dreams melted into air, 1919–29
Around Christmas there was a lull in the fighting after Habib Allah
Kalakani was wounded by shrapnel and withdrew to Paghman to recuper-
ate. This was cold comfort for ’Aman Allah Khan, for a few days later the
influential Mullah of Chaknawar declared his support for the Nangahar
rebels and called for the king’s abdication. With his back to the wall,
’Aman Allah Khan called an emergency cabinet meeting and issued a
royal proclamation revoking most of his recent reforms and capitulating
to the Shinwaris’ demands. It seems the king hoped that by appeasing the
Nangahar rebels they would agree to support him and suppress the upstart
Kohistanis. After all, he had successfully used the same ploy, in reverse, to
put down the Khost revolt. The Nangahar tribes, however, had no faith in a
king who had lost any religious legitimacy and his feeble attempt at divide
and rule failed. In January 1929 ’Aman Allah Khan made further conces-
sions, freeing the brother of Nur al-Mashayekh and other members of the
Mujadidi clan and various dissidents, but it was too little, too late. Many
government officials, including ministers, leaders of the reform movement
and senior Muhammadzais, were already secretly cutting deals with Habib
Allah Kalakani.
The fall of Kabul and the flight of King ’Aman Allah KhanThe coup de grâce came in mid-January 1929. An assembly of Kohistani
leaders was held in Qal‘a-yi Husain Kot, the family seat of Mustufi Husain
Khan Safi, during which they renewed their oath of allegiance to Habib
Allah Kalakani. The following day 16,000 Kohistanis poured into Kabul,
brushing aside what little resistance they encountered. ’Aman Allah
Khan hastily abdicated in favour of ’Inayat Khan and drove pell-mell to
Kandahar, accompanied by Mahmud Tarzi and 10 million rupees in gold
coin. ’Inayat Khan, however, reigned for a matter of a week or so, and even
then his authority barely extended beyond the Dilkusha Palace. Outside
the palace walls, government officials and even his own brothers submit-
ted to Habib Allah Kalakani. ‘Abd al-Rahim Khan Safi, brother-in-law
of Mustufi Muhammad Husain Khan, who commanded 1,000 soldiers
at Tepe Maranjan, also defected. As rebel forces surrounded the royal
palace Humphrys, fearing a massacre, managed to negotiate safe passage
for ’Inayat Khan and his wives, Tarzi’s two sons and several senior officials.
raf planes flew them to Peshawar.
King Habib Allah Khan Kalakani controlled the Afghan capital, but
the governors of Herat, Ghazni and Kandahar refused to swear allegiance
to him. In Nangahar the Shinwari, Mohmand and Khogiyani rebels