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Afghan progress in the fourth year plan · pages 1–93


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A view of the historic citadel of Balahissar. (Sadozais) and the Barakzais (Moham- medzais) ensued, which resulted in the further expansion of Ranjit Singh's territories and the eventual disappearance of the Afghan Empire in India. Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai established himself as the King in Kabul, Ghazni, Jalalabad and Herat. In 1832 the British Government sent an envoy, Sir Alexander Burnes, to Kabul. His mission was "to survey possible routes of advance towards India and to test the friendships the British might form in the region". In 1836, he went there again, this time to the court of Amir Dost Mohammed Khan, on a "commercial mission", shortly to be followed by a military expedition, and Shah Shuja who was installed as a puppet king. The main body of the expeditionary force, faced with unfavourable circumstances, retreated into India in 1841 leaving a garrison, several thousands strong behind to protect Shah Shuja and the British envoys Sir William MacNaughton and Sir Alexander Burnes. Shah Shuja, who had made himself extremely unpopular, found the whole nation in revolt against him. The British forces lent him support against the nationalists which resulted in the loss of his life and that of Burnes. This event is described in the annals of British military history as "an ill-fated expedition that vainly cost the English an army and Shah Shuja his life". This is what is known as the First Anglo-Afghan War. The ensuing reign, for the second time, of Dost Mohammed Khan had nothing historically important about it. He was succeeded by his son, Amir Sher Ali Khan, who attempted to reform the Afghan Army and bring about better social conditions. He refused to allow British agencies to be opened in various parts of the country. He was invited to Ambala for further negotiations, which produced no results. In 1878 the Amir received a Russian mission upon the failure of his earlier negotiations with the British. This was considered by the British to be a hostile act. They sent a strong force against Afghanistan which occupied Quetta and the Kurram valley, and attacked Kabul from three sides. The war ended in victory for the British and Sher Ali Khan retreated into Russia where he died shortly afterwards. The Treaty of Gandumak was imposed upon his son Yaqub-Khan. A British resident was also received by him in Kabul. However, the fall of the same year (1879) saw the Afghan people's attack upon the British garrison at Kabul in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Yaqub Khan was captured and sent to live in exile in India, but his brother Ayoub Khan put up a gallant fight at Maiwand, close to Kandahar. Amir Abdurrahman was given the leadership of Afghanistan in 1880. He signed a treaty of friendship with the British Government. Tzarist Russia in 1885 occupied Panjdeh from Afghanistan. A series of internal feuds against the Amir's authority in 1888-1892 and external politico - economic pressure brought to bear upon him, left the Amir with no choice but a diplomatic war with the British, concerning that part of the Afghan territory which was taken away from him — the so-called North-West Frontier of India and the territory of Baluchistan, known today as Pakhtoon- istan. His son, Amir Habibullah, also accepted the rule of the British Govern- ment over the external affairs of Afghan- 66

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.


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Afghan progress in the fourth year plan, page 69. Afghanistan Digital Library, New York University Libraries. Machine-transcribed text: Afghan Press Archive, https://afghanpress.org/book/adl0980/69 (accessed [date]).
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