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paid. He began by making large promises
of higher salaries and special rewards, and
had no difficulty in winning over the simple
minded soldiers. With the help of the army,
he easily ousted his uncle as well as his
elder brothers. But once he was firmly
established on the throne, and people from
all parts had sent him allegiance and
accepted him as their King, he forgot all his
promises. This breach of faith, the first
sign of his moral weakness after his accession
to the throne, lowered him greatly in the
eyes of the people.
Years went by without any important
event, though mistrust and discontent were
seething under the surface. Matters were
brought to a head, when in 1924, H. M. King
Amanullah Khan introduced some new
laws, which the people would not accept.
There was a general protest, but the King
persisted in his views and would not rescind
the unpopular laws. Thereupon, the people
of the Southern Province, the most war
like tribes in the whole of Afghanistan, took
up arms. The King could have easily saved
the situation and an amicable settlement
2
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.