The legacy of India’s forgotten Afghans: How horse traders and mercenaries built a subcontinent

Explore the 500-year history of Afghan influence in India, from the horse-trading Lodi Dynasty to the administrative genius of Sher Shah Suri.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 5, 2026, 7:16 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Anirudh Kanisetti

Historical context of modern convulsions

The recent exchange of fire and aerial strikes between Pakistan and Afghanistan are not merely the result of contemporary geopolitical rivalries; they are the symptoms of a severed historical artery. For over five hundred years, the relationship between Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent was defined by a mobile, literate, and commercially connected population. Decades of war and rigid border-making have hollowed out these ancient networks, leaving the insular ideology of the Taliban as the primary remnant of a once vibrant and integrated regional system.

Afghans in the medieval military market

In the late 1300s, as the Delhi Sultanate fragmented, a thriving military labor market emerged. The northwestern node of this market was centered on the Roh Plateau, a highland region straddling present-day eastern Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. Pashtuns from this region, referred to as "Afghans," entered India as elite horse traders. Because high-quality horses were not bred in the subcontinent, these traders held significant leverage. Over time, this literal horse-trading evolved into political influence, as Afghan mercenaries utilized their mobility to become essential kingmakers in Indian politics.

The Lodi Dynasty and tribal egalitarianism

By the 15th century, the Lodis—an Afghan clan that had migrated to Punjab—seized the throne of Delhi, establishing the city’s final pre-Mughal dynasty. However, the founder, Bahlul Lodi, maintained a tribal ethos that initially hindered centralization. He famously viewed himself as "first among equals," often refusing to sit on his throne before his Afghan nobles. This egalitarian approach allowed great chieftains to retain their own men and revenues, resulting in a state that functioned more as a loose confederation than a centralized monarchy.