February 19, 2002

Sir Charles James Napier (1782-1853) often referred to as the conqueror of Sindh (Scinde) defeated the Balochi army on February 17, 1843 at Miani, occupied Mirpur and Umerkot, and conveyed the news of his victory to Lord Ellenborough, the then Governor-General in the punning message in Latin ‘Peccavi’ i.e. “I have Sindh (sinned).” Napier’s sense of the intolerable wrong that had been perpetrated goaded him into a confession. The Sindh guilt had stained his reputation and the qualms of conscience disturbed him. This message was immortalized by its publication in weekly Punch.

The British were a fast expanding power in the nineteenth century in the subcontinent and the conquest of the Punjab was conditioned by the control of the Indus navigation. Lords Auckland and Ellenborough secured access into the Indus valley through unscrupulous proceedings against the Mirs of Sindh. Ellenborough appointed Sir Charles Napier the sole military and political authority when he arrived in Sindh on September 9, 1842 to advance his sinister designs. The whole Sindh incident is one of the least creditable episodes in the British history.

The policy of Lord Ellenborough and the high-handed acts of Sir Charles Napier with regard to Sindh have been justly condemned by most writers. At least 12 biographies of Sir Charles have been written, starting with John Jacob’s Notes (1854) down to Lambrick’s Sir Charles Napier and Sind (1952).

Napier admitted in his diary, “We have no right to seize Scinde, yet we shall do so, and a very advantageous and human piece of rascality it will be.” Napier remained four years to govern the country in rude but vigorous fashion. He worked enthusiastically and in one of his typical outbursts uttered, “Were I Emperor of India for twelve years, she should be traversed by railways and have her rivers bridged....” He was a hot-headed and impulsive officer. He was both loved and detested. On his statue in St Paul’s cathedral are the words: “A prescient general, a beneficent governor, a just man.”

The book under review is a public vindication by the author of his own brother’s conduct, disparaging the Mirs and the political authorities whom Sir Charles had replaced. Outram had immediately repelled in his Commentary these aspersion cast on himself and the Mirs. However, the book in question has the crusading purpose to defend Sir Charles in his acts towards “the complete subjugation of Scinde, a great kingdom teeming with natural riches” within a short period of six months.

Furthermore, writes the author, “He thus gave to the Anglo-Indian Empire, a shorter and safer frontier on the West, with command of the Indus, opening a direct commercial way to central Asia, and spreading through the vast country a wholesome terror of British arms.”

The book was published in 1857 originally in two parts, but was combined for ease of access and marketing.

Part I deals with the land and its people. It provides the social and political background prompting the British to take action. The situation as it obtained needed a “saviour”. The ground realities threatening India can best be summed up in the words of the author himself. “There were two modes by which Russia could attempt an invasion of India. Directly with regular army, or by influencing Persia and other nations of central Asia to pour their wild hordes upon Hindostan.” The ground was thus prepared for annexing Sindh.

The real motive was to extract money from the Amirs to raise the Army under the pretext of protecting the people against the impending invasion by the Afghans. The affairs of Sindh came to such a head as to give substance to numerous treaties between the Amirs and the British, which were mutually validated and invalidated to suit the convenience of either party. It was often difficult to point out who proved faithless.

At this juncture Sindh was divided under three distinct sets of rulers — the Amirs of Khairpur or Upper Sindh, the Amirs of Hyderabad or Lower Sindh and the Amir of Mirpur. Sir Charles Napier thus became arbitrator of peace and war of succession among the Amirs, which was controversial. The justice or injustice of treaties could not affect Sir Charles proceedings as he had to deal with complicated political matters and was called upon to uphold the interests of England at a moment of great difficulty.

Part II was first published in 1845 and dealt with military operation, “to purge the public mind of credulity in the spurious humanity, the puerile political philosophy put forward by those men with all the peevishness of faction”.

Napier and his military men were unfavourably criticized by their civilian brethren, particularly his subordinate, Major Outram, who with his preposterous vanity continually asserted that he could easily procure the submission of the Amirs without a shot being fired.

The book has 12 appendices containing mostly copies of correspondence between the Amirs and Sir Charles and other British officials. These have been appended as documentary evidence in support of Sir Charles’ action.

The book sadly lacks an index, which is not only “the track of the alphabet” but a handy clue to the embedded nuggets of useful information contained in a historical book of this nature. The first series of “Oxford in Asia historical reprint from Pakistan” did carry indexes. Moreover, spellings of names in the current usage should have been given to facilitate a present day reader.

While reading the book at this point of time almost a century and half later one is struck by the similarity of the political situation in the region between then and now. Nothing has changed on the ground except the spellings. The interest of the West in the energy-rich Central Asia endures unabated. This time distant America is in the field vying for the mineral wealth of the region. Afghanistan holds sway and remains the centre of gravity. Previously Russia and Britain were locked in a battle for supremacy. America is the new entrant.

The history of General Sir Charles Napier’s conquest of Scinde
By Sir William Napier with an Introduction by Hamida Khuhro
Oxford University Press, 5 Bangalore Town, Sharae Faisal, Karachi-75350. Tel: 021-4529025
Email: ouppak@theoffice.net
ISBN 0-19-579704-3
361pp. Rs695

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