Kingdom of Afghanistan and the War for the Indus (1945–1946)

"For Islam, for the Mountains, for the Sea."

In the aftermath of the Axis victory in Europe, the Kingdom of Afghanistan, long an isolated mountain monarchy, emerged with growing ambitions under the reign of King Mohammed Zahir Shah. Emboldened by ideological currents of pan-Islamism, nationalism, and a hunger for strategic expansion, Afghanistan launched an unexpected military campaign in late 1945 against the Republic of India — a fragile, post-colonial state born from the crumbling British Raj.

Causes of the Conflict

• The Republic of India was wracked by internal division, ethnic tensions, and weak central governance.
• The Muslim regions of West Punjab and Sindh, alienated from the secular Indian leadership, had begun agitating for independence.
• Afghanistan saw an opportunity: to liberate fellow Muslims, gain a long-sought access to the Arabian Sea, and solidify its role in the Islamic world.
• Backed discreetly by Nazi Germany, which supplied arms, advisors, and Luftwaffe trainers through Iran, the Afghan army modernized rapidly in 1944–45, forming a professional officer corps and mechanized units.

The Afghan Invasion (January–March 1946)

In January 1946, Afghan forces crossed the border into Indian Punjab under the banner of "Free Pakistan", accompanied by tribal auxiliaries and armored columns.

• Cities such as Multan, Bahawalpur, and Quetta fell swiftly as Indian military resistance collapsed under the pressure of civil unrest and mutinies by Muslim soldiers.
• The Afghan Air Corps, supported by German aircraft, launched strikes on Indian infrastructure, further paralyzing the Republic's ability to respond.
• By March, Afghan troops had reached the Indus River and continued southward, occupying Karachi with support from local Muslim militias and rebel officers.

Creation of the Islamic Federation of Pakistan

Following the collapse of Indian authority in the west, the "Islamic Federation of Pakistan" was declared in April 1946 as a client state under Afghan protection.

• Afghanistan annexed the Northwest Frontier Province, Balochistan, and secured a corridor to the Arabian Sea, establishing its first modern port at Gwadar.
• The new Pakistani state, while nominally independent, remained politically and militarily subordinate to Kabul.

Aftermath and Consequences

• The war established Afghanistan as a regional power and a junior Axis-aligned partner in South Asia.
• The victory gave the Kingdom newfound prestige in the Muslim world, especially among Central Asian states and dissidents in India.
• The Republic of India, humiliated and territorially reduced, descended into a period of martial law and ethnic violence, eventually splintering into several regional military zones.

Legacy

The Afghan-Pakistani War of 1945–46 is remembered as one of the first major post-colonial conflicts in Asia and a clear example of Axis strategy extending beyond Europe. It created a militarized, authoritarian Afghanistan, whose monarchy now presided over a diverse, divided, but geopolitically crucial realm stretching from the Hindu Kush to the Indian Ocean.