On November 23 1959 Pakistan launched a complaint against Afghanistan at UNO due to Afghan air force intruding into Pakistani Territory of Bajaur. At the time Afghan air force had 100 Fighter jets while PAF had 150. PAF was not much superior to Afghan air force.
Afghanistan's King was trying to provoke Pushtoon tribes on Pakistani side to break from Pakistan and join Afghanistan, using Pushtoon ethnic rhetoric.
At the same time the King was also amassing Military forces along Pakistani borders and a war was looming.
Ethnic propaganda continued for an year and eventually in September 1960 the Afghans thought they have enough support on Pakistani side.
On the night of 23rd September 1960 Afghan forces entered Khar and Bajaur areas. At the time both Khar and Bajaur had alliance with Pakistan but had their own rulers called Nawab.
The Nawab of Khar had sympathies for Afghanistan and initially avoided fighting, but the Nawab of Bajaur Abdul Subhan Khan asked his men to fight the invaders and a war broke out. The Afghans came to conquer and force the Nawabs of Khar and Bajaur to join Afghanistan as both had no military power matching Afghanistan's. Both state heads the Nawabs realised that they are under the invasion of an occupying force and the survival of their states is endangered. The nawab of Khar also joined the fight.
Both sides suffered heavy losses and only after a week Kabul radio announced that Khar and Bajaur Pushtoons are "Fighting Pakistani army" and there is no Afghan presence in teh area. That was a lie and a cover up to hide Afghanistan's defeat by the hands of the people of Khar Bajaur, despite sustaining heavy losses.
The government of Pakistan was bound to respect the contract of alliance with the Nawabs and did not interfere.
Khar and Bajaur fought above and beyond their capacity but losses were too great to continue solo.
Afghanistan was telling pushtoons on both sides that Khar and Bajaur are fighting Pakistani army for freedom, Provoking ethnic sentiments, while reality was the exact opposite. Both Khar and Bajaur were fighting to stay with Pakistan and avoid being absorbed in Afghanistan.
Eventually both states made their choice and asked Pakistan for help and Pakistan responded with raising, arming and training a local force the Bajaur scouts. The Afghans continued their intrusion and started propaganda to remove the existing rulers of Khar and Bajaur and install their puppets.
At the time Pakistani president Ayub khan was himself an ethnic pushtoon and he had enough of Afgan expansionism based on ethnic propaganda. All out support was provided to Khar and Bajaur.
The Afghan invasion met its fiery end with large scale bombing of Afghan positions by PAF jets and ground assault by Bajaur scouts.
By May 1961 the Afghan forces retreated and their propaganda machinery collapsed.
The kingdom of Afghanistan got the message loud and clear. The pushtoon tribes on Pakistani side of the border have made their choice, they are and will remain loyal to Pakistan and will not switch sides.
Picture shows Nawab of Bajaur addressing his people in 1961.
Note to PTM...You are not doing anything new... We been there and dealt with it.