Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎147v] (303/312)

f^the tormer under tne comir-and of Major B. Wil- ,
f liams who throughout his career ' has displayed all |
the qualities of a first-rate Irregular Cavalry leader.
As an old comrade of Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Gholam Hussein Khan
in the Mooltan Horse, he distinguished himself in
i the Mutiny. As Master of the Horse to the Prince
I I of Wales during his Royal Highness'a visit to India, .
P Mai or Williams showed himself capable of the
i centler duties of Court life ; while as Assistant-
Qunrtermaster-^eneral in the late Jowaki ex
pedition he earned fresh experience and fresh ,
I' commendations as a Staff officer. The Com-
I I mandant of the 12th Bengal Cavalry is Colonel I
Hu"h Gough, an officer of much distinction,
who won a Victoria Cross for gallantry in the;
Mutiny and the Bath for his services in Abyssinia.
The 5th Punjab Infantry (known in the Mutiny as
Vaughan's Rifles)"are under the command of Major
M'Queen, a border soldier of great experience. The j
29th Punjab Infantry, under Colonel Gordon, is a
corps raised during the crisis of 1857, and well
known as one of the smartest and most efficient
battalions in the Bengal Army.'At Kohat, General
Roberts has the 5th Goorkh^s, in addition to the
usual garrison, and these it may be expected will
reach Thull in a few days, together with the _17th
Foot, part of the 10th Hussars, and two batteries of
Artillery. Until strong supports have reached
Kohat it would be most imprudent for this column
to push on further than the Kuram Port, but we
doubt if any advance beyond Thull will be made
until the northern or Khyber column is ready to
move forward also.
The statement that the Afridi soldiers are rejoin
ing their regiments is most satisfactory ; but those
conversant with the tribe must have anticipated
such would be the case. As a rule, the Afridi is
very devoted to his English officer, follows him
with rare devotion, and shows a strange predilec
tion for service under the " Sirkar " even in expe
ditions against, his own kinsmen. It is probable
that many hundred trained soldiers of this tribe
will rejoin their regiments, but this act of loyalty
on the part of old Government servants will not
prevent large numbers hovering around our ad
vancing columns in the hope of obtaining plunder.
Rumours, which must be accepted quantumvaleat,
have been current for some days of dissensions
between the Ameer and his Shiah subjects, and
although we are disposed to think that the common
bonds of Islamism will, generally speaking, unite
all the tribes of Afghanistan against us, yet it is
just possible that certain Shiah clans will take
advantage of the approach of a British army in
order to rise against their Sunni rulers. We yester
day touched on certain sections which, though
belonging to the Pathan op Afghan race, belong to
the Shiah persuasion. Among them were the
Jadrans, Mangals, Jajis, and Khostwals, who can !
jointly put 10,000 indifferently-armed savages into
the field ; for, in truth, the title we know of these
people fully warrants that title being applied to
them. Wild, lawless mountaineers, who live solely
by robbery, who are utterly ignorant of the
value of life, devoid of all education, bigoted to a
degree, and blindly addicted to the vices of their
religion, the many virtues of which they systemati
cally ignore, it is hard to imagine that any one of
these clans will aid us, whom they look upon as in
fidels in anyway.
The principal Shiah tribes, however, are those
great Persian-speaking clans which for centuries
have settled in the heart of Afghanistan. Some,
such as the Hazaras, living secluded in their own
mountains, mix but little with their Pathan fellow
subjects ; others, as the Kazlbashis, dwell more
in cities, devote themselves to agriculture and
trade, and, by reason of their superior education
and ready native wit, raise themselves to posi
tions of wealth, respectability, and envy. Others,
again, as the Tajaks, have spread through
the length and breadth of the land, avoid
all appearance of maintaining a distinct exist
ence, and, being everywhere in a _ minority, are
powerless to act except in concert with the Pathan
tribes.
First and foremost among the Shiah clans are
the Kazlbashis, not on account of their numerical
strength, for in point of fact they are among the
weakest of the Parsivan tribes, but more by reason of
the influence they possess over their Durani masters.
They number aboiit 10,000 fighting men, and dwell
chiefly in the city of Cabul, but settlers are to be
met with in Herat and other ^ parts of Afghanistan.
The Kazlbashis are supposed to be the descendants
of the Persians who accompanied Nadar Shah, and
who at his death remained in the country. Fine
handsome men, of good, physique, they pride them-
f«lves on their soldier-like qualities, and in truth
)iiey make admirable fighting material. They form
fcy far the greater portion of the Ameer's mounted
forces, and very many are to be found in our cavalry
regiments in Northern India. Being of the Shiah
sect they are opposed in policy to the Durani rulers
of Afghanistan, who are Sunnis. They have
ever utilized the inherent Persian talent for
intriguing ; consequently possess great influence
jover the chief gentlemen of the city. Burnes
was under the impression that the Kazl-
bash clans might be played off against the
Afghans, and so they doubtless might be
if the chiefs of the clan saw any chance of in
creasing their power and influence in the country
|||j by befriending the British; but situated as they
aru they would find it extremely difficult to play
such a double game without running the risk of
extermination at the hands of the Sunni Afghans.
The Hazaras are another powerful Shiah clan.
They inhabit the rugged country between Herat
and Cabul, Of their origin nothing authentic is
known, and it is a subject on which they appear to
be supremely indifferent. Their language is a
dialect of Persian, but it is currently reported that
this is a recent acquisition, and that until the last
century they invariably used the Mogal tongue ;
indeed the Ghilzaes style them Mogals to this day.'
Some few Hazaras are found in our military service,
but they do not bear any great reputation for
soldier-like qualities out of their own country ;
among their own mountains, they are considered
by the Afghans to be well-nigh impregnable. They
are generally supposed to be able to turn out about
30,000 fighting men, indifferently armed and ut
terly ignorant of the science of war. Large bodies
of Hazarawals annually visit India for the purpose
of working on roads and military buildings, and
they make admirable labourers. Their fanatical
adherence to the 'Shiah persuEtsion and hatred of
Sunni Mahomedans would probably induce the
Hazaras to rebel against their Afghan rulers ; but
for centuries having been a subservient race, it
would take some time before they would rise to the
Pathan level as soldiers.
The Tajaks, another Persian-speaking race, are
'to be met with all over Cabul; indeed, they are to
be found in Vakhan, Badakshan, and throughout
Eastern Turkestan. They are supposed to be the
descendants of Arabs who settled either in Persia
or Afghanistan, and are much given to agriculture,
though many readily take service both with the
Ameer and also under our own flag. Although
many sections of this clan are Shiahs, some are
Sunnis ; all, however, are on comparatively friendly
terms with their Afghan masters. Their strength is
estimated at close on a million souls. Irrespectively
of their love for agriculture, they carry on manu
factures and trades which are generally renounced
by their Pathan brethren, and, being quiet, in
dustrious people, are found useful, and so per
mitted to associate with the Afghans on equal
'terms. !
It is possible that if the Shiah tribes could be
[united under one leader, which is a most impro
vable contingency, they could put upwards of
100,000 men into the field ; but even if they are
favourably disposed towards us, which we have no i
right to assume, they could affect no diversion
until after the appearance ot a British army in'
Cabul, and even then it is rery doubtful whether
their co-operation would be sufficiently valuable to
recompense us for the trouble necessarily expended
ion their organization.
In Hindostaa we have tiever eoughfc the aid of i
the Shiah sects. Few of them enlist, and if they do
they are looked upon with suspicion'and dislike.
The mere fact of a Government servant being a
Shiah, more especially in the Punjab, is generally
deemed sufficient proof to warrant the assumption
that he is a fanatic, and consequently to be dreaded ;
and disliked. How, then, it is possible for the
Indian Government to delude themselves into the
belief that the Shiahs of Cabul will be friendly
towards us we are at a loss to imagine, and
are willing, therefore, to assume that the
rumours we have referred to are unauthentic, and
| consequently unworthy of credence.
That the Ameer is endeavouring to raise a
Jihad is not only possible, but highly probable. At
i the same time, it by no means follows that Shere
Ali's endeavours will be crowned with success. The
^ death of the Akhoond of Swat, the so-called Pope
of the North-Western Frontier, has, it is
true, left the Pathan tribes without a spiri
tual leader, and they may be willing to ac
cept the Ameer's dictum in this case ; but even
among Mahomedans, religious fanaticism, except in
individual cases, seems gradually dying out. The
^ masses prefer following the bent of their own incli
nations rather than laying down their lives in
memory of the Prophet. The raising of the Green
Flag at Umbeyla only caused the tribes in the im-
• mediate neighbourhood of Swat to rally round the
Akhoond's standard, so that we anticipate no very
great results from the endeavours of Shere Ali to
yj introduce the religious element into the present
purely political struggle.
We place no trust in the rumours of an immediate
advance into Afghanistan, for the simple reason
: that the columns now on the frontier are by
no means strong enough for the task before
them. It will take some short time yet before |
all is ready for a forward movement. For
the present we must expect a succession of
startling telegrams from the Capua of India, which
in all time of trouble or excitement becomes
a very hotbed of canards. Sir Frederick Haines is
not the stamp of General to risk his reputation by
any rash undertaking, and Sir Samuel Browne, the
military member of the Viceroy's Council, is a
frontier soldier of too-wide experience in hill
warfare to sanction any step that might lead to
even the slightest temporary check. Possibly next
month we may hear of an advance, but that Cabul
u j - -.t •. m— a of. wa vorv much doubt.
'gaKij, am JO ■ao.naa aHi GX
'NonvDnaz jvDTxnw
•raiq paaoons him innog jo acmjaAO*) gaosajd
j9q!} 'aosuiqoH seinoaajj jig vajij pastuuns si ^ ■Brn^u
ll9 diqgjg'maaftirt ^ oi a^t./ct-.tntta tim qxi_ _
tne tormer under tne command of Major B. Wil-
li ims who throughout his career ' has displayed all j
the qualities of a first-rate Irregular Cavalry leader. '
As an old comrade of Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Gholam Hussein Khan
in the Mooltan Horse, he distinguished himself in
the Mutiny. As Master of the Horse to the Prince
of Wales during his Boyal Highness'a visit to India, .
Maior Williams showed himself capable of the
centler duties of Court life ; while as Assistant-
Quartermaster-fteneral in the late Jowaki ex
pedition he earned fresh experience and fresh ,
commendations as a Staff officer. The Com-
i mandant of the 12fch Bengal Cavalry is Colonel I
Hu;'h Gough, an officer of much distinction,
who won a Victoria Cross for gallantry in the
Mutiny and the Bath for his services in Abyssinia. ,
The 5th Punjab Infantry (known in the Mutiny as
Vatighan's Pafles) are under the command of Major
M'Queen, a border soldier of great experience. The
29th Punjab Infantry, under Colonel Gordon, is a
corps raised during the crisis of 1867, and well
known as one of the smartest and most efficient
battalions in the Bengal Army. "At Kohat, General
Roberts has the 5th Goorkhb,s, in addition to the
usual garrison, and these it may be expected will
reach Thull in a few days, together with the 17th
Foot, part of the 10th Hussars, and two batteries of
Artillery. Until strong supports have reached
Kohat it would be most imprudent for this column
to push on further than the Kuram Port, but we
doubt if any advance beyond Thull will be made
until the northern or Khyber column is ready to
move forward also.
The statement that the Afridi soldiers are rejoin
ing their regiments is most satisfactory ; but those
conversant with the tribe must have anticipated
such would be the . case. As a rule, the Afridi is
very devoted to his English officer, follows him
with rare devotion, and shows a strange predilec
tion for service under the " Sirkar " even in expe
ditions against his own kinsmen. It is probable
that many hundred trained soldiers of this tribe
will rejoin their regiments, but this act of loyalty
on the part of old Government servants will not
prevent large numbers hovering around our ad
vancing columns in the hope of obtaining plunder.
Rumours, which must be accepted quantum valeat,
have been current for some days of dissensions
between the Ameer and his Shiah subjects, and
although we are disposed to think that the common
bonds of Islamism will, generally speaking, unite
all the tribes of Afghanistan against us, yet it is
just possible that certain Shiah clans will take
advantage of the approach of a British army in
order to rise against their Sunni rulers. We yester
day touched on certain sections which, though
belonging to the Pathan op Afghan race, belong to
the Shiah persuasion. Among them were the
Jadrans, Mangals, Jajis, and Khostwais, who can
jointly put 10,000 indifferently-armed savages into
the field ; for, in truth, the title we know of these
people fully warrants that title being applied to
them. Wild, lawless mountaineers, who live solely
by robbery, who are utterly ignorant of the
value of life, devoid of all education, bigoted to a
degree, and blindly addicted to the vices of their
religion, the many virtues of which they systemati
cally ignore, it is hard to imagine that any one of
these clans will aid us, whom they look upon as in
fidels in anyway.
The principal Shiah tribes, however, are those
great Persian-speaking clans which for centuries
have settled in the heart of Afghanistan. Some,
such as the Hazaras, living secluded in their own
mountains, mix but little with their Pathan fellow
subjects ; others, as the Kazlbashis, dwell more
in cities, devote themselves to agriculture and
trade, and, by reason of their superior education
and ready native wit, raise themselves to posi
tions of wealth, respectability, and envy. Others,
again, as the Tajaks, have spread through
the length and breadth of the land, avoid
all appearance of maintaining a distinct exist
ence, and, being everywhere in a _ minority, are
powerless to act except in concert with the Pathan
tribes.
First and foremost among the Shiah clans are
the Kazlbashis, not on account of their numerical
strength, for in point of fact they are among the
weakest of the Parsivan tribes, but more by reason of
the influence they possess over their Durani masters.
They number about 10,000 fighting men, and dwell
chiefly in the city of Cabul, but settlers are to be
met with in Herat and other! parts of Afghanistan.
The Kazlbashis are supposed to be the descendants
of the Persians who accompanied Nadar Shah, and
who at his deiath remained in the country. Fine
handsome men, of good, physique,^ they pride them-
felves on their soldier-like qualities, and in truth
jtey make admirable fighting material. They form
I'y far the greater, portion of the Ameer's mounted
forces, and very many are to be found in our cavalry
regiments in Northern India. Being of the Shiah
sect they are opposed in policy to the Durani rulers
of Afghanistan, who are Sunnis. They have
ever utilized the inherent Persian talent for
intriguing ; consequently possess great influence
jover the chief gentlemen of the city. Burnes
was under the impression that the Kazl-
bash clans might be played off against the
Afghans, and so they doubtless might be
if the chiefs of the clan saw any chance of in
creasing their power and influence in the country
by befriending the British ; but situated as they
_aro they would flnd it extremely difficult to jplay
such a double game without running the risk of
extermination at the hands of the Sunni Afghans.
, The Hazaras are another powerful Shiah clan.
They inhabit the rugged country between Herat
and Cabul. Of their origin nothing authentic is
known, and it is a subject on which they appear to
be supremely indifferent. Their language is a
dialect of Persian, but it is currently reported that
this is a recent acquisition, and that until the last
century they invariably used the Mogal tongue ;
indeed the Ghilzaes style them Mogals to this day.
Some few Hazaras are found in our military service,
but they do not bear any great reputation for
soldier-like qualities out of their own country ;
among their own mountains, they are considered
by the Afghans to be well-nigh impregnable. They
are generally supposed to be able to turn out about
30,000 fighting men, indifferently armed and ut
terly ignorant of the science of war. Large bodies
of Hazarawals annually visit India for the purpose
of working on roads and military buildings, and
they make admirable labourers. Their fanatical
adherence to the 'Shiah persuasion and hatred of
Sunni Mahomedans would probably induce the
Hazaras to rebel against their Afghan rulers ; but
for centuries having been a subservient race, it
would take some time before they would rise to the
Pathan level as soldiers.
The Tajaks, another Persian-speaking race, are
'to be met with all over Cabul; indeed, they are to
be found in Vakhan, Badakshan, and throughout
Eastern Turkestan. They are supposed to be the
descendants of Arabs who settled either in Persia
or Afghanistan, and are much given to agriculture,
though many readily take service both with the
Ameer and also under our own flag. Although
many^ sections of this clan are Shiahs, some are
Sunnis ; all, however, are on comparatively friendly
terms with their Afghan masters. Their strength is
estimated at close on a million souls. Irrespectively
of their love for agriculture, they carry on manu
factures and trades which are generally renounced
by their Pathan brethren, and, being quiet, in-
dustriOUs people, are found useful, 0 and so' per-
'initted to associate with the Afghans on equal
terms. |
It is possible that if the Shiah tribes could be
[united under one leader, which is a most impro
vable contingency, they could put upwards of
100,000 men into the field ; but even if they are
'favourably disposed towards us, which we have no i
right to assume, they could affect no diversion
until after the appearance ot a British army in '
Cabul, and even then it is rery doubtful whether
their co-operation would be sufficiently valuable to
recompense us for the trouble necessarily expended
ion their organization.
In Hindostan we have fcever eoi^ght the aid of ,
the Shiah sects. Few of them enlist, and if they do
they are looked upon with suspicion'and dislike.
The mere fact of a Government servant being a
Shiah, more especially in the Punjab, is generally
deemed sufficient proof to warrant the assumption
that he is a fanatic, and consequently to be dreaded
i and disliked. How, then, it is possible for the
Indian Government to delude themselves into the ;
belief that the Shiahs of Cabul will be friendly *
towards us we are at a loss to imagine, and
are willing, therefore, to assume that the
rumours wo have referred to are unauthentic, and
consequently unworthy of credence.
That the Ameer is endeavouring to raise a
Jihad is not only possible, but highly probable. At
the same time, it by no means follows that Shere
Ali's endeavours will be crowned with success. The
death of the Akhoond ot Swat, the so-called Pope
of the North-Western Frontier, has, it is
true, left the Pathan tribes without a spiri
tual leader, and they may be willing to ac
cept the Ameer's dictum in this case ; but even
among Mahomedans, religious fanaticism, except in
individual cases, seems gradually dying out. The
masses prefer following the bent of their own incli
nations rather than laying down their lives in
memory of the Prophet. The raising of the Green
Flaw at Umbeyla only caused the tribes in the im
mediate neighbourhood of Swat to rally round the
Akhoond's standard, so that we anticipate no very
great results from the endeavours of Shere Ali to
introduce the religious element into the present
purely political struggle.
We place no trust in the rumours of an immediate
advance into Afghanistan, for the simple reason
that the columns now on the frontier are by
no means strong enough for the task before
them. It will take some short time yet before j
all is ready for a forward movement. For
the present we must expect a succession of
startling telegrams from the Capua of India, which
in all time of trouble or excitement becomes
a very hotbed of canards. Sir Frederick Haines is
not the stamp of General to risk his reputation by
any rash undertaking, and Sir Samuel Browne, the |
military member ot the Viceroy's Council, is a
frontier soldier of too-wide experience in hill ,
warfare to sanction any step that might lead to |
even the slightest temporary check. Possibly next j
month we may hear of an advance, but that Cabul
will be the point aimed at we very much doubt.
The next news of any importance to be expected
is the announcement of the return of Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India.
Gholam Hassan Khan with the Ameer's answer to
Lord Lytton's letters. On the tenour of these de
pends very much the course to be followed by the
Indian Government. We have no reason to anti
cipate that they will be of a pacific nature ; at the
same time, we doubt if Shere Ali wishes to pre
cipitate matters. On the contrary, it is probable
he will endeavour to temporize and gain time in
order to ascertain what aid he may expect else
where in his war against the English, and in order to
postpone what he knows must eventually be crushing
defeat.