"مجموعة من المعاهدات والالتزامات والسندات المتعلقة بالهند والدول المجاورة" [‎٢‎٠‎٤] (٥٧٨/٢٢١)

204
AFGHANISTAN.
slain. The death of Fateh Khan roused the vengeance of the Barakzai
clan. Dost Muhammad Khan, one of the youngest of the twenty
brothers of Fateh Khan, was foremost in avenging his murder. Shall
Mahmud was driven from all his. dominions except Herat, and the whole
of Afghanistan was parcelled out among the Barakzai brothers. In the
confusion consequent on this revolution Balkh was seized by the Chief
of Bokhara, the Derajat by Banjit Singh, and the outlying province of
Sind assumed independence. In the partition of Afghanistan, Ghazni
fell to the share of Dost Muhammad, but he soon established his supre
macy at Kabul also, and thus became the most powerful of the Barakzai
Sardars. His half-brother, Kohandil Khan, ruled conjointly with his
brothers in virtual independence at Kandahar, while other districts
had fallen to other sons of Paindah Khan Barakzai.
Shah Kamran, the son of Mahmud, managed to maintain a precarious
footing at Herat. He was the last remaining representative of the
Sadozai princes in Afghanistan. Kamran was cruel and dissipated, and
entirely ruled by his minister, Yar Muhammad Khan Alakozai.
Shah Shuja had still a strong party in Kabul, and never lost hope of
recovering his kingdom. With this view he concluded a treaty with
Banjit Singh m 1833, marched through Sind, where he defeated the
Amir, and advanced on Kandahar, which he temporarily occupied.
Heie, houevei, lie was signally defeated by Dost Muhammad, and again
fled to his asylum at Ludhiana. During the distractions which followed
on these events, Banjit Singh possessed himself of the valley of
Peshawar. Boused by the aggressions of the Sikhs, Dost Muhammad
resolved on declaring a religious war on them. He assumed the title of
Amir-ul-Mummin and called on all true followers of Muhammad to
jom m his expedition. With an immense army he advanced to the
es aval wdle^ , but Banjit Singh sowed treason in the camp and the
army melted away. Thus Peshawar was lost to the Amir.
It had long been the policy of the British Government to raise a
miner m Persia to the invasion of India by France or Bussia from
T j ’Y* 11 no nieans been spared to increase the influence of the
is i a e couit of lehran. By her conquests in the north, however,
resulting m the treaty* of Turkmanchai m 1828, Bussia was enabled
1 ^ a ^ f ’ ei1 anc y in 1 ersia, which she employed to encourage the
claims of the Shah to sovereignty over Herat and western Afghanistan.
In November 1837 Muhammad Shah, King of Persia, laid siege to
mat, m pursuance of Ins ambitious policy for the re-conquest of
vj a f 11 an ' ," as on occasion that Herat sustained the memo-
^r 11 " Sleg6, and a11 the efforts of the Shah to capture it,
aided by the advice and direction of Bu ssian officers, were defeated.
* See Part I, Persia—Appendix No. VIT.