AHC: Democratic and Stable Afghanistan

With any PoD,somehow make Afghanistan a Democratic state. It doesn't have to be completely so however,it can be have low-level insurgency but so long as it's mostly democratic and stable then it's fine.

Bonus points if you somehow successfully transition Afghanistan into a Republic during/after the Fall of the USSR and before 9/11.

Further Bonus points if you make the Taliban a legitimate political party.
 
I will butterfly the coup in 1973. This would mean turning Afghanistan into Constitutional Monarchy, similar to UK or Japan.
 
Britain occupies the whole country to unify the Pashtun territories during the Russian Civil War. Enlarged and Pastun-dominated Afghanistan regains independence as a part of the Exit India movement, with Khudai Khidmatgar led by Khān Abdul Ghaffār Khān becoming close allies of Gandhi.
The new post-independence leadership is able to consolidate their power due their control of the strongest ethnic group, and their modernizing efforts have enough religious undertones to keep the rural imams in check.
 
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