Interference of British in the war of succession in Afghanistan.
Persons:
Dost Muhammad (ruler of Afghanistan) vs Lord Auckland (Governor General of India) + Shah Shuja (Afghanistan) + Ranjith Singh (Punjab ruler)
Tripartite Treaty
signed between British, Shuja and Ranjith Singh.
All are agreed to help each other in need of emergency.
British and Ranjith Singh agreed to help Shah Shuja to capture the throne.
Shuja agreed to stop all the ties with Russia and Iran.
British captured most of the Afghanistan and ruler Dost Muhammed surrendered in August 1839 and deported to Calcutta.
Shah Shuja became the ruler but people of Afghanistan considered him as a traitor and the rebels under Suja-ud- Daulah killed Shah Shuja in 1842.
During this rebellion thousands of British soldiers including officers brutally killed as a result British agreed to sign Peace Treaty.
Lord Auckland recalled to England and new Governor General Lord Ellenborough signed the treaty. As a result Dost Muhammad restored as the ruler.
Second Anglo Afghan War 1878 – 1880:
Reason:
Assumed threat of Russian invasion on India when Russia sent a mission to Afghanistan.
British government instructed Lord Lytton the Viceroy of India to follow Forward Policy so he declared war.
British soon captured area between Kabul and Kandahar.
Sher Ali the son of Dost Muhammad, the ruler of Afghanistan fled and died in 1879.
His son Yakhub Khan became the ruler and concluded the war with Treaty of Gandamak.
According to the treaty British sent a resident to Kabul but he and many officers were killed by rebellions.
Again war waged and British captured Kabul and Yakhub Khan surrendered and sent to Dehradun as a prisioner.
Abdur Rahaman the grandson of Dost Muhammad became the ruler.
Though English captured most of the region but it was difficult to hold it.
Lytton policy on Afghanistan was severely criticized by New Government in England and forced him to resign in 1880.
Third Anglo Afghan War 1919:
Reason:
In 1917 the Afghanistan demanded full independence from British.
Habibullah the son of Abdur Rahman became the ruler and he was assassinated. As a result war of succession occurred between His brother Nasrullah and Habibullah’s son
To secure his position Amanullah captured Bagh region of India so British declared war in 1919.
The war came to an end with Treaty of Rawalpindi on 8 August, 1919.
Afghan got their complete independence and British accepted the Durand Line as the boundary between India and Afghanistan.
