The wife of the Turkish ambassador did not wear a hijab, which greatly surprised the Afghans.
Author: Dr. Farid Younes, Retired Professor of Islamic Anthropology and Islamic Philosophy, California State University, USA, Member of the Sangar Advisory Board.
The Afghan memoirs of William Lawrence Shearer (1904–1993), the famous American journalist who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany (1990), one of the best-selling and famous history books of the 20th century, are very interesting.
Before Indian independence in 1930, Shearer traveled to India on behalf of the Chicago Tribune newspaper to prepare an account of India's struggle for freedom. At the same time, Mohammad Zahir Shah Crown Prince of Afghanistan also made a trip to India. Shearer tried very hard to see the prince of Afghanistan and, if possible, to make a trip to Afghanistan, which at that time few journalists dared. Firstly, because of the insecurity of the region, and secondly, British India did not give anyone visas and permits to enter this country.
In one of the circles where he was given the opportunity as an American journalist and the prince was also there, Shearer managed to strike up a conversation with Mohammad Zahir Shah who spoke French and Shearer also knew French. He said that he would like to go to Afghanistan, but the British are preventing him. Shahzade, who took a liking to Shearer, made an interesting offer to introduce him as a member of his retinue and travel companion. The British told Shearer that: “IT IS ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN TO CROSS THIS BORDER INTO AFGHAN TERRITORY”. I have quoted the same sentence in English as in Shearer's "Nightmare Years 1930-1940" so that you, dear reader, may better understand the importance of the issue.
There was a ceremony for the anniversary of the kingdom of Nadir Shah, and it was attended by the ambassadors of England, Soviet Russia, and Turkey. The wife of the Turkish ambassador did not wear a hijab, which greatly surprised the Afghans. Although Shearer was the prince's guest, he stayed at the only inn in town called the Cafe Wali. At the military parade, Shearer was curious that both a camel and an elephant passed by. Today there is no elephant in Afghanistan. The British Ambassador taunted Shearer, namely, he told him that you should not feel like a stranger here (in Kabul)! Shearer asked, "How?" The British ambassador replied that the Afghans were also rebels and you also came from Chicago! At that time, there were many mafiosi and rebels in Chicago.
From the point of view of the history of Afghanistan, an important point in these memoirs is that at that time the border of Afghanistan was determined by the British after the Durand Treaty, and when Shearer was told that he could not cross this border and get into the territory of Afghanistan, they meant precisely the "Durand Line". But we have always been told that the border is open and everyone can travel. Whereas, from the point of view of international law, the border between Afghanistan and India was absolutely transparent for the British, and the same process continued after the partition of India and Pakistan.
Nadirshah came to terms with the Durand line, like Amanullah Khan. Nadirshah came to terms with the Durand line, as did Amanullah Khan. In other words, entering from the right wing of the buffer zone had a basic premise, namely that the Durand line could not be challenged. And this meant that to this day, Afghanistan, neither through negotiations, nor military means, nor through the mediation of the UN, which appeared after the Second World War, could not do this.
Secondly, Afghanistan was unable to regain the lands that Amir Dost Muhammad Khan had lost, and his brother Sultan Muhammad Tilaee left Peshawar to the Sikhs and fled to Jalalabad himself. Now that side of the Durand Line is officially part of Pakistan's official territory, and Afghanistan has never had the political power to contest it.
