Abstract
Mughals and Pakhtuns have been the traditional rival of each others in South Asia. They fought incessent wars, made alliances and upset each others' designs to grap political supermacy in India and Kabul. When Zahir-ud-Din Babur captured Kabul in 1504 he suppressed most of the Pakhtun tribes. However, in relations with the Yousafzai, a leading Pakhtun tribe, he preferred diplomacy and friendship. He married Bibi Mubaraka, daughter of Malak Shah Mansoor, an influencial malak of the tribe. The present article discusses different dynamics of this relationship and explor its various paradiagms. It investigates the relations between the Yousafzais and Babur and look into the matter focusing on the geo-political situation, tribal jealosies and weaknesses of both the sides. Babur's interest in Bibi Mubaraka has been discussed to properly understand its political effects upon the frontier areas.
