History of Peshawar

kistani politics and the nation's bureaucracy, culminating in Ayub Khan, a Pashtun, being installed as the presidential leader of Pakistan. The largest nationalist part of the time, the Awami National Party (ANP), launched a secessionist agenda and openly embraced the Pakistani state, leaving only the small and relatively insignificant Pakhtunkhwa Millat Party to champion the cause of independence in relation to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Despite the weaknesses of the early secessionist movement, this period in history continues to negatively influence Pakistani-Afghan relations in the 21st century, in addition to the province's politics.

Until the mid-1950s, Peshawar was enclosed within a city wall and sixteen gates. Of the old city gates, the most famous was the "Kabuli Gate", and in January 2012, an announcement was made by Siraj Ahmed Khan, the Peshawar District Coordination Officer at the time: “In due course of time, all the gates around the old city will be restored.” — Imran Rasheed, an author who has written extensively on the history of Peshawar has explained:

Old Peshawar was divided into three separate walled communities, Gunj, Dhaki Nalbandi and Sard Chah quarters. Under the Sikhs, the Italian mercenary governor of Peshawar, General Paolo Avitabile, popularly known as Abu Tabela, demolished the walls around these quarters and built a single wall around the old city.

Peshawar's size or capacity has not grown in direct proportion to the city's population and pollution and overcrowding have negatively impacted upon the city in modern times. In addition to the increase in population, the high number of Afghan transportation vehicles that pass through the city have contributed to the degradation of the city's air quality:

Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, smoke, dust, hydrocarbons and tetra ethyl lead are the main components of vehicular emissions poured into the urban air. Fuel