AFGHANISTAN CHANGES

Evening Star, Issue 22454, 26 September 1936, Page 22

AFGHANISTAN CHANGES

MODERNISING A FEUDAL PEOPLE Afghanistan affords an interesting contrast between the extremes of feudalism and democracy, as represented by townsfolk and tribesmen (writes Rosita Forbes, in the ‘ Daily Telegraph’)• , . , The Government is an autocracy vested in the hands of one family. It is beneficent so far as the country is concerned, but ruthless with regard to its political opponents. And there is a gap of 1,000 years between the point of view of the officials, many of them young intellectuals educated abroad, responsible for the modernisation of the cities and the tent-dwelling nomads. The present' king succeeded to a stable throne after the murder of his father, Nadir Khan—a great man who, without money or soldiers, reconquered the country after Amanulla’s flight and in spite of hostility, suspicion, and intrigue succeeded, during the five years of his reign, in laying the foundations of modern Afghanistan. The son, Zafir Khan, is 21, a shy and pleasant youth with good manners, who speaks .French, is keen on tennis, and an excellent shot. He is learning the art of monarchy under the tuition of his uncle, Hashim Khan, on whom he relies for the government of a country sharply divided by its distrust of Russia and England. THE PRIME MINISTER. The Prime Minister is 51 and an ardent patriot. For years he has overworked in order to secure a peaceful and prosperous country. Since the unity of Afghanistan depends on his life, he is obliged to guard it with extravagant precautions. _ He rarely leaves his house except in broad daylight with a formidable guard, but he contrives to keep in touch with foreign opinion, and in addition to being an' astute (politician with a sympathetic understanding of the diverse and often dissident needs of his countrymen, he is honest, intelligent, and endowed with a remarkable strength of will. Hashim Khan has proved himself a reliable ally, but ho is in a difficult position. For Afghanistan is so obviously a between the Communism of Central Asia and the defensive Imperialism of British India, that the situation at times becomes ludicrous. Thus, if a Russian diplomat seeks a change of air towards the South, Delhi immediately fears political invasion, while if an English official ventures to shoot or fish within _ reach of the new strategic road leading north to the Oxus, the Soviet protests. It is therefore the most onerous duty of the Government to hold the balance between Russian ambitions, seeking fulfilment as much by trade as by propaganda and the fears of harassed British statesmen who see the tribes between the administrative border of India and the real frontier at the mercy of Bolshevist agitators. Administratively Afghanistan is a young men’s preserve. The older men

lost their lives in succeeding revolutions, or, more fortunate, retired to finish them in discreet oblivion. Their, successors, including a Foreign Minister in tne. middle thirties and a Governor of the great commercial centra of Kandahar even younger, are doing well. Fair. weather roads now connect tna main towns with the provinces and with the frontiers which lie across a series of mountain passes. There are weekly, or bi-weekly lorry services for mails,! On these passengers pay a few shillings for a two days’ journey in complete safety and comparative comfort, PUBLIC HEALTH. On the other hand, every effort is being made to improve public health, and since fanatics opposed the study o| anatomy in Kabul, a dozen medical students have been sent to Calcutta-. In such ways the Government attempts to combine progress with conciliation. Against it are the reactionary! elements controlled by _ the Mullahs-, with whom it is impossible to reason, aT few youthful republicans influenced by, .their Turkish training and those who resent the monopolies which have done so much to; increase the revenue but have, in Russian fashion, put an end to private trade. In the south Amanullah still has a! following, and, in addition, the nomads* especially the Ghilzais,- would be sufficiently powerful ; td overthrow. any Government if they chose to unite. Bufc they acknowledge no paramount chief,and for six months of the year they are scattered all over Southern Asia. Moreover, among the new schools and the new hospitals, there is a cadet college intended for the sons of tribal headmen, from whom it is hoped to recruit permanent officers. This should contribute to the formation of a middle class between the Westernised Ministers and officials and a populace still inspired by the time-honoured maxim of Islam—* All change is sin.” . Against the Government—at times—* is the very natural suspicion of foreign goodwill engendered by the fruitless wars of 100 years and the isolated position of the country out of touch with the sea. But for it—and overwhelmingly so—is the record of the. last Six years, a record of internal security, external peace, and a growing financial prosperity; a revenue trebled by wise administration and expended, not on ornate public buildings, as in the days of Amanullah, but on agriculture and social services.'