nadir shah and the afghans, 1732–47British officials. Predictably, Haidar Khan wanted to discuss the Durrani
claim to Peshawar, but when Edwardes told him that British sovereignty
over the region was not negotiable, the issue was dropped. Haidar Khan’s
attempts to secure British recognition of the Amir’s claim to Herat also
failed, but when it came to the wilayat of Balkh, Britain and Afghanistan
were of one mind, for neither party wanted to see Uzbek supremacy
restored. To support the Afghan case for sovereignty over Balkh, Edwardes
downplayed reports by a secret agent about the discontent at Durrani
rule among the indigenous population and the oppressive nature of Afzal
Khan’s administration. 4
The deliberations concluded with a landmark treaty signed on 30
March 1855 under the terms of which Britain recognized Dost Muhammad
as king of Afghanistan with the treaty formally referring to him as ‘His
Highness’. The disappointment over the loss of Peshawar was also mitigated
by Britain’s implicit acceptance of Durrani sovereignty over Balkh, a timely
recognition since at the time a Bukharan army had crossed the Amu Darya
in support of yet another revolt in the Chahar Wilayat. Dost Muhammad
Khan exploited the propaganda value of this treaty by informing the Uzbek
rebels and Nasr Allah Khan of Bukhara that Britain had recognized the
Amu Darya as Afghanistan’s northern frontier and disingenuously claimed
the Governor General might even provide military assistance for an attack
on Bukhara itself.
The Anglo-Afghan Treaty encouraged the Amir to challenge his rival
sardars in Kandahar. Shortly after it was signed Kohan Dil Khan died,
precipitating a power struggle between Rahim Dil Khan, the last surviving
Dil brother, and Kohan Dil’s son Siddiq Khan. Kandahar descended into
chaos and when the religious establishment failed to negotiate a settle-
ment, both factions appealed to Dost Muhammad Khan, who sent Sher ‘Ali
Khan to Kandahar to mediate. However, Sher ‘Ali Khan took advantage of
the opportunity to infiltrate his own armed retainers into Kandahar. The
Amir arrived with a substantial army in November 1855 and was admit-
ted after claiming he had come to perform the fatiha prayers for his dead
half-brother. Once inside the town, the Amir’s troops put on a show of
force and the following day Dost Muhammad Khan curtly informed the
Dil family he was now in charge and forced them to hand over the keys
of the city gates.
Following this coup, the Amir imposed a new fiscal regime on the
province, reducing the jagirs of powerful chiefs and demanding revenues
from estates that were previously tax exempt. Dost Muhammad Khan then
wrote to Dalhousie requesting that Kandahar be inserted into the treaty,