Machine transcription
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.
