Gun-Running and the Indian North – West Frontier

A mere glance at the map is not adequate to understand the tribal dispositions, the natural divisions, the artificial frontiers, and the character of the country of which the North-West frontier was made up. It needs an indepth investigation by exploring the region both politically and geographically. The North-West Frontier Province of British India was formed in 1901, out of the trans-Indus districts of the Punjab. However, unprecedented events that took place as a direct result of the suppression of the arms traffic in the Persian Gulf, led to the crisis on the frontier in the autumn of 1910. People began to realise that if the arming of the Pathan belt continued, a frontier rising in the future would be an affair of infinitely more gravity than ever before. But inspite of this, the operations of the blockading squadron in the Persian Gulf were not sufficiently recognised as an integral part of British frontier policy. With this in mind, the author ventured on emphasizing the connection between the operations of the blockading squadron and the preservation of peace on the Pathan border. This book presents not only author’s observation of the effect of the gun-running on the Pathan tribes of the North-West Frontier, but also gives an overall account of his cruise in the Persian Gulf. Description of Peshawar and the Khaibar Pass from the travel point of view as well as socio-economic condition of the whole area have been dealt with as well. A full chapter is devoted to the operations against Zakka Khel and Mohmand clans. An account of the expedition to the Mekran field force constitutes special interest in the sense that this corner of the Persian dominions had been rarely visited by Europeans for the simple reason that "a man armed" was not so likely to be admitted into the family circle of those against whom he was marching. Besides, Afghan Amir’s policy towards Russia and the Great Britain has also been discussed. The book also traces the rise of the arms traffic in the Persian Gulf, beside containing a detailed account of the Autumn crisis of 1910 on the North-West Frontier.