Laghman Province

Laghman ( _fa. لغمان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern portion of Afghanistan, the capital is Mihtarlam. The province is composed of several districts including: Alingar, Alishing, Dawlat Shah, Mihtarlam, and Qarghayi.

History

During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was formerly known as Lampaka. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0041-977X(1949)13%3A1%3C80%3ATAIOAF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-B] In the seventh century, the famous Chinese traveller Xuan Zang, visited the area and reported that "very few" of the inhabitants of Laghman followed Buddhism, [On Yuan Chwang's Travels, Watters, pg. 181] while some followed Hinduism. [The Afghans, Vogelsang, pg. 172-173]

After the introduction of Islam into the region, the Ghaznavids, led by Abu Mansur Sebük Tigin, won one of their greatest battles in Laghman against the Hindu Shahis whose ruler, Jayapala, had amassed an army for the battle that numbered 100,000. ["The History of India: The Hindu and Mahometan Periods", Mountstuart Elphinstone, pg 321] Later, during the Mughal era, Laghman was recognized as a dependent district of Kabul province. [ The Garden of Eight Paradises: Babur and the Culture of Central Asia, Afghanistan]

Located currently at the Kabul Museum, are Aramaic inscriptions that were found in Laghman which indicated an ancient trade route from India to Palmyra. [ [http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0001/000155/015575eo.pdf Cultural policy in Afghanistan; Studies and documents on cultural policies; 1975 ] ] Aramaic was the bureacratic script language of the Achaemenids whose influence had extended toward Laghman. [ [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v2f7/v2f7a094.html ˆOKA, Mauryan emperor of India (ca ] ]

During the Soviet-Afghan war and the battles that followed between the rivaling warlords, many homes and business establishments in the province were destroyed. In addition, the Soviets employed a "barbarism" strategy that targeted and destroyed the agricultural infrastructure of Laghman. [ How the Weak Win Wars: A Theory of Asymmetric Conflict, Arreguin-Toft, pg. 186]

As of 2007, there is a ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Team based at Mehtar Lam which is led by the US.

Politics and Recent Events

The governor of Laghman was Shah Mahmood Safi, until he was replaced by Gulab Mangal. The Taliban narrowly missed killing Mangal in a bomb attack in late 2006 [http://pajhwok.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=25969] . Gulab Mangal was replaced as governor by Lutfullah Mashal in March, 2008.

On June 20, 2005, three Pakistanis were arrested in Laghman for plotting to kill the U.S. Ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad while he was visiting the province for reconstruction efforts. The three men were found with various armaments. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4111578.stm]

In February of 2006, demonstrations were held in Mihtarlam District against the editors of a Danish newspaper who published caricatures depicting Muhammad. Laghman was the first area of Afghanistan to protest the cartoons. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/05/news/web.0205toon.afg.php Thousands of Afghans protest caricatures of the Prophet - International Herald Tribune ] ]

On April 20, 2007, coalition forces killed Gul Haqparast, a top Taliban commander in Laghman who had strong ties with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Governor Gulab Mangal stated that Haqparast's death was "very good for the people of Laghman and for progress in our province." [ [http://www.blackanthem.com/News/Allies_20/Northeastern_militant_killed_in_Coalition_air_strike6171.shtml Northeastern militant killed in Coalition air strike ] ]

On April 24, 2007, six Afghan intelligence officers were killed after a roadside bomb destroyed their vehicle in Laghman. It was also reported that one of the intelligence officers was beheaded. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267866,00.html FOXNews.com - Afghan Intelligence Officer Abducted, Beheaded - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News ] ]

Economy

The Alingar and Alinshing rivers pass through Laghman, as the province is known for its lushness. Laghman has sizable amounts of irrigated land as one can find scores of fruits and vegetables from Laghman in Kabul, notably cucumbers. Other main crops in Laghman include rice, wheat and cotton as many people living in the area are involved in agricultural trade and business.

Laghman also has an array of precious stones and minerals, [ [http://www.palagems.com/afghanistan_bariand.htm Pegmatites of Laghman, Nuristan, Afghanistan ] ] as it is well known for being a relatively untapped source of the Tourmaline and Spodumene gemstones which are reported to be in abundance at the northern portions of the province. [Gemstones of Afghanistan, Chamberline, pg. 146]

Demographics

Laghman reflects a mosaic minority. Different people like Pashtuns, Pashais and Tajiks are native here. There are other groups as well, including the Nuristanis who are distantly related to the Pashais. [http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/eastern/laghman/alishing.pdf]

In her book, State and Tribe in Nineteenth Century Afghanistan Christine Noelle writes:cquote|The southern portion of the Laghman valley was inhabited by Pashtuns and Tajiks, the Pashtuns holding villages on both sides of the Kabul river, whereas the Tajiks were concentrated in the villages of Char Bagh, Haidar Khani, Mandrawar, and Tighari. [State and Tribe in Nineteenth Cwentury Afghanistan, Noelle page 199]

Noelle also specifies that Laghman was once dominated by Tajiks, [State and Tribe in Nineteenth Century Afghanistan, Noelle page 161] however during the 19th and 20th century, larger nomad migrations of the Ghilzai Pashtuns into the region increased the diversity of Laghman.

As with the case in many other parts of Afghanistan, the people of Laghman are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim with fluency in Pashto and Persian being quite common.

Districts

*Alingar District
*Alishing District
*Dawlat Shah District
*Mihtarlam District
*Qarghayi District

Notable people

*Abdul Zahir - former Prime Minister of Afghanistan
*Ahmad Zahir - famous musician/singer
*Zalmay Hewadmal - author and political and cultural adviser to Hamid Karzai
*Zalmay Khalilzad - famous Afghan-American who has roots in Laghman.
*Mohammad Hanif Atmar - education minister of Afghanistan and an Afghan Mellati member

References

ee also

*Kakazai
*Provincial Reconstruction Team