nadir shah and the afghans, 1732–47
In the end all Nur Muhammad Shah gained from his visit was a
second Viceregal aide-memoire and verbal assurances that Britain wanted
a ‘powerful and independent’ Afghanistan and would ‘endeavour from time
to time, by such means as circumstances may require, to strengthen [his
rule]’. 25 This was hardly the kind of commitment the Amir had sought or
needed, though some British officials claimed it was firm and clear-cut. As
far as Sher ‘Ali Khan was concerned, negotiations with Britain had again
short-changed him, though he did receive a gift of 5,000 rifles (and a pledge
of 15,000 more to follow) and a total of fifteen lakh rupees, five of which
were compensation for Persian raids in Afghan Sistan.
Sher ‘Ali Khan’s disappointment is understandable. He had received
a great deal more weapons and cash in 1869, while his father had been
subsidized heavily during the siege of Herat in 1856–7, yet both sides agreed
that the Russian threat to Afghanistan was far greater than in 1856 or 1869.
Britain had defensive treaties with other nations so why not Afghanistan,
especially since the country was so strategic to British interests? Instead,
the Amir had lost sovereignty over more than half of the Sistan and the
British government had not reinstated his father’s annual subsidy, let
alone committed to regular financial or military support. All the Viceroy
had done was make a series of non-binding, verbal promises and assur-
ances. Britain, it seemed, was not even prepared to assist with shoring up
Afghanistan’s vulnerable northern borders. The Amir’s deep disappoint-
ment was reflected in his reply to the aide-memoire, which Northbrook
claimed was ‘somewhat sulky’ and which puzzled the Viceroy. Northbrook
did what he could to reassure the Amir that Britain remained committed
to friendly relations but the damage had already been done.
One reason for Sher ‘Ali Khan’s negative reaction to the Simla
Conference was due to internal developments. During the conference the
Amir fell gravely ill and for most of the summer and early autumn of 1873
he was incapable of governing. As rumours spread that the Amir was on
his deathbed, Sher ‘Ali Khan ordered a public celebration to confirm ‘Abd
Allah Jan as heir apparent, only for Ya‘qub Khan in Herat to refuse to hold
any festivities in his half-brother’s honour. Sher ‘Ali decided that he had to
pre-empt the possibility of civil war after his death and sent envoys to Herat
with orders to persuade Ya‘qub to come to Kabul, pledging that he would
not be harmed or imprisoned. In early 1874 Ya‘qub Khan finally came to
Kabul only for the Amir to refuse to allow him to return to Herat; a few
months later he placed him under house arrest. In response ‘Ayub Khan,
Ya‘qub’s uterine brother and acting governor of Herat, rebelled, though the
uprising was soon crushed and ‘Ayub fled to Persia.
nandana
(Nandana)
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