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Panjshir Province

Panjshir (Dari: پنجشیر, literally "Five Lions," pronounced /pand͡ʒʃeːɾ/, also spelled as Panjsher) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country containing the Panjshir Valley. The province is divided into seven districts and contains 512 villages. As of 2021, the population of Panjshir province was about 173,000.

Panjshir
پنجشیر
Province
Clockwise: the Panjshir valley, the Panjshir River, the tomb of Ahmad Shah Massoud, and a Panjshir wind farm
Clockwise: the Panjshir valley, the Panjshir River, the tomb of Ahmad Shah Massoud, and a Panjshir wind farm
Map of Afghanistan with Panjshir highlighted
Map of Afghanistan with Panjshir highlighted
Coordinates: 35°25′39″N 69°44′06″E / 35.42750°N 69.73500°E / 35.42750; 69.73500
Country Afghanistan
CapitalBazarak
Government
 • Governorqari saheb asrar [1]
 • Deputy GovernorQari Asrar[2]
Area
 • Total
3,771 km2 (1,456 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total
172,895
 • Density46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
Postal code
15XX
ISO 3166 codeAF-PAN[4]
Main languagesDari

Panjshir became an independent province from neighboring Parwan Province in 2004. It is bordered by Baghlan and Takhar in the north, Badakhshan and Nuristan in the east, Laghman and Kapisa in the south, and Parwan in the west.

History

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Further information: History of Afghanistan, Panjshir offensives (Soviet–Afghan War), and Panjshir conflict

The territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century. The Parwan region, including the later Panjshir, was conquered by Ahmad Shah Durrani, and officially accepted as a part of the Durrani Empire, by Murad Beg of Bukhara, after a treaty of friendship was signed in or about 1750.[citation needed] The rule of the Durranis was followed by that of the Barakzai dynasty. During the 19th century, the region became part of the Emirate of Afghanistan. Florentia Sale crossed this river during her captivity under Wazir Akbar Khan in 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War but otherwise, the region was largely unaffected by British incursions, during the Anglo-Afghan wars.

Like the rest of Afghanistan, Panjshir became part of the newly established Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926.

 
Afghanistan's first wind farm in Panjshir Province.

In July 1973, troops under the command of General Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrew the Afghan monarchy and established the Republic of Afghanistan. In this coup d'état, General Daoud seized power for himself, effectively proclaiming himself as the first President of Afghanistan. He began making claims over large swathes of Pashtun-dominant territory in Pakistan, causing great anxiety to the government of Pakistan. By 1975, the young Ahmad Shah Massoud and his followers initiated an uprising in Panjshir, but were forced to flee to Peshawar in Pakistan where they received support from Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto is said to have paved the way for the April 1978 Saur Revolution in Kabul by making General Daoud spread the Afghan Armed Forces to the countryside.[5]

Panjshir was attacked multiple times during the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War, against Ahmad Shah Massoud and his forces. The Panjshir region was in rebel control from August 17, 1979, after a regional uprising.[6] Aided by its mountainous terrain,[7] the region was well defended by mujahedeen commanders during the war against the PDPA government and the Soviet Union.

After the collapse of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992, the area became part of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. By the late 1990s, Panjshir and neighboring Badakhshan province served as a staging ground for the Northern Alliance against the Taliban. On September 9, 2001, Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by two al-Qaeda operatives.[8] Two days later the September 2001 attacks occurred in the United States and this led to the start of a major U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

 
Construction of the Panjshir football stadium, 2011

Containing the Panjshir Valley, in April 2004 Panjshir District of Parwan Province was turned into a province under the Karzai administration. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) established several bases in the province. In the meantime, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also established bases, a US-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) began operating in Panjshir in the late 2000s.

Following the Fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021, anti-Taliban forces loyal to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan fled to the Panjshir Province.[9] They formed the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and kept fighting the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in an ongoing conflict. The new resistance forces flew the old flag of the Northern Alliance.[10] The resistance has held the Panjshir Valley and captured districts in neighboring provinces.[11] By early September 2021, Taliban forces managed to push into Panjshir and capture several districts from the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan,[12] before gaining control of Bazarak on 6 September, pushing remaining resistance fighters into the mountains.[13][14][15] However, clashes still remain ongoing between the Taliban and resistance fighters in Panjshir Province.[16][17] A subsequent visit by Radio Télévision Suisse and Journeyman Pictures into Bazarak in October 2021 also revealed that despite claims of NRF inactivity by local Taliban officials, an armed confrontation between the NRF Taliban was in fact occurring in an undisclosed location in the mountains surrounding Bazarak, with resistance forces gaining the upper hand, thus confirming that the NRF remains still active near Bazarak and in Panjshir Province.[18] Although the NRF continues to carry out attacks, it does not control any territory in the province.[19]

Healthcare

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Further information: Health in Afghanistan

The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 16% in 2005, to 17% in 2011.[20]

23% of births in 2011 were attended to by a skilled birth attendant.[20]

Education

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Further information: Education in Afghanistan

The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 33% in 2005 to 32% in 2011.[20] The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) fell from 42% in 2005 to 40% in 2011.[20] Four Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools service the agriculturally-oriented Panjshir Province, including the Ahmad Shah Massoud TVET. The school was established with the help from the Hilfe Paderborn and German Foreign Office and as of 2014 had about 250 students and 22 staff members.[citation needed]

Demography

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Further information: Demography of Afghanistan
 
Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan

As of 2021, the total population of the province is about 173,000.[3]

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Tajiks form the majority of the population.[21] There is a Sunni Hazara minority in the province, who form the majority in Darah district.[22]

Persian is the dominant language in the province. All inhabitants are followers of Islam, and exclusively Sunni.

The proportion of residents living below the national poverty line was 19.1%.[23]

Population by districts

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Districts of Panjshir Province
District Capital Population[3] Area
in km2 		Pop.
density 		Ethnicites and Number of villages
Anaba 20,328 186 109 Predominantly Tajik, few Ormuri. 31 villages.[24]
Bazarak Bazarak 21,257 394 54 100% Tajik. 29 villages.[25]
Darah 15,677 192 82 Predominantly Hazara, few Pashai. 134 villages.[26]
Khenj 45,172 689 66 100% Tajik. 154 villages.[27]
Paryan 16,740 1,428 12 100% Tajik. 67 villages.[28]
Rokha 25,908 113 230 Predominantly Tajik, few Pashai. 72 villages.[29]
Shotul 12,356 225 55 100% Tajik. 23 villages.[30]
Panjshir 169,926 3,772 45 90.4% Tajiks, 9.2% Hazaras, 0.4% Pashayi, 0.1% Ormuri).[note 1]
  1. ^ Note: "Predominantely" or "dominated" is interpreted as 99%, "majority" as 70%, "mixed" as 1/(number of ethnicities), "minority" as 30% and "few" or "some" as 1%.

Places of interest

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  • The tomb of Ahmad Shah Massoud, is located in Saricha, Bazarak, Panjshir.
  • The Football Stadium in Panjshir Valley, next to the Panjshir River.
  • Famous Mountains of Panjshir for Hiking Includes:Panjshir Mountains
  • Kuh-e Mir Samir 5 768 m (prom: 1 204 m)
  • Band-e Ghār 5 387 m (prom: 465 m)
  • Kōh-e Maldaygmay 5 340 m (prom: 690 m)
  • Mungashayr 5 222 m (prom: 254 m)
  • Kōh-e Wār 5 141 m (prom: 131 m)
  • Shāhāk 5 110 m (prom: 1 471 m)
  • Nāw-e Kalān 5 064 m (prom: 130 m)
  • Siyāh Khār Now 5 059 m (prom: 863 m)
  • Ghowch 5 012 m (prom: 129 m)
  • Kōtal-e Zard 4 996 m (prom: 260 m)

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "UN Official Visits Panjshir Province & Meets Taliban's Governor". Afghanistan International. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  2. ^ "د پنجشير ولايت اړمنو خلکو او داخلي بې ځايه شويو سره د مرستو او ستونزو د حل په موخه د کډوالو او راستنېدونکو چارو وزارت په مشرۍ يو ګډ پلاوي دی ولايت ته سفر وکړ | د مهاجرینو او راستنېدونکو چارو وزارت". morr.gov.af. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22" (PDF). National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. ^ "AF - Afghanistan". ISO Online Browsing Platform. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  5. ^ Bowersox, Gary W. (2004). The Gem Hunter: The Adventures of an American in Afghanistan. United States: GeoVision, Inc. p. 100. ISBN 0-9747-3231-1. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2010. To launch this plan, Bhutto recruited and trained a group of Afghans in the Bala-Hesar of Peshawar, in Pakistan's North-west Frontier Province. Among these young men were Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and other members of Jawanan-e Musulman. It served Massoud's interests, which were apparently opposition to the Soviets. Later, after Massoud and Hekmatyar had a terrible falling-out over Massoud's opposition to terrorist tactics and methods, Massoud overthrew from Jawanan-e Musulman. He joined Rabani's newly created Afghan political party, Jamiat-i-Islami, in exile in Pakistan.
  6. ^ Halim Tanwir, Dr. M. (February 2013). AFGHANISTAN: History, Diplomacy and Journalism Volume 1. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781479760909. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Operations". Northern Alliance: Fighting for a Free Afghanistan. Friends of the Northern Alliance. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  8. ^ "The Spy Who Quit". PBS - Frontline. 17 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  9. ^ "The Panjshir Valley: what is the main bastion of resistance against the Taliban advance in Afghanistan". marketresearchtelecast.com. 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  10. ^ "'Northern Alliance' flag hoisted in Panjshir in first resistance against Taliban". Hindustan Times. 17 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Anti-Taliban fighters take back three districts as resistance builds up in Panjshir Valley, but experts cast doubts". www.firstpost.com. 21 August 2021. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  12. ^ Valley, Anthony Loyd. "Taliban on verge of crushing last stronghold of resistance in Panjshir Valley". The Times.
  13. ^ Robertson, Nic; Kohzad, Nilly; Lister, Tim; Regan, Helen (6 September 2021). "Taliban claims victory in Panjshir, but resistance forces say they still control strategic position in the valley". CNN. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  14. ^ Pannett, Rachel (6 September 2021). "Panjshir Valley, last resistance holdout in Afghanistan, falls to the Taliban". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  15. ^ Kazmin, Amy; Findlay, Stephanie; Bokhari, Farhan (6 September 2021). "Taliban says it has captured last Afghan region of resistance". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  16. ^ "Clashes between Taliban, resistance forces reported in Afghanistan's Panjshir Province". TASS. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Afghan security forces seize weapons from Panjshir province: State media". Business Standard. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  18. ^ hazco.co.uk (25 October 2021). "Afghanistan: Resisting the Taliban". www.journeyman.tv. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  19. ^ Dawi, Akmal (20 December 2022). "Frustrated with the Taliban, US Officials Meet Anti-Taliban Figures". Voice of America. Retrieved 30 December 2022. The NRF has executed hit-and-run attacks against the Taliban in some parts of Afghanistan but has not been able to hold territory.
  20. ^ a b c d Archive, Civil Military Fusion Centre, "PANJSHIR PROVINCE". Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Panjshir Province". Understanding War. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  22. ^ Dorronsoro, Gilles (2 March 2005). Revolution Unending: Afghanistan, 1979 to the Present. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-51024-0.
  23. ^ Giustozzi, Antonio (August 2012). Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field. Hurst. ISBN 9781849042260.
  24. ^ "mrrd-nabdp.org" (PDF). www.mrrd-nabdp.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. ^ "mrrd-nabdp.org" (PDF). www.mrrd-nabdp.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  26. ^ "mrrd-nabdp.org" (PDF). www.mrrd-nabdp.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ^ "Khenj District (Re-elected)" (PDF). Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  28. ^ "mrrd-nabdp.org" (PDF). www.mrrd-nabdp.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  29. ^ "mrrd-nabdp.org" (PDF). www.mrrd-nabdp.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ "mrrd-nabdp.org" (PDF). www.mrrd-nabdp.org. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ "گفت و گو با فرزند احمدشاه مسعود؛ "عملیات ما برای ادبیات‌مان است"". 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
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