The book covers a variety of topics about the Frontier (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and its people. It outlines the geography of the province. The three major theories about the origin of the Pukhtuns are recounted and the Pukhtun code of life, Pukhtu, is described. The author discusses the area’s occupation by the British in 1849 and examines the Durand Line Agreement (1893), along with its pros and cons. From the uprising against the British in the tribal belt in 1897, the book moves to the formation of the province in 1901 and covers the related constitutional developments. The role of the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement, the Muslim League in the province, and the 1947 referendum are discussed. The political career of Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the educational services of Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum are described. The administrative apparatus that prevails in the tribal areas is analysed.
These various themes and issues are placed in their geo-political, strategic, and historical contexts to enable the reader to gain the kind of overview that might have required the reading of a number of separate books. Each topic discussed in the book has been fully researched and the commentary is knowledgeable and learned. The scholarship is exceptional, and the author is regarded as one of the top scholars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.