Afghanistan, the extraordinary country, northwest of North India, is known for all the wrong reasons. That reputation, unfortunately, has just received further reinforcement as news comes at the time of going to press, of the hijacking of an Indian civilian plane to Kandahar. Whether the Taliban are the originators or co-conspirators or the rescuers of the hijacked remains questionable. What is certain is that here is a land of rugged beauty, of proud people who have resisted subjugation by outsiders, whose tradition of loyalty have no peer.

Its history has known the erstwhile Soviet Union and the United States (through its proxy, Pakistan) to ravage the land, and leave it bleeding itself through a civil war. Ever since, the Taliban closed its doors to the outside world, opening it ever so slightly for Pam Constable. She shares her experience in a rare travel story... for a day when doors will open wide for all of us.