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- 90 - ahar, and took that city from Shah Mahmud 's governor one named Gul Mohamed Khan Popul Zai. From that day onward the influence of these Sirdars in Kandahar continued unabated. According to the details that had been given in several articles of this series under various headings; after the incident of the securing of a rulership at Herat by Shah Mahmud the Sadu Zai; the remaining Parts of Afghanistan came under the influence of the Barakzai Brothers. Immediately, these Barakzai Sirdars, therefore, started on the scheme of creating a center of government in the regions then in their Power. These endeavours started from 1818 to 1843.A.D. when ultimately Sirdar Doust Mohamed Khan became the ruler of Afghanistan. Events that arose during the two above mentioned dates; are replexte with internecine struggles and wars; which were in the nature of a kaleidoscope: for after the death of Sirdar Mohamed Azeem Khan a series of incidents took place at Kabul which without exception attracted the interests of the Sirdars of Kandahar and of Peshawar and these took such ugly turns and would have precipitated grave consequences unless the Scheme of 1238.A.H. and 1242.A-H. saved the sintation at Kabul and in the country. The first Scheme of 1238 A.H. is known as the Agreement of Sirdar Shair Dil Khan, which divided the territory south of the Hindu Kuoh amongst the Brothers and according to that Agreement, Sirdars Shair Dil Khan, Pur Dil Khan, Kohin Dil Khan and Mihr Dil Khan were to receive the government of Kandahar; and governorship of Sindh was deputed to their fifth brother, one named Rahm Dil Khan; and in the same way other areas like Peshawar were given to other brothers. Sirdar Doust Mohamed Khan received Kohistan. When Shair Dil Khan returned to Kandahar from Kabul , and hear that the Sindi people had arisen against Rahm Dil Khan, he launched a striking force against that region. But as he was on that expedition; he died on the 5th of Muharrum 1242.A.H. Meantime as Sirdar Doust Mohamed Khan had taken Kabul from Sirder Sultan Mohamed Khan, Sirdar Pur Dil Khan considered this step as against the spirit of the family