nadir shah and the afghans, 1732–47Persian histories. We know there were hundreds of women carrying water
to the Afghan troops at Maiwand and there are references to women war -
riors fighting at the battles of Ahmad Khel and Chahar Asiyab. According
to one eyewitness of the retreat, village women also hurled rocks and other
missiles at the fleeing troops. As for Khig, this is famous in British military
history as the site of the last stand of the 66th Foot. Yet while Malalai’s story
is most likely a myth, she is symbolic of the role played by Afghan women
in resisting foreign occupation. Today many Afghan women still bear her
name, for Malalai has become a symbol of Afghan women’s struggle against
all forms of (male) oppression and their right to a public role in society.
Lepel Griffin heard by telegram about the disaster at Maiwand the
following day and he called an urgent meeting with ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan
to discuss an immediate handover of power and the relief of Kandahar,
which was now being besieged by ‘Ayub Khan. Griffin, however, had no
authorization to negotiate a treaty or to agree to recognize ‘Abd al-Rahman
Khan as Amir of Kabul and Kandahar. Instead, he presented the Amir
with a Memorandum of Obligation drawn up by Sir Alfred Lyall, India’s
Foreign Secretary. Known as the Lyall Agreement, this document became
the foundation of all Anglo-Afghan relations during the reign of Amir ‘Abd
al-Rahman Khan. The memorandum was remarkable for the concessions
Britain made. The precondition of a permanent British officer stationed
‘Action at Maiwand’, a British defeat and a pyrrhic victory for Sardar Muhammad ‘Ayub
Khan, for the defeat led to the British recognition of ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan as Amir. As a
result the heirs of Sher ‘Ali Khan ended up in exile in India.