afghanistan
will scrupulously continue... to respect the Amir’s independence. .. and duly refrain from every kind of interference with tribes and
territories not its own... the British Government has no sort or
kind of quarrel with the people of Afghanistan. It sincerely desires
their permanent independence, prosperity, and peace. It has no
conceivable object, and certainly no desire, to interfere in their
domestic affairs. It will unreservedly respect their independence;
and, should they at any time be united in a national appeal to its
assistance, it will doubtless be disposed, and prepared, to aid them
in defending that independence from aggression. Meanwhile, the
Afghan people may rest fully assured that so long as they are not
excited by their ruler, or others, to acts of aggression upon the
territories or friends of the British Government, no British soldier
will ever be permitted to enter Afghanistan uninvited. 45
A year later these undertakings too would be honoured in the breach and
British troops would once more march into Afghanistan ‘uninvited’.
Further problems arose when the old and infirm Sayyid Nur
Muhammad Shah died before the Amir could respond to Lytton’s letter.
Since the other Afghan delegates were not authorized to continue the nego-
tiations, they prepared to return to Kabul with the prime minister’s body.
Lytton, hearing of Nur Muhammad Shah’s demise, terminated the negoti-
ations and refused permission for the Kabul wakil to return to Afghanistan.
Shortly after the Afghan mission left for Kabul, Lytton appointed Captain
Louis Cavagnari, an avid supporter of the Forward Policy and a personal
friend of Lytton, as the new Commissioner in Peshawar. When Pelly was
informed of this appointment he wrote a long letter to the Viceroy endors-
ing the government’s hard line on Afghanistan. Lytton now had an ally in
Peshawar who could counteract opposition to his policy from other senior
administrators.
The road to war and the death of Amir Sher ‘Ali KhanThe Amir’s worst fears were now confirmed: rather than improving
Anglo-Afghan relations, the Peshawar Conference had led to a complete
breakdown, for Britain had effectively severed diplomatic relations. To add
to the pressure on the Amir and on Britain, in April 1877 120,000 Russian
troops marched into Romania, which promptly declared independence
from Turkey. British dealings with the Amir were now more about the
potential consequences of the Russo-Turkish War and Afghanistan found