A jirga ( Pashto : جرګه , jərga ) is an assembly of leaders that makes decisions by consensus according to Pashtunwali , the Pashtun social code. It is conducted in order to settle disputes among the Pashtuns, but also by members of other ethnic groups who are influenced by them in present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan.
109-510: Historically, a loya jirga or a "great council" has been convened in order to elect a new head of state, approve a new constitution or resolve critical issues. Loya jirgas have reportedly been organized since the rise to power of the Hotak dynasty in the early 18th century. In July 1747, Afghan chiefs assembled in Kandahar to elect a new king, choosing the 25-year-old Ahmad Shah Durrani , who
218-428: A mediator , choosing someone such as a senior religious leader, a local notable, or a mediation specialist (a khan or məshər ). In tribal Pashtun society, the maliks serve as de facto arbiters in local conflicts, interlocutors in state policy-making, tax-collectors, heads of village and town councils and delegates to provincial and national jirgas as well as delegates to Parliament. The mediator hears from each of
327-494: A town hall meeting . When the Afghans took power they tried to legitimize their hold with such a jirga. While in the beginning only Pashtuns were allowed to participate in the jirgas , later other ethnic groups like Tajiks and Hazaras were allowed to participate as well. The member of the jirgas were mostly members of the royal family, religious leaders and tribal leaders of the Afghans. King Amanullah Khan institutionalized
436-572: A Chagatai prince raised an army from Kandahar against the Ilkhanid governor of Sistan . Kandahar was described by Ibn Battuta in 1333 as a large and prosperous town three nights journey from Ghazni . Timur the Great , founder of the Timurid Empire , captured Kandahar in 1383. He appointed his grandson Pir Muhammad as governor of Kandahar in 1390. Following his death in 1405, the city
545-544: A June 2020 Tribune Pakistan report, a jirga (a type of quasi kangaroo court ) attempted ruling to give up a 13-year-old minor girl in marriage to a 41-year-old married man as Swara (punishment) for her brother's alleged disliked relation with his cousin, the Jirga's attempt was foiled by a close relative of the boy with help of police. In another 2020 June incident in Sindh Pakistan, police struggled to clamp down on
654-780: A Safavid loyalist movement in the south led by Sayyed Ahmad , who had taken over much of Fars, Hormozgan, and Kerman. Ashraf's army was defeated in the October 1729 at the Battle of Damghan by Nader Shah Afshar, an Iranian soldier of fortune from the Afshar tribe , and the founder of the Afsharid dynasty that replaced the Safavids in Persia. Nader Shah had driven out and banished the remaining Ghilji forces from Persia and began enlisting some of
763-529: A Shia mosque in the city . The Arghandab River runs along the west of Kandahar. The city has 15 districts and a total land area of 27,337 hectares. The total number of dwellings in Kandahar is 61,902. Only 64% of families in Kandahar have access to safe drinking water; 22% of households have access to safe toilet facilities; and 27% of households have access to electricity, with the remainder dependent on public power. Kandahar's transportation infrastructure
872-411: A Taliban suicide bomber who had hidden explosives inside his turban . On 27 July 2011, the mayor of the city, Ghulam Haider Hamidi , was assassinated by another Taliban militant who had hidden explosives in his turban. Two deputy mayors had been killed in 2010, while many tribal elders and Islamic clerics have also been assassinated in the last several years. The overwhelming majority of the victims in
981-550: A ban on the holding of jirgas in April 2004 because of the sometimes inhumane sentences which were imposed on people, especially on women and men who married of their own free will. The ban, however, has been ignored. An all-female jirga or a Khwaindo jirga (a "sister's council") was held in Pakistan, and it had a total of 25 members. It was headed by Tabassum Adnan which helped 11 women get justice as of 2013. On 11–14 March 2022,
1090-479: A circle when debating and hearing a given dispute during a tribal jirga. In Pashto, a grand jirga is known as loya jirga ( لویه جرګه , lōya jərga ). A mini-jirga is called jirgagai ( جرګګۍ , jərgagəy ). The institution, which is centuries old, is a similar idea to the Islamic shura ("consultative assembly"). It is thought that the ancient Indo-Iranian tribes, also known as Arya or Aryans , practiced
1199-527: A civil dispute who willingly consent to the same; rest of practices and attempts by Jirgas to adjudicate on civil or criminal matters is not lawful, and that unlawful practices of Jirgas are violate Articles 4, 8, 10-A, 25 and 175(3) of the Constitution of Pakistan, and also that "operation of jirgas/ panchayats, etc violates Pakistan's international commitments under the UDHR , ICCPR and CEDAW , which place
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#17327717900411308-523: A fragment of Edict 13 in Greek, as well as a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic has been discovered in Kandahar. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka the great used the word Eusebeia (" Piety ") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous " Dharma " of his other Edicts written in Prakrit . Islamic conquest Until
1417-405: A governing authority through the imposition of a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Formal education for girls was banned as well as the consumption of TV, films, music with instrumental accompaniments , and the playing of sports. In December 1999, a hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 plane by Pakistani militants loyal to Harkat-ul-Mujahideen landed at Kandahar International Airport and kept
1526-435: A group and arguments can drag out for days. Various issues can be addressed such as major disaster, foreign policy, declaration of war, the legitimacy of leaders, and the introduction of new ideas and laws. The community council meaning is often found in circumstances involving a dispute between two individuals; a jirga may be part of the dispute resolution mechanism in such cases. The disputants would usually begin by finding
1635-444: A jirga which declared two sisters to be ignoble 'Karis' fined father of the girls for one million rupees plus ordered killing of the sisters (an outlawed but prevalent practice of declaring 'Kari's-literal black spot on honour of the family or community – subjectable to severe punishments including honour killing many times for alleged compromising on expectations of modesty and chastity out of suspicions). The Sindh High Court imposed
1744-567: A local ruler of the Saffarid dynasty , conquered Kandahar and environs in the name of Islam. Ghanavids It is believed that the Zunbil dynasty were the rulers of the Kandahar region from the 7th century until the late 9th century AD. Kandahar was taken by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century followed by the Ghurids of Ghor . Kandahar appears to have been renamed Teginābād in
1853-577: A months-long campaign of carpet bombing and bulldozing by the Soviets and Afghan communist soldiers in 1987. Kandahar International Airport was used by the Soviet Army during their ten-year troop placement in the country. The city also became a battle ground for the US and Pakistani-backed forces against the pro-Communist government of Afghanistan. Kandahar underwent a complete sociopolitical collapse in
1962-636: A name given to some cities that Alexander founded during his conquests. Kandahar was a frequent target for conquest because of its strategic location in Asia, controlling the main trade route linking the Indian subcontinent with the Middle East and Central Asia . The territory became part of the Seleucid Empire after the death of Alexander. It is mentioned by Strabo that a treaty of friendship
2071-765: A natural cause. A new city was laid out by Ahmad Shah and is dominated by his mausoleum, which is adjacent to the Mosque of the Cloak in the centre of the city. By 1776, his eldest son Timur Shah had transferred Afghanistan's main capital, due to several conflicts with various Pashtun tribes, from Kandahar to Kabul, where the Durrani legacy continued. From 1818 to 1855, Kandahar was ruled by half-brothers of Dost Mohammad Khan as an independent principality . In September 1826, Syed Ahmad Shaheed 's followers arrived to Kandahar in search of volunteers to help them wage jihad against
2180-482: A pilgrimage to Mecca . He managed to get a fatwa from the religious authorities approving Mirwais's plan to overthrow tyrannical Safavid rule. In the summer of 1708 or January 1709 he returned to Kandahar and waited for the opportunity to kill Gurgin Khan. That opportunity came in April 1709. The Kakar tribe refused to pay taxes and revolted, so Gurgin Khan and his men went out to campaign against them. Protected by
2289-574: A responsibility on the state of Pakistan to ensure that everyone has access to courts or tribunals, (and all people) are treated equally before the law and in all stages of procedure in courts and tribunals". According to correspondent I.A. Rehman, In January 2019 Pakistani government law officials from provinces and federal confirmed governments-made commitments to Supreme Court of Pakistan to not to allow Panchayat and Jirga platforms for illegal practices of violating fundamental constitutional rights of women by honour killings, wani, swara, karo kari, and that
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#17327717900412398-552: A seven-week march; he crushed disturbances going on in the province at the time. He soon encountered Mirwais Hotak , the mayor ( kalantar ) of Kandahar and one of the richest and most influential people among the Ghilzais . At first Mirwais had good relations with the Georgians but it began to sour when Mirwais was removed from his position as mayor in 1706 and replaced by Alam Shah Afghan. The Georgians were hated throughout
2507-493: A sort of jirga system with two types of councils – simite and sabhā . The simite (summit) comprised elders and tribal chiefs. The king also joined sessions of the simite . Sabhā was a sort of rural council. In present-day India , they are still referred to as Samiti and Sabha . In Afghan society, the jirga is still maintained and favored, mostly by tribal leaders to solve internal or external disputes with other tribes. In some cases it functions like
2616-563: A substantially effect on the lives of women across the Pakistan. Basit Mahmood also criticizes United Kingdom's donor agency Department for International Development for funding of misogyny protecting ADR tribunals. In a January 2019 on petition from National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) judgement Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that, beyond permissible limits of the law to the extent of acting as arbitration, mediation, negotiation or reconciliation forums between parties involved in
2725-433: A week. It formed a new Transitional Administration that took office shortly thereafter. More than 1,000 of the participants were elected in a two-stage procedure. Each district elected 20 members, who then elected one person who would represent the entire district in a secret vote. At least one member was allocated to each of the country's 362 districts, with an additional seat being allocated for every 22,000 people. No one
2834-403: Is a major trading center for sheep, wool , cotton, silk, felt , food grains , fresh and dried fruit . The region produces fine fruits, especially pomegranates and grapes, and the city has plants for canning, drying, and packing fruit, and is a major source of marijuana and hashish . The region around Kandahar is one of the oldest known human settlements. A major fortified city existed at
2943-419: Is considered as an important political area for Afghanistan revelations. Many empires have long fought over the city due to its strategic location along the trade routes of southern , central and western Asia . In 1709, Mirwais Hotak made the region an independent kingdom and turned Kandahar into the capital of the Hotak dynasty . In 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani , founder of the Durrani dynasty , made Kandahar
3052-699: Is credited with founding the modern state of Afghanistan. From 11 to 14 October 2024, the Pashtun National Jirga was held in Khyber to discuss the critical issues faced by the Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The word jirga is cognate to Middle Mongol noun, ǰerge (originally meaning rank and order), referring to a large assembly of men forming a very broad circle, initially intended for laying siege around games or animals to be hunted for food or sport. Pashtun elders also typically sit in
3161-624: Is preserved in the epic poem Qandahār-nāma ("The Campaign Against Qandahār"), a major work of Saib Tabrizi which is a classic of Persian literature. Mirwais Hotak , chief of the Ghilji tribe, revolted in 1709 by killing Gurgin Khan , an ethnic Georgian subject and governor of the Shia Safavid Persians. After establishing the Hotak dynasty in Kandahar, Mirwais and his army successfully defeated subsequent expeditions by Kay Khusraw and Rustam Khán. Mirwais resisted attempts by
3270-510: Is resolved amicably the court will formalize judgement, and if not parties can choose to opt-in further formal judicial administration for their grievances. Basit Mahmood criticizes the bill's provisions allowing the government to appoint "neutrals" to each jirga not being sufficient since the so-called "neutrals", who must approve their verdicts would most likely be consisting of retired judges and religious scholars of conservative nature and that will put principle of neutrality upside down and with
3379-519: The Abdali Afghans of Farah and Kandahar in his military. Nader Shah's forces, among them Ahmad Shah Abdali and his 4,000 Abdali troops, went on to conquer Kandahar in 1738. They besieged and destroyed the last Hotak seat of power, which was held by Hussain Hotak (or Shah Hussain). Nader Shah then built a new town nearby, named " Naderabad " after himself. The Abdalis were then restored to
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3488-695: The Awami National Party (ANP), while the other was hosted on 7 August 2021 in Hashtnagar , Charsadda by Afzal Khamosh of the Mazdoor Kisan Party (MKP). Mahmood Khan Achakzai , Nawab Ayaz Jogezai , Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal , Abdul Qahar Wadan , Obaidullah Babat , Nasrullah Zayrai and Arfa Siddiq of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), Manzoor Pashteen , Mir Kalam and Wranga Loni of
3597-496: The Battle of Kandahar . Kandahar remained peaceful for the next 100 years, except during 1929 when loyalists of Habibullah Kalakani (Bache Saqqaw) placed the fortified city on lock-down and began torturing its population. Nobody was allowed to enter or leave from within the city's tall defensive walls, and as a result of this many people suffered after running out of food supplies. This lasted until October 1929 when Nadir Khan and his Afghan army came to eliminate Kalakani, known as
3706-609: The British Raj refused to comply with the demand of this resolution, in response to which the Khudai Khidmatgars boycotted the 1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum for merging the province into Pakistan. In April 2006, former Balochistan Chief Minister Taj Muhammad Jamali offered to arrange a meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and a loya jirga for peace in Balochistan . A loya jirga
3815-694: The Khudai Khidmatgars , members of the Provincial Assembly, Mirzali Khan (Faqir of Ipi), and other tribal chiefs, just seven weeks before the Partition of India . The loya jirga declared the Bannu Resolution , which demanded that the Pashtuns be given a choice to have an independent state of Pashtunistan composing all Pashtun territories of British India, instead of being made to join either India or Pakistan. However,
3924-559: The Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN), Muhammad Khan Sherani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Chief of Waziristan Gul Alam Wazir , historian Parvesh Shaheen , and numerous other Pashtun, Baloch and Hazara leaders were part of the Bannu Jirga. The resolutions were also endorsed by several Afghan political leaders, including Hamid Karzai , Haneef Atmar and Amrullah Saleh . Some of the most important demands of
4033-683: The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Mohsin Dawar , Latif Afridi , Afrasiab Khattak , Bushra Gohar and Jamila Gilani of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), Khadim Hussain and Maulana Khanzeb of the Awami National Party (ANP), Afzal Khamosh of the Mazdoor Kisan Party (MKP), Farhatullah Babar and Ahmad Kundi of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Sardar Yaqoob Nasar of
4142-675: The Safavid Shah Tahmasp in return of 12,000 soldiers he received from the Shah to reconquer India. In 1595, Humayun 's son Akbar the Great reconquered the city by diplomacy. Akbar died in 1605 and when this news reached the Persian court, Shah Abbas ordered his army to besiege the city which continued until early 1606 and finally failed due to the reinforcements sent by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir that forced
4251-592: The Sikh invaders to what is now Pakistan. Led by Ranjit Singh , the Sikhs had captured several of Afghanistan's territories in the east, including what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir . More than 400 local Kandahar warriors assembled themselves for the jihad. Sayed Din Mohammad Kandharai was appointed as their leader. British war British-led Indian forces from neighbouring British India invaded
4360-585: The 10th-12th centuries, but the origin of the new name is unclear. During this period, nearby Panjway served as the administrative center for the area. However, Kandahar was of much more strategic importance, to the extent that Minhaj-i-Siraj attributes the downfall of the Ghaznavids to the loss of Kandahar. The city's name was changed back to Kandahar by the 13th century, after Ala ad-Din Husayn Jahansuz sacked Lashkari Bazar , near Bost . Again,
4469-399: The 16th century until the early 18th century. At the same time, the native Afghan tribes living in the area were Sunni Muslims . Immediately to the east was the powerful Sunni Mughal Empire , who occasionally fought wars with the powerful Safavids over the territory of southern Afghanistan. The Khanate of Bukhara controlled the area to the north at the same time. By the late 17th century,
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4578-557: The 9th century, Kandahar and other regions ruled by the Zunbils were considered part of the Indian Subcontinent , though it was an Eastern Iranic realm which followed Zurvanism . In the 7th century AD , Arab armies conquered the region but failed to convert the entire population to Islam.The leader of the expedition was Abbad ibn Ziyad , who governed Sijistan between 673 and 681. In AD 870, Yaqub ibn Layth Saffari ,
4687-627: The Afghan police force for the prevention of a Taliban comeback in Kandahar, the militants' "spiritual birthplace" and a strategic key to ward off the Taliban insurgency , as a part of a larger effort that also aimed to deliver services such as electricity and clean drinking water that the Taliban could not provide – encouraging support for the government in a city that was once the Taliban's headquarters. The most significant battle between NATO troops and
4796-582: The Alikozai and Barakzai, refused to give up their lands. Only the Popalzai finally offered him his pick of their lands. The foundations for the city were laid in June, 1761. Once begun, the city was built with grand proportions. It was laid out in the form of a regular rectangle with a circumference of three miles; walls 30 feet thick at the bottom and 15 feet at the top, rose 27 feet high to enclose it. Outside,
4905-741: The Ghaznavid Nasher Khans, Mirwais and his men ambushed Gurgin Khan on April 21 and killed him. They expelled the Georgian garrison from Kandahar and the surviving Georgians fled to Gereshk and waited. When the Safavid court heard of this, they sent Kaikhosro Khan with 12,000 men to recapture Kandahar. He left Isfahan for Qandahar in November 1709, and were aided by members of the Abdali tribe . The army progressed slowly as
5014-737: The Iranian conqueror Nader-Qoli Beg (later Shah ), leading the resurgent Safavid banner, defeated him at the Battle of Damghan of 1729. Ashraf Hotak was banished to what is now southern Afghanistan, confining Hotak rule to a small corner of their former empire. In 1738, Hotak rule ended when Nader Shah defeated Ashraf's successor Hussain Hotak after a lengthy siege of Kandahar . Subsequently, Nader Shah began re-establishing Iranian suzerainty over regions lost decades before to Iran's archrivals—the Ottoman and Russian Empires . The Shi'a Safavids ruled Loy Kandahar as their easternmost territory from
5123-511: The Pashtun National Jirga, 11–14 March 2022, were: Hotak dynasty The Hotak dynasty ( Pashto : د هوتکيانو ټولواکمني Persian : امپراتوری هوتکیان ) was an Afghan monarchy founded by Ghilji Pashtuns that briefly ruled portions of Iran and Afghanistan during the 1720s. It was established in April 1709 by Mirwais Hotak , who led a successful rebellion against the declining Persian Safavid empire in
5232-514: The Pashtun National Jirga, or Bannu Jirga, was held at Mirakhel in Bannu , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to defend the rights of the Pashtuns in the country. The critical issues which were faced by the Pashtuns were discussed during the jirga in a bid to suggest solutions to them. The Bannu Jirga endorsed the declarations of two earlier Pashtun Jirgas, one of which was organized on 10 March 2020 at Bacha Khan Markaz, Peshawar by Asfandyar Wali Khan of
5341-558: The Persian government who were seeking to convert the Afghans from Sunni to the Shia sect of Islam. He died of a natural death in November 1715 and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Aziz , but after being suspected of giving Kandahar's sovereignty back to the Persians he was killed by his nephew Mahmud Hotak . In 1722, Mahmud led an army of Afghans to the Safavid capital Isfahan and proclaimed himself King of Persia. The Hotak dynasty
5450-531: The Safavid retreat. In the Mughal–Safavid War , Kandahar was once again lost to the Safavids. In 1698, Mughals under Samandar Khan of Kalat State captured Kandahar again. Kandahar was regarded as important to the Mughal Empire because it was one of the gateways to India, and Mughal control over Kandahar helped to prevent foreign intrusions. The memory of the wars fought over Kandahar at this time
5559-558: The Safavids started to decline. With the death of Shah Abbas in 1629, succeeding Safavid rulers were less effective and caused the empire to decline. On 29 July 1694, Shah Suleiman died and Sultan Husayn took the throne. Under his reign the problems worsened. Husayn barely left the palace during his reign, not an uncommon aspect of many later Safavid Shahs. Later Safavid rulers were immobile and their courts were riddled with factionalism unlike their more mobile ancestors who spent more time on campaigns and had smaller courts. The government
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#17327717900415668-656: The Tajik bandit from the village of Kalakan in northern Kabul Province. During Zahir Shah 's rule, the city slowly began expanding by adding modern style streets and housing schemes. In the 1960s, during the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, Kandahar International Airport was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers next to the city. The U.S. also completed several other major projects in Kandahar and in other parts of southern Afghanistan. In
5777-556: The Taliban lasted throughout the summer of 2006, culminating in Operation Medusa . The Taliban failed to defeat the Western troops in open warfare, which marked a turn in their tactics towards IED emplacement. In June 2008, it was reported that over 1,000 inmates had escaped from Sarposa prison . In Spring 2010, the province and the city of Kandahar became a target of American operations following Operation Moshtarak in
5886-400: The area. About a month later, the Taliban began surrendering in mass numbers to a private militia that had been formed by Gul Agha Sherzai and Hamid Karzai . Kandahar once again fell into the hands of Sherzai, who had control over the area before the rise of the Taliban. He was transferred in 2003 and replaced by Yousef Pashtun until Asadullah Khalid took the post in 2005. Toryalai Wesa
5995-521: The assassination city of Afghanistan after witnessing many targeted killings. In July Ahmed Wali Karzai , brother of President Hamid Karzai, was shot by his long time head of security. Soon after the Quetta Shura of the Taliban claimed responsibility. The next day an Islamic cleric (mulla) of the famous Red Mosque in the Shahr-e Naw area of the city and a number of other people were killed by
6104-440: The attacks are ordinary Afghan civilians. On 6 June 2012, at least 21 civilians were killed and 50 others injured when two Taliban suicide bombers on motorcycles blew themselves up in a market area near Kandahar International Airport. On 4 May 2020 , a policewoman was assassinated in the centre of Kandahar, making her the fifth policewoman to be killed during the previous two months in Kandahar. No group claimed responsibility for
6213-465: The capital of the Afghan Empire . The modern name of the city derives from the name of the original city built here, Alexandria . This city (often referred to as Alexandria in Arachosia to distinguish it from other Alexandrias ) was founded after the invasion of Alexander the Great in 330 BC. The name "Alexander" in the local Pashto language is rendered as "Iskandar". It is believed that over time this transformed into "Scandar" , and eventually
6322-413: The city in 1839, during the First Anglo-Afghan War , but withdrew in 1842. In November 1855, Dost Mohammad Khan conquered Kandahar. The British and Indian forces returned in 1878 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War . They emerged from the city in July 1880 to confront the forces of Ayub Khan , but were defeated at the Battle of Maiwand . They were again forced to withdraw a few years later, despite winning
6431-432: The city, and fighting in 1993. During this time, banditry, rape, and murder became rampant in Kandahar, creating a demand for a more moral and unified alternative. This led to the rise of the talibs (students), who eventually formed the Taliban movement. By the spring of 1994, the nucleus of the Taliban emirate had begun to take shape, and that year, they launched operations to dismantle warlord militia checkpoints around
6540-442: The city. Government and Soviet troops surrounded the city and subjected it to heavy air bombardment in which many civilians lost their lives. In January 1982 indiscriminate shelling and bombing by the Soviets killed hundreds. 300 civilians were killed during Soviet bombings in July 1984. It was under siege again in April 1986. The city's population was reduced from 200,000 before the war to no more than 25,000 inhabitants, following
6649-471: The city. The talibs gained considerable popularity and legitimacy during this period by defeating these predatory warlords. In August 1994, the Taliban, under Mohammed Omar Mujahid , captured Kandahar from commander Mullah Naqib almost without a fight and turned the city into their headquarters. The capture of Afghanistan's second-largest city marked the Taliban's transformation from a fledgling militia into an Islamic emirate, solidifying their legitimacy as
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#17327717900416758-491: The community. In the recent military operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan's restive southern tribal agencies bordering Afghanistan, jirgas played a key role of moderator between the government and the militants. The tradition of jirga has also been adopted by Muslims in the Kashmir valley of Indian-administered Kashmir . As per 2017 political dispensation in Government, unofficial Jirga and Panchayats are very popular among masses, so formal recognition of
6867-414: The country on Arghandab River , at an elevation of 1,010 m (3,310 ft). It is Afghanistan's second largest city , after Kabul , with a population of about 614,118. It is the capital of Kandahar Province and the centre of the larger cultural region called Loy Kandahar . Kandahar is the founding city and spiritual center of the Taliban . Despite the capital of Afghanistan being Kabul, where
6976-438: The country. The 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army was based at Kandahar and provided military assistance to the south of the country. The Canadian Forces maintained their military command headquarters at Kandahar, heading the Regional Command South of the NATO led International Security Assistance Force in Kandahar Province . The Taliban also had supporters inside the city reporting on events. NATO forces expanded
7085-418: The court was unwilling to help much, and they arrived at Farah in April–May or November 1710. In the summer of 1711 Kaikhosro marched to Kandahar and besieged it. The Ghilzais sued for peace but Kaikhosro refused to accept it, so they kept fighting. The Baluchis frequently harassed the Georgians and forced them to retreat on October 26. The defenders of Kandahar emerged and pursued the Georgians, resulting in
7194-511: The death of Kaikhosro. Another Persian army was sent to Kandahar in 1712 but they never made it there as their commander died in Herat, leaving the Hotaks to their own devices. With this, Mirwais was able to extend his control over the entire province of Kandahar. After his peaceful passing in November 1715 from natural causes, his brother Abdul Aziz succeeded him; the latter was murdered later by Mirwais' son Mahmud after having only ruled for eighteen months. In 1720, Mahmud's Afghan forces crossed
7303-416: The delegates, some of whom instigated a revolt. Resistance against Amanullah's reforms eventually led to the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929) . In June–July 2002 , Hamid Karzai elected to oversee a loya jirga . This was only possible because in the fall of 2001, Karzai was able to successfully lead one of the largest tribes in southern Afghanistan in a revolt against the rule of the Taliban . The loya jirga
7412-423: The deserts of Sistan and captured Kerman . He planned to conquer the Persian capital, Isfahan. After defeating the Persian army at the Battle of Gulnabad on March 8, 1722, he proceeded to besiege Isfahan . The siege lasted about six months and the people of Isfahan were in such a state of hunger that they were forced to eat rats and dogs. On October 23, 1722, Sultan Husayn abdicated and acknowledged Mahmud as
7521-427: The dynasty lived under great turmoil due to bloody succession feuds that made their hold on power tenuous. After the massacre of thousands of civilians in Isfahan – including more than three thousand religious scholars, nobles, and members of the Safavid family – the Hotak dynasty was eventually removed from power in Persia. Ashraf Hotak took over the monarchy following Shah Mahmud's death in 1725. He had to deal with
7630-496: The early 1990s, driven in part by the divide-and-rule tactics of the communist governor-general, Nur ul-Haq Ulumi , who manipulated rival mujahideen factions against each other, and by the rampant greed within both the communist and mujahideen militias. After the Soviet withdrawal and the collapse of Najibullah 's government in 1992, Kandahar fell to local mujahideen commander, Gul Agha Sherzai . However Sherzai lacked authority against other local commanders which led to lawlessness in
7739-460: The empire, Chandragupta Maurya , confronted a Macedonian invasion force led by Seleucus I in 305 BC and following a brief conflict, an agreement was reached as Seleucus ceded Gandhara and Arachosia and areas south of Bagram to the Mauryas. During the 120 years of the Mauryas in southern Afghanistan, Buddhism was introduced and eventually become a major religion alongside Zoroastrianism and local pagan beliefs. Inscriptions made by Emperor Ashoka,
7848-588: The finds from Deh Morasi and Said Qala tie in with those of pre- Indus Valley sites and with those of comparable age on the Iranian Plateau and in Central Asia, indicating cultural contacts during this very early age. British excavations in the 1970s discovered that Kandahar existed as a large fortified city during the early 1st millennium BC; while this earliest period at Kandahar has not been precisely dated via radiocarbon , ceramic comparisons with
7957-462: The foundation for a new town to be built next to the destroyed ancient city, naming it " Naderabad ". His rule ended in June 1747 after being murdered by his Persian guards. Ahmad Shah Durrani, chief of the Durrani tribe, gained control of Kandahar and made it the capital of his new Afghan Empire in October 1747. Initially, Ahmad Shah had trouble finding land on which to build his city. His own tribe had no extensive lands and others who had, such as
8066-517: The general area of Kandahar, with the Ghiljis being pushed back to their former stronghold of Kalat-i Ghilji . This arrangement lasts to the present day. Kandahar Kandahar ( English: / ˈ k æ n d ə h ɑːr / ; Pashto : کندهار , romanized: Kandahār ; Dari : قندهار , romanized: Qandahār ) is a city in Afghanistan , located in the south of
8175-605: The government administration is based, Kandahar is the seat of power in Afghanistan as the supreme leader and his spiritual advisers are based there. Kandahar has therefore been called the de facto capital of Afghanistan , though the Taliban maintain Kabul is the capital. Kandahar is one of the most culturally significant cities of the Pashtuns community and has been their traditional seat of power for more than 300 years. It
8284-457: The governments are committed to CEDAW In January 2018, Basit Mahmood criticized 2017 Pakistan act for Alternative Dispute Resolution saying that it creates scope for a parallel justice system which eventually can undermine states' authority. As per Dilawar Wazir's June 2020 news report in Pakistani news daily Dawn and subsequent editorial, district administration in Pakistan's tribal area
8393-414: The jirga. From Amanullah until the reign of Mohammed Zahir Shah (1933–1973) and Mohammed Daoud Khan (1973–1978) the jirga was recognized as a common meeting of regional Pashtun leaders. The meetings do not have scheduled occurrences, but rather are called for when issues or disputes arise. There is no time limit for a jirga to conclude, and the meetings often take time because decisions can only be made as
8502-431: The killing of the policewomen by the end of the day of the reported event. On 12 August 2021, the Taliban captured Kandahar . After days of brutal clashes with ANA soldiers retreating from the city, the Taliban were finally able to capture the city. It became the twelfth provincial capital to be seized by Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive . On 15 October 2021, four suicide bombers killed dozens at
8611-474: The latest period at the major Bronze Age city of Mundigak have suggested an approximate time-frame of 1000 to 750 BC. This fortified city became an important outpost of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th to 4th centuries BC, and formed part of the province of Arachosia . Foundation of city and Greek invasion The now known " Old Kandahar " was founded in 330 BC by Alexander the Great , near
8720-477: The location being fertile and historically known for producing fine grapes, pomegranates , apricots , melons and other sweet fruits. Ernst Herzfeld claimed Kandahar perpetuated the name of the Indo-Parthian king Gondophares , who re-founded the city under the name Gundopharron. However, modern historians and linguists generally find this derivation implausible. An alternative etymology derives
8829-504: The meantime, Soviet engineers were busy building major infrastructures in other parts of the country, such as Bagram Airfield and Kabul International Airport . During the 1980s, Soviet–Afghan War , Kandahar city (and the province as a whole) witnessed heavy fighting as it became a centre of resistance as the mujahideen forces waged a strong guerrilla warfare against the Soviet-backed government , who tightly held on control of
8938-507: The modern "Kandahar" . The change of the name from "Scandar" to Candar is mentioned by the 16th-century Portuguese historian João de Barros in his most famous work, Décadas da Ásia . A folk etymology offered is that the word "kand" or "qand" in Persian and Pashto (the local languages) is the origin of the word " candy ". The name "Candahar" or "Kandahar" in this form probably translates to candy area. This probably has to do with
9047-1877: The name of the city from Gandhara , the name of an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located between the Kunar River and Abaseen River, centred on the Peshawar Valley . The name Kandahar ( Sanskrit : कंधार ) is believed to be linguistically corrupted form of a word Gandhāra ( Sanskrit : गंधार ), which was used between 2000-1700 BCE. Macedonia 330 BC–312 BC Seleucid Empire 312 BC–304 BC Maurya Empire 304 BC–204 BC Seleucid Empire 204 BC–c. 180 BC Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 180 BC-c. 150 BC Yavana Kingdom c. 150 BC–142 BC Indo-Scythians 142 BC–32 BC Parthian Empire 32 BC–19 CE Indo-Parthian Kingdom 19–36 Kushan Empire 36–230 Sasanian Empire 230–645 Rashidun Caliphate 645–661 Umayyad Caliphate 661–750 [REDACTED] Abbasid Caliphate 750-861 Saffarid dynasty 861–977 Ghaznavid Empire 977–1175 Ghurid dynasty 1175-1207 Khwarazmian Empire 1207–1222 Mongol Empire 1222-1256 [REDACTED] Ilkhanate 1256-1347 Kart dynasty 1347-1382 [REDACTED] Timurid Empire 1382-1507 [REDACTED] Mughal Empire 1507–1649 [REDACTED] Safavid Empire 1649-1711 [REDACTED] Hotak dynasty 1711–1738 [REDACTED] Afsharid Empire 1738–1747 Durrani Empire 1747–1818 [REDACTED] Principality of Kandahar 1818-1839 [REDACTED] United Kingdom ( Company Raj ) 1839-1842 [REDACTED] Principality of Kandahar 1842-1855 [REDACTED] Afghanistan 1855–present Excavations of prehistoric sites by archaeologists such as Louis Dupree and others suggest that
9156-414: The neighbouring Helmand Province . In March 2010, U.S. and NATO commanders released details of plans for the biggest offensive of the war against the Taliban insurgency. In May 2010, Kandahar International Airport became subject of a combined rocket and ground attack by insurgents, following similar attacks on Kabul and Bagram in the preceding weeks. Although this attack did not lead to many casualties on
9265-459: The new Shah of Persia. For the next seven years until 1729, the Hotaks were the de facto rulers of most of Persia, and the southern areas of Afghanistan remained under their control until 1738. The Hotak dynasty was a troubled and violent one from the very start as an internecine conflict made it difficult to establish permanent control. The majority of Persians rejected the leaders as usurpers, and
9374-652: The passengers hostage as part of a demand to release three Pakistani militants from prison in India. In October 2001, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom , the United States Navy began hitting targets inside the city by precision-guided cruise missiles that were fired from the Persian Gulf . These targets were the airport and buildings that were occupied by the Taliban, including Arab families who had arrived several years earlier and were residing in
9483-505: The prestige of a court in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Although a political agent appointed by the national government maintains law and order through the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), the actual power lies in the jirga. The political agent maintains law and order in his tribal region with the help of jirgas. The jirga can award capital punishment , such as stoning to death in case of adultery, or expulsion from
9592-474: The province. They ruled with brutality towards the local population. This would encourage the Ghilzais to revolt against Safavid rule, and Mirwais was involved in one of these revolts. Gurgin Khan found out and sent Mirwais to Isfahan . While there, he saw the weakness of the Safavid court and complained about the brutality of Gurgin Khan. He turned the shah and his court against Gurgin Khan, and then went on
9701-698: The reason for the name change is not clear. Mongols Kandahar was besieged by a Mongol army in 1221, although Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu defeated them. In 1251, upon accession to the Mongol throne, Möngke Khan granted Kandahar, along with other lands in Afghanistan, to Shams ad-Din Mohammad Kart of the Kart dynasty . However, the city is mentioned as being under Chagatai control in 1260–61; Kandahar didn't come under Kart control until 1281. Later, in 1318,
9810-422: The region around Kandahar is one of the oldest known human settlements known so far. Early peasant farming villages came into existence in Afghanistan ca. 5000 B.C., or 7000 years ago. Deh Morasi Ghundai, the first prehistoric site to be excavated in Afghanistan, lies 27 km (17 mi) southwest of Kandahar (Dupree, 1951). Another Bronze Age village mound site with multiroomed mud-brick buildings dating from
9919-554: The region of Loy Kandahar ("Greater Kandahar") in what is now southern Afghanistan. In 1715, Mirwais died of natural causes and his brother Abdul Aziz succeeded him. He did not reign long as he was killed by his nephew Mahmud , who deposed the Safavid Shah and proclaimed his own rule over Iran. Mahmud in turn was succeeded by his cousin Ashraf following a palace coup in 1725. Ashraf also did not retain his throne for long, as
10028-478: The remaining seats, a total of 160 seats were allocated to women. On 14 December 2003 , a 502-delegate loya jirga was convened in Kabul to consider the proposed Afghan Constitution . Originally planned to last ten days, the assembly endorsed the charter by January 4, 2004. Some other historical jirgas in the history of Afghanistan are: On June 21, 1947, in Bannu , a loya jirga was held consisting of Bacha Khan , his brother Chief Minister Dr Khan Sahib ,
10137-584: The same period sits nearby at Said Qala (J. Shaffer, 1970). Second millennium B.C. Bronze Age pottery , copper and bronze horse trappings and stone seals were found in the lowermost levels in the nearby cave called Shamshir Ghar (Dupree, 1950). In the Seistan , southwest of these Kandahar sites, two teams of American archaeologists discovered sites relating to the 2nd millennium B.C. (G. Dales, University Museum, University of Pennsylvania , 1969, 1971; W, Trousdale, Smithsonian Institution , 1971 – 76). Stylistically
10246-401: The same will help make the system more transparent and responsible, while left leaning political dispensations in opposition expressed their apprehension that weaker sections will suffer while feudalism will benefit. The Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2017 of Pakistan makes provision for selection of neutral observing arbitrator from Government approved panel agreed by parties. If a dispute
10355-404: The side of NATO forces, it did show that the militants are still capable of launching multiple, coordinated operations in Afghanistan. In June 2010, a shura was held by Afghan President Hamid Karzai with tribal and religious leaders of the Kandahar region. The meeting highlighted the need for support of NATO-led forces in order to stabilize parts of the province. By 2011, Kandahar became known as
10464-560: The site of Kandahar, probably as early as c. 1000–750 BC, and it became an important outpost of the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire in the 6th century BC. Alexander the Great had laid-out the foundation of what is now Old Kandahar (which is in the southern section of Kandahar city) in the 4th century BC and gave it the Ancient Greek name Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ἀραχωσίας ( Alexandria of Arachosia ). Historically, this province
10573-636: The site of the ancient city of Mundigak (established around 3000 BC era). Mundigak served as the provincial capital of Arachosia and was ruled by the Medes followed by the Achaemenids until the arrival of the Macedonians. The main inhabitants of Arachosia were the Pakhtas , an ancient Indo-Iranian tribe, who might have been among the ancestors of today's Pashtuns . Kandahar was named Alexandria ,
10682-468: The two sides and then he forms a Jirga of community elders, taking care to include the supporters of both sides. The jirga then considers the case and, after it discusses the matter, it comes to a decision about how to handle it, which the mediator then announces. The jirga's conclusion is binding. A loya jirga was gathered by Mirwais Hotak in Shari Safa near Kandahar in 1709. A jirga at Kandahar
10791-742: The walls were ringed by a moat 24 feet wide. Six mammoth gateways pierced these walls: the Eid Gah Gate on the north, the Shikarpur Gate on the south; the Herat and Top Khana Gates on the west; and, the Bar Durrani and Kabul Gates on the east. At its peak, Ahmad Shah's empire included present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Khorasan and Kohistan provinces of Iran, along with Punjab in India. In October 1772, Ahmad Shah retired and died from
10900-584: Was appointed Governor of the province by President Hamid Karzai in December 2008 after Rahmatullah Raufi 's four-month rule. In 2002, Kandahar International Airport started to be used by members of the United States armed forces and NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). NATO began training the newly formed Afghan National Police and provided security responsibility of the city. The military of Afghanistan , backed by NATO forces, gradually expanded its authority and presence throughout most of
11009-401: Was attended by Afghan representatives who appointed Ahmad Shah Durrani as their new leader. In September 1928, a jirga was called by King Amanullah at Paghman near Kabul, the third loya jirga of his reign (1919–1929) to discuss reforms, during which King Amanullah asked Queen Soraya to remove her veil in order to gain support for his modernizing policies. However, this was too much for
11118-510: Was barred from the meeting with the exception of people who were accused of engaging in terrorism , people who were suspected of being involved in the illegal drug trade, people who committed human rights abuses, people who committed war crimes , people who committed pillage, and people who committed theft of public property. Additionally, nomads, refugees, intellectuals, representatives of cultural institutions, representatives of social organizations, and religious scholars were all in attendance. Of
11227-701: Was established eventually between the Greeks and the Mauryas (Indians). The city eventually became part of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (250 BC – 125 BC), and continued that way for two hundred years under the later Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BC – 10 AD). While the Diadochi were warring amongst themselves, the Mauryas were developing in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent . The founder of
11336-432: Was eventually removed from power by a new Persian ruler, Nader Shah . In 1738, Nader Shah invaded Afghanistan and destroyed the now Old Kandahar , which was held by Hussain Hotak and his Ghilji tribes. In the meantime, Nader Shah freed Ahmad Khan (later Ahmad Shah Durrani ) and his brother Zulfikar who were held prisoners by the Hotak ruler. Before leaving southern Afghanistan for Delhi in India, Nader Shah laid out
11445-600: Was held at Kalat in September 2006 to announce that a case would be filed in the International Court of Justice regarding the sovereignty and rights of the Baloch people . The jirga was also used as a court in cases of criminal conduct, but this usage is being replaced by formal courts in some settled areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, elsewhere it is still used as courts in tribal regions. The jirga holds
11554-473: Was organized by the interim administration of Hamid Karzai, with about 1,600 delegates, some of the delegates were selected during elections which were held in various regions of the country, and other delegates were selected by members of various political, cultural, and religious groups. It was held in a large tent on the grounds of the Kabul Polytechnic on June 11 and it was scheduled to last about
11663-719: Was ruled by other Timurid governors. Kandahar was entrusted to the Arghuns in the late 15th century, who eventually achieved independence from the Timurids. Guru Nanak , the founder of Sikhism , is believed to have visited the town (c. 1521 AD) during his important journey between Hindustan and Mecca in Arabia. Mughal and Safavid Era Tamerlane's descendant, Babur , the founder of the Mughal Empire , annexed Kandahar in 1508. In 1554, Babur's son, Humayun , handed it over to
11772-452: Was struggling to see one Ahmadzai Wazir tribe avoids to implement its jirga ruling of raising a parallel armed force ( lashkar ) of around 2,400 people to demolish houses of left-leaning political opponents. To make the tribal jirga to submit to a financial compromise, the district administration had to call in elite security force, and make victim submit to demand of 1 million rupees plus four rams as reparation from victim and his clan. As per
11881-550: Was weak and the army was ineffective. This power vacuum allowed tribal groups like the Turkmen , Baluch , Arabs , Kurds , Dagestanis , and Afghans to constantly raid frontier provinces. In 1704, the Safavid Shah Husayn appointed his Georgian subject and king of Kartli George XI ( Gurgīn Khān ), a convert to Islam , as the governor of Kandahar . In early May 1704, George marched from Kerman and after
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