nadir shah and the afghans, 1732–47and Kandahar as being part of the Amir’s kingdom and committed Britain
‘to aid Ameer Dost Mohummad Khan to defend and maintain his pres-
ent possessions in Balkh, Cabool and Candahar against Persia’. The Amir
received additional military supplies and one lakh rupees per month for
the duration of the Persian siege of Herat. In return, Dost Muhammad
Khan agreed to follow British policy in respect of Persia and Russia and
allow a native news writer, or wakil, to reside in Kabul. A few months later
a military mission led by Major Lumsden arrived in Kandahar to oversee
the disbursement of military aid. 6 Between August 1856 and October 1858
the Indian government paid Dost Muhammad Khan a total of 20.6 lakh
rupees, the equivalent of more than a quarter of a million pounds sterling,
and supplied him with an additional 4,000 muskets and ammunition free
of charge. The guns and cash, however, were used mainly to put down
another revolt in the Chahar Wilayat and consolidate the Amir’s control
over the wilayat of Balkh.
The signing of the Second Anglo-Afghan Treaty could not have been
timelier as far as Britain was concerned. The day after it was signed there
was an arson attack in Calcutta, followed a month later by the mutiny of the
Bengal Infantry. The Indian Mutiny, or the First War of Independence as
it is now officially designated by the Indian government, was superficially
caused by the issuing of musket cartridges that were thought to have been
smeared with the fat of pigs or cows. The underlying causes of the revolt,
however, were far more complex. The revolt quickly spread throughout
the Indian army and received support from rulers and leaders who the
British had displaced.
As the mutineers rampaged through northern India, Dost Muhammad
Khan came under considerable pressure from individuals within his own
administration and Nasr Allah Khan of Bukhara to abrogate the Anglo-
Afghan treaties, lead a jihad against the British and reconquer Peshawar.
Nasr Allah Khan even offered to recognize Afghan sovereignty over Balkh
if the Amir joined the Holy War. The Amir’s second eldest son, Muhammad
‘Azam Khan, along with several other members of his extended family
supported the jihad and were backed by the Amir’s chief religious adviser,
Hafizji, and his powerful Islamist allies in Kabul and Kohistan. After a
long and acrimonious debate, Dost Muhammad Khan judged that he had
more to lose than gain from breaking the treaties and attacking Peshawar.
He knew if the British crushed the uprising it would not just be the end
of his reign but of his dynasty and even lead to the dismemberment of
Afghanistan. The Amir therefore rejected the Bukharan proposal and
dismissed the ambassador.