Peace of Rawalpindi
The Peace of Rawalpindi was signed between Afghanistan and Great Britain on August 8, 1919, ending the Third Afghan-Afghan War (1919). The peace treaty restored national sovereignty to Afghanistan.
Historical development
As a result of the events of 1893, an extremely anti-British mood had already developed among the Afghan people. This year Britain had imposed the Durand Line on Afghanistan as the new state border that incorporated the southern part of Afghanistan's British India . In addition, during the First World War, both Germans and Turks urged the Afghans to give up their political neutrality. Young Afghans in particular called for jihad in favor of the Islamic side. Habibullah Khan (1872-1919) was ruler of Afghanistan between 1901 and 1919. However, he retained the neutrality of his country.
Both events met with great resentment in Afghanistan and fueled anti-British sentiment. In response, an attack on Habibullah was perpetrated during a procession on Independence Day in 1918, but he escaped it. A few months later, on February 20, 1919, he was murdered on a hunting trip.
His son Amanullah Khan (1892-1960), who succeeded him to the throne on February 27, 1919, represented a different policy: He pursued the revision of the Gandamak Treaty and thus the break of British influence on his country. After a few months, tensions escalated between the two sides: After Afghan units in the border area of British India had invaded, Britain said on May 6, 1919 Afghanistan the war . Since neither of the two sides was able to prevail decisively, a peace treaty was signed in Rawalpindi on August 8th . In it, Great Britain recognized the full state sovereignty of Afghanistan. In return, Afghanistan accepted the Durand Line and thus the loss of former parts of the country to British India.