By Ajmal
A hundred and seven years have passed since Afghanistan, this ancient land, broke the chains of colonial rule after nearly a century of tireless struggle and secured its place on the world map as an independent country.
The 28th of Asad, 1298 HS, is more than a historic date on this nation’s calendar. It carries the memory of the freedom that runs through the veins of its people, renewed each year as this day returns. It reminds us that the honor and dignity of a nation cannot be bought at any price. And if freedom has a price, the people of this land have paid it through sacrifice and selflessness.
Afghanistan’s history has never been a quiet one. Its geographical position has repeatedly placed it at the center of great powers’ attention, while the harsh and defiant nature of its land, together with the courage and love of freedom of its people, has kept it from bowing before foreign domination or humiliation. Great armies have entered this country more than once, leaving behind bloody wars and heavy losses. Yet against every invasion, its brave sons have stood firm like mountains, forcing the invaders to retreat, battered and hopeless.
The 28th of Asad came as the result of that long struggle and historic resistance. It stands as a reminder of those decisive battles, each of which taught the world a great lesson: Afghanistan can never be easily brought under foreign rule.
Afghanistan’s first direct war with the British began in 1839. The British colonizers had looked toward Afghan soil with covetous eyes, convinced that the most advanced military equipment in the world would let them conquer this land with ease. But what they found in Afghanistan was not a regular army. It was the storm of a whole people, a people in which every man had turned himself into a trench for the defense of his homeland.
Amir Dost Mohammad Khan stood at the head of this great uprising. With courage and cunning, he managed to trap British forces among Afghanistan’s harsh and near-impassable mountains and strike heavy blows against them. What left Britain astonished after the war was not simply the fighting itself, but the spirit behind it, a spirit of resistance alive equally in Afghan children and adults, giving them the strength to stand against any power.
The second war came between 1878 and 1880. The British had not forgotten the defeat they suffered in the first war. This time they entered Afghanistan with more carefully prepared plans and by exploiting internal divisions. But they again failed to understand one important reality: this land, despite all its internal differences, still closed ranks against outsiders. Amir Abdur Rahman Khan brought the tribes together and drew on national feeling and popular courage. Once again the colonizers’ schemes came to nothing, and the British had no choice but to retreat.
The third and most important direct war began in May 1919, when Afghanistan’s struggle for independence reached its highest point of all. King Amanullah Khan drew strength from the faith and determination of his people and raised the banner of jihad.
Afghan fighters stood before British cannons and machine guns with faith and courage, and dealt such heavy blows to the forces of the British Empire that more than 2,000 British soldiers were killed, while Britain’s financial losses were estimated at around £16 million.
Then, on the 28th of Asad that same year, the skies of Afghanistan rang with the call of independence, and King Amanullah Khan declared the country’s complete independence. The British, by then fully aware of what kind of nation they were dealing with, were forced under the Treaty of Rawalpindi to recognize Afghanistan’s independence.
But independence did not mean the difficulties were over. Britain was not prepared to give up its interests in the region so easily. It responded with heavy economic pressure on Afghanistan and placed the country under sanctions.
Once again, it was the Afghan people who bore the hardship. They endured hunger and countless difficulties rather than give up the freedom they had fought for, standing proudly beside their government to guard the independence handed down to them as a precious inheritance. This spirit showed that the Afghan people will pay any price for their survival and their honor, but will never let go of their freedom.
Today, as we mark the 107th anniversary of this great historic victory, we must look at the meaning of independence with a deeper and more responsible eye.
Independence is not merely a historical identity. It is a lasting mission that places a heavy responsibility on the shoulders of today’s generation. We are the heirs of the martyrs whose blood and sacrifice handed us this precious inheritance. Our duty is to safeguard this trust by strengthening national unity, rebuilding what has been destroyed in this country, achieving economic self-reliance, and working toward social progress.
Independence, then, is not simply a day remembered once a year. Independence is a lasting responsibility. It is won through sacrifice, preserved through unity, and handed down to future generations through reconstruction, progress, and national honor.
