Excellent meeting today with some members of the Afghanistan Pashai shura--a kind of Afghan standing assembly. They represent a relatively small ethnic group that is spread across five main areas in the North East (Kapisa, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, and Jalabad). They are an interesting group that split from the Nuristani when they converted to Islam. The Nuristani remained kafir until they were forced to become Muslims about 100 years ago. They are closely related to the Safi Pashtuns and maybe also the Parachi. A related group, the Olesh in Pakistan, remains kafir. Figuring this place out really is like playing three dimensional chess.
