nadir shah and the afghans, 1732–47the occupiers of the cantonment with sniper fire. During the last week of
November there was a brief lull in fighting as Akbar Khan fell ill and the
end of Ramazan was celebrated, but by this time the situation inside the
cantonment was critical. Food had almost run out, camp followers were
dying from starvation and exposure while the hospital, already overflow-
ing with more than six hundred wounded soldiers, became even more
overstretched as hundreds of Indians fell victim to bronchitis, pneumonia
and frostbite.
In an attempt to relieve the food crisis as well as to undermine Akbar
Khan, Macnaghten turned again to the Jabbar Khel, offering them the
astronomic sum of two lakh rupees in return for food and fodder and a
public oath of loyalty to Shah Shuja‘. The chief, though, rejected the offer
and informed Macnaghten that they had recently sworn an oath on the
Qur’an to fight the infidel to the death. On 10 December 1841 there was
more bad news when a letter from Nott arrived stating that he was unable
to send a relief army to Kabul as the garrisons in Ghazni and Qalat-i
Ghilzai were also under siege. It was now even more imperative to reach a
face-saving agreement as quickly as possible before the worst of the winter
weather set in and the occupants of the cantonment starved to death.
The day after receiving Nott’s dispatch, Macnaghten agreed to meet
with Akbar Khan, representatives of Nawab Zaman Khan’s faction and
the Ghilzais. He took with him a hastily drafted treaty, the terms of which
differed very little from the demands made by Akbar Khan more than three
weeks earlier. The agreement provided for the withdrawal of all British
forces as quickly as possible, the release of Dost Muhammad Khan and
British recognition of him as Amir of Afghanistan. Shah Shuja‘ would be
‘persuaded’ to abdicate and offered the choice of either staying in Kabul or
leaving for India with the army. A number of officers would act as hostages
and be released after Dost Muhammad Khan reached Kabul. Macnaghten
even agreed to surrender most of his guns, ammunition and baggage. In
return, Akbar Khan would provide food, fodder and transport and guar-
antee safe passage to India. To ensure this bargain was upheld, several
Barakzai and Ghilzai chiefs would accompany the army as protection. At
the end of the text Macnaghten slipped in an article that allowed a British
Resident to reside in Kabul, a feeble attempt to save face that fooled no one,
for it was evident the British had capitulated and were desperately trying
to extract themselves with some degree of honour intact.
When Macnaghten began to read the text of the agreement to the
assembled leaders, Akbar Khan angrily interrupted him and demanded
the British leave the following day. As for safe conduct, the British had no