Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎113r] (231/312)

THE HILL TRIBES ON THE INDIAN
FRONTIER.
The following informatiou, which has been taken
from official sources, and ia therefore likely to be accu
rate, has some interest at a tima when the tribes on the
North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. of India are occupyincj- a promi
nent position in the attention of the p olitical world.
The number of figrhting men of the principal inde
pendent tribes on the Punjaub border is as follows:—
Akasais .. 1,000 | Ustranas 900
Hassauzais .
1,700 ; Kasrania 1,500
Boz^ars 2,700
Khotrans..,., 4,500
Khosas 4,000
La^haris 3,700
Q-m*chanis 1,200
Marris 2,500
Bugtis . 1,500
Mazaris 2,000
Total 170.200
Judaus..... 2.500
Bouerwals 2,000
Swatis «... 6,000
Utmaa KUels 5,000
Mohmauds 16,000
Aivi Us 23,500
Orakzais 89,500
Zaimusht Afghaua 4,500
Turis 5,000
Wazira 4i,000
gheoraaiB 6,000
No census of these tribes is of course possible, and the
figutes must be accepted as a mera approximation.
They comprise all the adult males in the tribes capable
of bearing arms, and in the c ,se of no single tribe would
it be po sible to brin j into the field much more than
half the numbers here entered, even were it not that,
with the Afghans, feuda of the most deadly description
between the numerous sections of a particular tribe pre
vent them from coalescing as a whole, except in the
presence of extreme dancer threat sning the safety of
the whole tube. The offences which mostly fill the
frontier calendar are horse stealing, house breaking, and,
above all, cattle stealing—the mere brigandage of wild
tribes and the gravamen cf which consists jn an asso
ciation of numbers to accomplish the offence, and the
free and sacred asylum given in the independent hills
to the successful marauders. The complete suppression
of robbery in a land of brigands is of course impossible ;
depredations may be said to be almost invited by the
character of the country and by special causes, prominent
among which is the annual migration of the great trad
ing tribe of Afghanistan, the Powindas, iwith their
camels and immense herds and flocks, to Hindustan, for
whose protection special measures have been adopted.
The independence of the great majority of these
tribes is complete, while over a few the neighbour
ing States of Cabul and Khelat ( xercise an autho
rity differing in kind and in degree. Afghanistan,
as a geographical and ethnographical expression, signi
fying the countries occupied by races of Afcrhan blood,
must not be confused with Afghanistan as constituted
and acknowledged by treaties and engagements with
the British Qovernment. The treaty of the SOch March,
1855, between the British Government and Amir Dost
Muhammad Khan, recognised that chief as ruler of
Cabul and all those countries of Afghanis an at that
time in his possession j and any pretensions to authority
over such Afghan countries as Buner and Swat, on the
part of the Amir of Cabul have been, in 1857 and 3858,
expressly repudiated by the Government. The Punjaub
Government has merely recognised an unquestioned
fact in dealn^ with the Afghan tribes without any re
ference to his Highness the Amir. Even the Afridis,
on the main road between Cabul and Peshawur, boast
that they have seen kings come and go, but have never
paid homage to a king themselves, and to emphasise
their boas they plundered the baggage of the Amir on
the last occasi on that he passed through the Khyber,
which at no time he would ever be able to do without an
escort so strong as to be called an army.
The dans mentioned below are those which will be
most likely to t ike part on one side or the other should
war break o -it between England and Afghanistan :—
The Mohmands are a most important tribe inhabiting
the t illy country between the Cabul and Swat rivers.
A very large number of the tribe inhabit British terri
tory, givin? their name to a subdivision of the Pesha
wur district. From 1849 to 1868 this tribe perhaps
gave more trouble to the British Government than any
other on the Peahawur border. The raids committed by
them were innumerable, and the number of British sub
jects killed and catil - carried off was very large. The in-
fluence broug t to bear upon them by the Cabui
Government was not of much effect till 1866, when,
strong pressure having bsen exercised by our Govern
ment, the Khan of Lalpura, the head of the principal
clan, was carried prisoner tp Cabul, where he afterwards
died. Since 1866 the Mohmands have given little
trouble, except in the case of the murder of Major
McDonald in March. 1873. Over the Mohmands
inhabiting the country betwe -n the Swat and Cabul
rivers the Amir exercises authority, and a few years
ago be demanded from them the payment of fines
aggregatins Es 33,000, as punishment for the contu
macious behaviour of Naorz Khan, the chief of Lalpura,
who, when summoned to Cabul, refused compliance, and
raised the Mohmand clans in rebellion.
The powerful Afridi tribe, oce of the bravest and
most turbulent on the border, inhabit the southern
frontier of the Peshawur and the northern frontier of
the Kohat districts. Their numerous clans are much
divided by feuds, and the action of one section is
generally altogether independent of that of the
others. The two sections which have given the
most trouble in Peshawur live for the greater part
of the year in the neighbourhood of the Khyber
Pas?. Tnese are the Zakka Khels and the Kuki Khels,
most inveterate and audacious robbers, whose depreda
tions up to the very walls of Peshawur, and even within
the citv and cantonments, have been notorious from the
days of the Sikh occupation.
Attempts have been made, with very consider*
able success, to conciliate the Zakka Khels by induc
ing representatives of the different elans to come
into Peshawur. This they have done, promising
good behaviour for the future j and during recent years
the conduct of the clan has been fairly good. Engaging
very little in trade of any kind, and possessing sufficient
food in their own hills to support themselves, and being,
moreover, difficult to attack, it must be expected that
they will be, for a long time to come, more or less ad
dicted to plunder, which has been from time immemorial
the custom and pride of the Afridi race. The Kuki
Khels have, on the whole, been well behaved; the prin
cipal reason of this being that they are ac ; ive traders,
and it is tbeir interest to remain on good terms with
th i Govern nent. The last affair of any importance was
on the 4th April, 1875, when a police-constable was
wounded and five mules carried off by Kuki Khel rob
bers; but the whole of these were recovered. There
are no other cases pending against this clan.
The Orakzai tribe live on the northern Kohat border,
and in the mountainous region known as Tira, to which
th y retire in the summer months. They are a powerful
and fanatical tribe, and one section, the Daulatz ai, com
mitted many acts of hostility till 1869, when an expedi
tion against them.and the Bozotis, another section of
the tribe inhabiting the immediate vicinity of Kobat,
brought them to their senses. Since that time they
gave no cause of offence until certain sections joined the
Pass Afridis in a recent dispu e. Their whole border,
together with that of the Zaimuslt and Turi Afghan
tribes, has of late years been absolutely free
from serious outrages, and the few cases of petty plun
dering which have occurred have been, as a rule,
promptly ad justed by the councils of the tribes concerned.
A long-standing feud between the Tira Mahomedan
sects of the Sunis and Shias in the Orakzai
and Afridi tribes threatened inter-tribal war
fare sou j 3 years ago; but this in no way
affected British territory, and the only action necessary
on the part of the British authorities was to prevent the
residents of the frontier villages proceeding into Tira
to take part in the disturbances.
The Zaimusht Afghans are physically a fine race, in-
habitinsr the hills "between the Miranzai Valley and
the Kurrn River." They have generally ma'nhiinei a
friendly' attitude, and this it is- their interest io do, as
^ they trade verv largely with British territory. A trade
route, though not of first class importance, passes
through their country, which an expedition under
General Sir N. Chamberlain proved to be less difficult
than had been supposed.
The tribe next in order is the Turis, inhabiting the
valley of the Kurm River. They are a wild, fierce,
thieving tribe; but in recent years they have re
spected British territory, their feuds with their Waziri
neighbours to the south alone causing some disturbances
on the frontier.
One of the most important Pathan tribes on the
north-west border is the Wazirs, or Waziris, who in
habit the whole country to the west of the Trans-Indus
frontier from Thai and the Miranzai valley, on the
Kurm river, to the (Jrumal Pass on the southern border
of Tank. They are strong in numbers and brave and
powerful individually, making excellant soldiers, many
of them taking service in British regiments. There is
little tribal cohesion among them, the different indi
vidual sections being generally indifferent to the action
or policy of the others, so r .e behaving in a friendly
manner, others remaining persisteu ly hostile.
The powerful section of the Mahsuds, inhabiting the
immediate border of Bannu and Tank, for many years
gave great trouble, and their raids have disturbed the
whole of the frontier from Bannu to KulachL Their
country is exceedingly difficult to penetrate, being inter
sected by deep ravines, the only roads being through
diffi ult passes, while a blockade affects this tribe less
[ than many others with a smaller trade, for the reason
j that the Waziri country is fertile, well watered, and well
wooded, and the tribe is able to support itself on the pro
duct of its fields and cattle. Of the Mahsuds there are
three main sections, the Alazais, the Shaman Khels, and |
the Balolzais. The first have been friendly during the past
twelve y»-ars, and their intercourse with the British Go
vernment has been uninterrupted. The Balolzais, muster
ing some 8,000 fighting men, which is more than theother
two s ctions can together muster, have ever been among
the most inveterate of our foes, and in 1860 their con-
luct had become so outrageous that it was necessary to
send against them an expedition of more than 5,000
men, under General Chamberlain. Their chief town,
Kanigorum, was occnpied, and the section was heavily
fined, but the spirit ot the tribe was unbrok en, and in
1861 a murderous outrage necessitated their proscrip
tion and exclusion from Bri.ish territory. At last,
after years of turbulence, the Balolzais submitted in
1873 to the Government. They agree i for the future
to restore property plundered in British territory, to
pay compensation for the death or injury of British
i sabiects, aud to submits in Lka. /na.aii. o*.*,
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THE HILL TRIBES ON THE INDIAN
FRONTIER.
The following informatiou, which has been taken
from official sources, and ia therefore likely to be accu
rate, has sotne interest at a tima when the tribes on the
North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan. of India are occupyino^ a promi
nent position in the attention of the p Utical world.
The number of flcfhting man of the principal inde
pendent tribes on the Punjaub border is as follows
Akazais 1,000
Hassauzais 1,700
Jadaua 2,500
XJstranas 900
Kasrania 1,500
Bozdars 2,700
Klietrans 4,500
Khoaas 4,000
La.^haria 3,700
Gurchanis 1,200
Harris 2,500
Bugtis . 1,500
Mazaris 2,000
Total 170,200
Bouerwals 2,000
fewatis 6,000
Utmau KUela 5,000
Moliraauds 16,00")
Airi-is 33,500
Orakzais 29,500
Zaimusht Afghans 4,600
Turis 5,000
Wazirs 4i,000
gheoi-aais 5,000
No census of these tribes is of course possible, and the
figures must be accepted as a mere approximation.
They comprise all the adult males in the tribes capable
of bearing arms, and in the c .se of no siagrle trib© would
it be po sible to brim into the field much more ttian
half the numbers here entered, even were it not that,
with the Afghans, feuds of the most deadly description
between the numerous sections of a particular tribe pre
vent them from coalescing as a whole, except in the
presence of extreme danser threatening the safety of
the whole tiibe. The offences which mostly fill the
frontier calendar are horse stealing, house breaking, and,
above all, cattle stealing—the mere brigandage of wild
tribes and the gravamen of which consists in an asso
ciation of numbers to accomplish the offence, and the
free and sacred asylum given in the independent hills
to the successful marauders. The complete suppression
of robbery in a land of brigands is of course impossible ;
depredations may be said to be almost invited by the
character of the country and by special causes, prominent
among which is the annual migration of the great trad
ing tribe of Afghanistan, the Powindas, with their
camels and immense herds and flocks, to Hindusi an. for
whose protection gpecial measures have been adopted.
The independence of the great majority of these
tribes is complete, while over a few the neighbour
ing States of Cabul and Khelat exercise an autho
rity differing in kind and in degree. Afghanistan,
as a geographical and ethnographical expression, signi
fying the countries occupied by races of Afarhan blood,
must not be confused with Afghanistan as constituted
and acknowledged by treaties and engagements with
the British Government. The treaty of the 30tli March,
1855, between the British Government and Amir Dost
Muhammad Khan, recognised that chief as ruler of
Cabul and all those countries of Afghanis an at that
time in his possession ; and any pretensions to authority
over such Afghan countries as Buner and Swat, on the
part of the Amir of Cabul have been, in 1857 and 3858,
expressly repudiated by the Government. The Punjaub
Government has merely recognised an unquestioned
fact in deal n >: with the Afghan tribes without any re
ference to his Highness the Amir. Even the Afridis,
on the main road between Cabul and Peshawur, boast
that they have seen kings come and go, but have never
paid homage to a king themselves, and to emphasise
their boas they plundered the baggage of the Amir on
the last ocoaei n that he passed through the Khyber,
which at no time he would ever be able to do without an
escort so strong as to be called an army.
The flgtia mentioned below are those which will be
most likely to t ike part on one side or the other should
war break o it between England and Afghanistan :—
The Mohmands are a most i moor tan t tribe inhabiting
the billy country between the Cabul and Swat rivers.
A very large number of the tribe inhabit British terri
tory, giving their name to a subdivision of the Pesha-
wur district. From 184(9 to 1868 this tribe perhaps
gave more trouble to the British Government than any
other on the Peshawur border. The raids committed by
them were innumerable, and the number of British sub
jects killed and catil'carried off was very large. The in
fluence broug. t to bear upon them by the Cabui
Government was not of much effect till 1866, when,
strong pressure having bsen exercised by our Govern
ment, the Khan of Lalpara, the head of ^ the principal
clan, was carried prisoner to Cabul, where he afterwards
died. Since 1866 the Mohmands have given little
trouble, excent in the case of the murder of Major
McDonald in March, 1873. Over the Mohmands
inhabiting the country between the Swat and Cabul
rivers the Amir exercises authority, and a few years
ago be demanded from them the payment of fines
aggregating Es 32,000, as punishment for the contu
macious behaviour of Naorz Khan, the chief of Lalpura,
who, when summoned to Cabul, refused compliance, and
raised the Mohmand clans in rebellion.
The powerful Afddi tribe, ore of the bravest and
most turbulent on the border, inhabit the southern
frontier of the Peshawur and the northern frontier of
the Kohat districts. Their numerous clans are much
divided, by feuds, and the action of one section is
generally altogether independent of that of the
others. The two sections which have given the
most trouble in Peshawur live for the greater part
of the year in the neighbourhood of the Khyber
Pas?. Tnese are the Zakka Khels and the Kuki Khels,
most inveterate and audacious robbers, whose depreda
tions up to the very walls of Peshawur, and even within
the citv and cantonments, have been notorious from the
days of the Sikh occupation.
Attempts have been made, with very consider^
able success, to conciliate the Zakka Khels by induc
ing representatives of the different elans to come
into Peshawur, This they have done, promising
good behaviour for the future; and during recent years
the conduct of the clan has been fairly good. Engaging
very little in trade of any kind, and possessing sufficient
food in their own hills to support themselves, and being,
moreover, difficult to attack, it must be expected that
they will be, for a long time to come, more or less ad
dicted to plunder, which has been from time immemorial
the custom and pride of the Afridi race. The Kuki
Khels have, on the whole, been well behaved; the prin
cipal reason of this being that they are ac ive traders,
and it is tbeir interest to remain on good terms with
th i Governnent. The last affair of any importance was
on the 4th April, 1875, when a police-constable was
wounded and five mules carried off by Kuki Khel rob
bers; buu the whole of these were recovered. There
are no other cases pending against this clan.
The Orakzai tribe live on the northern Kohat border,
and in the mountainous region Jtnown as Tira, to which
th y retire in the summer months. They are a powerful
and fanatical tribe, and one section, the Daulatzxi, com
mitted ipany acts of hostility till 1869, when an expedi
tion against them.and the Bozotis, another section of
the tribe inhabiting the immediate vicinity of Kohat.
brought vhem to their senses. Since that time they
ga.ve no cause of offence until certain sections joined the
Pass Afridis in a recent dispu e. Their whole border,
together with that of the Zaimusht and Turi Afghan
tribes, has of late years been absolutely free
from serious outrages, and the few cases of petty plun
dering which have occurred have been, as a rule,
promptly ad justed by the councils of the tribes concerned.
A long-standing feud between the Tira Mahomedan
sects of the Sunia and Shias in the Orakzai
and Afridi tribes threatened inter-tribal war
fare some years ago; but this in no way
affected British territory, and the only action necessary
on the part of the British authorities was to prevent the
residents of the frontier villages proceeding into Tira
to take part in the disturbances.
The Ziimusht Afohans are physically a fine race,, in-
habitinsr the hills "between the Miranzai Valley and
the Kurm River.' They have generally uut'n'.ained a
friendly attitude, and this it isr their interest io do, as
they trade verv largely with British territory. A trade
route, though not of first class importance, passes
through their country, which an exf.edidon under
General Sir N. Chamberlain proved to be less difficult
than had been supposed.
The tribe next in order is the Turis, inhabiting the
valley of the Kurm Eiver. They are a wild, fierce,
thieving tribe; but in recent years they have re
spected British territory, their feuds with their Waziri
neighbours to the south alone causing some disturbances
on the frontier.
One of the most important Pathan tribes on the
north-west border is the Wazirs, or Waziris, who in
habit the whole country to the west of the Trans-Indus
frontier from Thai and the Miranzai valley, on the
Kurm river, to the Gumal Pass on the southern border
of Tank. They are strong in numbers and brave and
powerful individually, making excellent soldiers, many
of them taking service in British regiments. There is
little tribal cohesion among them, the different indi
vidual sections being generally indifferent to the action
or policy of the others, so ue behaving in a friendly
manner, others remaining persisten ly hostile.
The powerful section of the Mahsuds, inhabiting the
immediate border of Bannu and Tank, for many years
gave great trouble, and their raids have disturbed the
whole of the frontier from Bannu to KulachL Their
country is exceedingly difficult to penetrate, being inter
sected by deep ravines, the only roads being through
difficult passes, while a blockade affects this tribe less
than many others with a smaller trade, for the reason
that the Waziri country is fertile, well watered, and well
wooded, and the tribe is able to support itself on the pro
duct of its fields and cattle. Of the Mahsuds there are
three main sections, the Alazais, the Shaman Khels, and
the Balolzais. The first bave been friendly durinsr the past
twelve y^ars, and their intercourse with the British Go
vernment has been uninterrupted. The Balolzais, muster
ing some 8,000 fighting men, which is more than theother
two s ctions can together muster, have eyer been among
the most inveterate of our foes, and in I860 their con
duct had become so outrageous that it was necessary to
send against them an expedition of more than 5,000
men, under. General Chamberlain. Their chief town,
Kanigorum, was occ pied, and the section was heavily
fined, but the spirit ot the tribe was unbrok m, and in
1861 a murderous outrage necessitated their proscrip
tion and exclusion from Bri igh territory. At last,
after years of turbulence, the Balolzais submitted in
1873 to the Government. They agree 1 for the future
to restore property plundered in British territory, to
pay compensation for the death or injury of British
subjects, aud to submit, in the case of any proved
offence, to any fine that might be inflicted at the discre
tion of the Government. For past misconduct they
paid down in cash an indemnity of upwards of
Es. 10,000, and in return the section Avas re-admitted
t® the privileges of intercon se and trade, and its poli
tical prisoners were released. Hostages for the observ
ance of the term, being 33 representative men of the
different clans, were seat to Dera Ismail Khan, these,
being liable to imprisonment or deportation if the con
ditions of the engagement made were violated.
These are the principal clans in the mountains be
tween the Punjaub frontier and Afghanistan proper
with whom we may soon expect to come into contact,
friendly or otherwise. As regards their disposition, a
singularly able report, drawn up by Mr. Lepel Griffin
two years ago, expresses the following opinions, which
coincide with those of other observant authorities in
ludia.
" The frontier tribes are slowly but surely losing their
suspicion of and dislike to the British Government. The
change is gradual; but if we look back twenty or even
ten years we see how substantial has been the progress
made. They are still savage, fanatical, and ignorant;
but the)' have learnt t"> believe in the fairness of our in
tentions, and so far appreciate our rule that they leave
their hills in large numbers, abandon their predatory
life, and settle quietly in British territory. With the
people in the interior of the districts the case is similar,
though in a less marked degree. They have reached a
more advanced stage of social evolution than their
mountain neighbours, and under laws which secure
life and property and discourage outbursts of sayage
sentiment, they are losing their tribal homogeneity for
that multiform heterogeneity which, fn its increasing
complexity, is the result and sign of increasing enlighten
ment and development. That the Punjaub Government
have freely acknowledged that this development is still
backward is evident by the tendency of the legislation
which they have proposed to the Imperial Government as
suited to frontier districts. But every effort is being
made to encourage the social advance of the frontier
population by withdrawing them from their sullen isola
tion, and extending to them the- rights and privileges
whici belong to the inhabitants of more tranq dl dis
tricts. They have now, it may fairly be said, entered,
with somewhat hesitating steps, the community of en
lightened and civilised men- Thev approve the equal
law of the courts j in the less fanatical districts they
are eager to accept education for their children at the
hands of the Government. Their chiefs and representa
tive men become honorary magistrates, and are as effi
cient in time of peace as guardians of civil rights as, in
time of war, at the head of their clans in i he field."