How common is feudalism/zamindari in Afghanistan?

[Sarbani]

Its common in the Pakistani governed Pashtun regions, at least in the Peshawar Valley and Swat Valley. What about in Afghanistan (especially the Pashtun regions)?

[khushal]

Only in the big valleys.

[Sarbani]

Only in the big valleys.

Could you be more specific? Is it something that exists throughout the whole country or just in areas close to the KPK border or what?

[Samandri]

Could you be more specific? Is it something that exists throughout the whole country or just in areas close to the KPK border or what?

Khushal cant give you a meaningful and useful answer. He has never been to Afghanistan. He is raised in America and whatever appears to be his understanding of Pakhtun belt of Afgh-Pak, is constituted by hearsay, conjectures and guesswork. Members here from America, Canada, UK etc wont be helpful in regard to your query. Either they have never been to Afghanistan, or they have been but their experiences are tours of tourists spanning few days or few weeks. Even those tours, were to cities of Afghanistan, not their ancestral villages. And even tours of ancestral villages do not amount to any thing deep. I have been to some parts of Punjab during my Tablighi tours and but my understanding of those regions is superficial and scarce like any other tourist. Pashtuns living in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad also have scarce information about their own ancestral lands like those in abroad even though they be speaking fine Pashto. A while ago a Wazir living in Lahore, a PTM activist, was taken aback when i stated on facebook that many Wazirs have still retained the nomadic Kochi elements and move down to warmer plain areas during winter. He refused to believe it and said i must be confusing Wazirs with Pawandahs (Kochis) of Afghanistan. I had to tag proper Wazirs living Waziristan and they convinced him that it is indeed the case. On this very PF, members (including Admin Khan) did not know that Pashtun society is stratified and not every Pashto speaking is considered a Pashtun in our society.

Only some one actually living in Afghanistan (born and raised there) can be helpful regarding your query, but only about his own region, not entirety of Afghanistan. You can find plenty of such people on facebook. Or the books authored by such people on this matter, will be helpful .

[khushal]

Khushal cant give you a meaningful and useful answer. He has never been to Afghanistan. He is raised in America and whatever appears to be his understanding of Pakhtun belt of Afgh-Pak, is constituted by hearsay, conjectures and guesswork. Members here from America, Canada, UK etc wont be helpful in regard to your query. Either they have never been to Afghanistan, or they have been but their experiences are tours of tourists spanning few days or few weeks. Even those tours, were to cities of Afghanistan, not their ancestral villages. And even tours of ancestral villages do not amount to any thing deep. I have been to some parts of Punjab during my Tablighi tours and but my understanding of those regions is superficial and scarce like any other tourist. Pashtuns living in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad also have scarce information about their own ancestral lands like those in abroad even though they be speaking fine Pashto. A while ago a Wazir living in Lahore, a PTM activist, was taken aback when i stated on facebook that many Wazirs have still retained the nomadic Kochi elements and move down to warmer plain areas during winter. He refused to believe it and said i must be confusing Wazirs with Pawandahs (Kochis) of Afghanistan. I had to tag proper Wazirs living Waziristan and they convinced him that it is indeed the case. On this very PF, members (including Admin Khan) did not know that Pashtun society is stratified and not every Pashto speaking is considered a Pashtun in our society.

Only some one actually living in Afghanistan (born and raised there) can be helpful regarding your query, but only about his own region, not entirety of Afghanistan. You can find plenty of such people on facebook. Or the books authored by such people on this matter, will be helpful .

The reason is you dont know how to explain things because your busy laughing at poor people with your low self esteem trying hard to make yourself feel better about your baighyrat self.

Wazir dont have nomadic Kuchi elements. People go down to warmer climates because its more comfortable there. Kuchis movements consist of large caravans with their whole livestock and belongings because they are landless while Wazir go down with very little belongings and not all move down south. Thats like saying Northern Americans go down to Southern States in the winter time because they are nomadic. Your stupid analysis is laughable and exposes how uneducated you are like most paki army people who dance like donkeys.

Also feudal structures are the same throughout the World since human societies evolve into feudal structures by similar factors. We don't need to go anywhere to know this. Feudal societies evolve in large agricultural landscapes with individuals/clans monopolizing land assets. Next on the evolutionary ladder is industrialization where individuals/groups monopolize industries/assets. India is industrializing while Your Paki Army(who your family is apart of) is keeping the society in dark ages just so your lazy lifestyle can be supported. The Paki people might wake up one day and hang your kind from the street poles for stealing their haq.

[khushal]

Could you be more specific? Is it something that exists throughout the whole country or just in areas close to the KPK border or what?

I know it exists in Khost, Jalalabad and Kandahar/Helmand area. It has nothing to do with border area. Its where there is large agricultural lands and then people compete to grab as much land as possible for themselves and try to enslave the landless.

[Firdousi]

Feudalism has been the main social and economic order in Central Asia for almost 2000 years. It became very widespread under the Sassanian rule with the raise of the "dihqan" social class that still to this day exist in most of northern and western Afghanistan.

Zamindaari suffered several setbacks during the Commie and now the Capitalist systems. My own padar bozorg had huge lands and peasants used to work them in return for a salary. Of course, people like my grand father were highly respected by the workers. But the commies tried hard to end this system by seizing lands from zamindaars. Actually one of the worst labels Commies used was "feudali" or "khan sahiba". Those who were born in Communist Kabul like myself know what I am talking about.

Although Commies tried their best to eradicate this system they pretty much failed. Its now under pseudodemocracy that Feudalism has died. People dont believe in the ancient order anymore. Egalitarianism has destroyed it. Also nowadays real estate business in Afghanis sky rocketed for many years so people chose to sell their lands or build buildings instead of "wasting" it for people to work them. Capitalism killed feudalism.

EDIT I am talking about Persianspeaker provinces of Afghanistan. Most of our provinces used to work like this. I have never been to eastern Afghanistan but I believe the system is way different over there. From my own experience I believe southern provinces are like this too. Kandahar is pretty much like Herat or Mazar. Kandaharis and Mazaris might speak different languages but their societies are the same. I believe geography and climate play a more important role in peoples behavior than culture. Thats why Kandahar´s society is organized like Herat´s and not like Paktia´s.