from the days of Alexander the Great, the region now known as Afghanistan + NWFP of pakistan has never been ruled by an outsider.
I'm not sure "ruled by an outsider" is a very relevant consideration here, since no one is pushing such rule at the moment.
Also the statement really isn't true.
The general point that these people are, and long have been, very hard for outsiders to control is correct, but the literal statement that they have never been ruled by an outsider (or never since Alexander) isn't, at least not if you aren't extremely generous in terms of who you call an "insider".
The Kushan Empire ruled the area for centuries after Alexander. Than the Sassanian's ruled from Iran (even if the control was somewhat tenuous at times), then you had the Hephthalites, then the Göktürks took over a very small part of the region.
en.wikipedia.org
and depending on exactly how you define outsiders, some of the groups mentioned here might apply
en.wikipedia.org
Also for a time the Mongols ruled a big part of Afghanistan.
Later on foreign intervention may have kept Afghanistan from being ruled by outsiders. It could be argued that "The Great Game" kept either Russia or England from establishing control, but I think that argument would be fairly weak, it was mostly the locals who kept outsiders from dominating. A better case might be the Soviet invasion. Rule by a puppet ruler, might arguably not be considered rule by outsiders, but to a large extent it is. Without American, Pakistani, and Arab assistance against the Soviets, the puppet government might have retained power, at least in Kabul and the area around it, and in some other cities, (probably never fully solidified in power, it always would be somewhat unstable and require outside support, but it may not have fallen). |
