Pakhtunwali is not a religion It s a custom and it is not universal in this area Ask the average Pakhtun what his religion is and you will almost certainly get the answer Islam Joined Pakistan by popular vote Even though the political leaders were against it the population voted overwhelmingly to join Pakistan Durand line not that arbitrary For some of its length it runs along or near the ridgelines of the mountains that divide Pakistan from Afghanistan Although it divided the Pakhtuns it was in some parts a reasonable place geographically to put a border