SWAT: The strategic importance of Afghanistan as a buffer state between Britain and its potential enemies led the British Raj to focus on India’s Northwest Frontier, according to an expert.

Addressing a seminar here on Tuesday, Prof Salman Bangash said that ensuring peace and stability along the Afghan border was a strategic imperative during the British Raj.

The seminar titled “The British Raj and Azad Qabaail: Myth or Reality” was arranged by the history department of Government Postgraduate Jahanzeb College. A large number of students and teachers attended the seminar.

Prof Salman, the chairman of department of history at University of Peshawar, shed light on whether the tribal areas of India were truly autonomous or if the British intentionally imposed a unique form of administration on them.

He said that India held a position of unparalleled significance within the British Empire, being a symbol of wealth, prosperity and strategic advantage.

“India’s prominence wasn’t merely due to its vast resources but also its role in establishing diplomatic and commercial ties with other nations in Africa and Asia. To safeguard their interests, the British adopted the ‘Ring Fence Strategy’ to ensure that no European imperialist adversaries would interfere with their empire in India,” he said.

Prof Salman said that strategic importance of Afghanistan as a buffer state between Britain and its potential enemies led the British to focus on India’s Northwest Frontier, elevating the region’s significance.

He said that British extensively studied the region’s history, topography, anthropology, customs, and Pashtun code of conduct through colonial literature.

“This knowledge enabled the development of policies and strategies to manage and control the Pashtun belt and its neighbouring areas,” he added.

Prof Salman said that British believed that maintaining peace and stability along the Afghan border was strategically imperative. The tribal belt served as a second line of defence for India, he added.

To exert greater control over the tribal regions, the British government took two pivotal steps.

First, in 1893, the Durand Line Agreement was signed, marking the delineation of a scientific border between British India and Afghanistan.

Second, in 1901, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) was established to ensure more efficient administration and control of the vital territory.

“The British cleverly projected themselves as non-interfering in the daily lives of tribal communities while aiming for a cost-effective administrative system that secured complete control over the region,” said Prof Salman.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2023