The Mujahidin At Chamarkand(Volume 3)
By Gulzar Ali

This book series makes an important contribution to the study of Islamically inspired militant activism in the Pashtun Borderland from 1820s to 1940s. The editor is to be congratulated for identifying emerging academic talent among his students and supporting them in the early stages of their academic careers by providing broader exposure to their work. The contributions in this series offer a timely counter-narrative to the tendency of attributing current militancy in the Borderland solely to external actors, by uncovering historically rooted militant sentiments within certain segments of Borderland society. Gulzar Ali, in particular, brings to light hitherto unstudied primary sources that significantly enhance our understanding of religio-political activism in the Frontier region of British India after 1900. This book compellingly demonstrates the impressive calibre of scholarship emanating from public universities in Pakistan. It is to be hoped that both the book and its author will receive the recognition they deserve. — Dr. Jan-Peter HartungResearch Associate, FAU Research Centre Islam and Law in Europe (FAU EZIRE) and author of The Pashtun Borderland: A Religious and Cultural History of the TalibanThe book offers a groundbreaking contribution to the historical understanding of religious mobilisation in the region. This richly documented volume sheds new light on the lesser-known yet crucial later phase of the Mujahidin movement, situating it within both local dynamics and wider geopolitical currents. By foregrounding indigenous voices and drawing on vernacular sources, it challenges reductive colonial and statist narratives. The study unearths internal contestations, transregional alliances, and the intellectual currents that shaped the movement’s trajectory.