, the northwest proved a formidable barrier. When the Arab armies, flush with victories across Persia, turned towards India, they tried to claw into the Hindu kingdoms of Kabul and Zabul (now Afghanistan)
Hindu Shahi kings—masters of Kabul and Zabul—fought with legendary determination. The Caliphate’s armies, are said in historical accounts to have been starved, harassed, and repeatedly forced to retreat or capitulate in these harsh Afghan mountains. Multiple Arab campaigns were repelled with ferocity by these “guardians of the gate”.
Bolan and Khyber Pass Campaigns
In the mid-7th century, Arab commanders such as Haris ibn Marrah, sent to invade these rugged lands, were trapped in the mountains when the local Pashtun-led armies blocked the passes. According to several sources, entire Arab columns were lost as the locals used their familiarity with the terrain to cut off supply lines, forcing the Arabs into desperate situations where, lacking water and food, they were wiped out or forced to surrender. Haris himself was killed and his army annihilated.
Seizing and Starving the “Doomed Army”
Notably, in 698 CE, Zunbil—the Hindu ruler of Zabulistan (now southeastern Afghanistan)—trapped a 20,000-strong Arab army led by Ubaidullah ibn Abu Bakra near Kabul. The Arab force was surrounded and denied access to water; 15,000 soldiers perished from thirst and hunger. This disastrous defeat earned them the infamous title of the “Doomed Army.” Survivors had to pay a ransom of half a million dirhams for their release.
Peacock Army Mutiny
A few years later, another large force (the “Peacock Army,” so named for its aristocratic members and splendid equipment) was sent in, but constant Pashtun ambushes, starvation tactics, and unforgiving landscapes led to mutiny and an eventual truce.
The Arabs, for all their zeal, failed to breach into the Indian heartland for centuries. The pass was littered with the bones of invaders, the gorges echoing the war cries and last stands of unsung heroes. Even when Islam finally gained a foothold in the northwest, the Pashtun tribes often turned against their new Arab masters, ultimately forging their own empires and jealously protecting their autonomy.
From Shield to Sword: The Changing Destiny of the Frontier
As the centuries turned, many of these once-Hindu defenders embraced Islam. With the fading of Dharmic rule, the region transformed—from an outpost sheltering Indian traditions into the launchpad for devastating invasions. From Mahmud of Ghazni to Ahmed Shah Durrani India suffered multiple wounds and countless atrocities. From shield to sword, the Khyber Pass and its people became both a threat and a possible buffer—depending on the political winds. What didn’t change? Whoever controlled these passes controlled the fate of the Indian plains.
The Timeless Lesson: India Must Secure Kabul’s Friendship
The lesson for Indian strategists remains unchanged since the days of Purushpur: whosoever holds Afghanistan, holds the keys to India’s frontiers. For millennia, it was these borderlands—and the people who fiercely defended them—that shielded the Indian civilisation from carnage. When the “city of men” stood united or aligned to the Indian heartland, India flourished. When divided or turned against India, disaster followed.
Conclusion
Today, as Afghanistan shapes its own tumultuous destiny, India cannot afford to ignore the lessons of history. Whether it is the Taliban or any other regime, maintaining a strong, pragmatic relationship with those who command Kabul is not just a strategy—it is an existential imperative. For the “wild west” beyond the Khyber never truly sleeps, and security, like history, rewards those who never forget.
