Defending the Kyber.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 July 1922, Page 4

Defending the Kyber.

8 REGULAR BATTALIONS WASTED.

PESHAWAR. X.W.. India April

Russia has disr.po a red as a military

menace to India Russia’s weapons now are propaganda in India and the supply of arms to frontier tribes, and in so

far as we inerer.se communications through Afghanistan we facilitate her task.

There remains un the North West Frontier only Afghanistan, ami the brief campaign of 1919 was sufficient, to demonstrate that the Afghan army i? no bettor now than it. was atiy time in the last -10 years, when it. never occurred to any of our soldiers that it. could menace India. Now that wo have signed a treaty and •exchanged envoys with Afghanistan, I can see no reason for building a railway undisguisedly military, right to the door of this deeply suspicious lieigk- . Ihiiii*. It is much more likely to make than to avert trouble. For there can he no suggestion that the railway will serve any commercial purpose. The work will probably cost nearly C 3.000.000 before it is finished. But far more than £3.000.000 is involved. The real point is that we are immensely increasing our assets in the Khvber Pass, and therefore committing ourselves to regular occupation. We put in Regulars and then we build a railway to supply them. When we wish to withdraw the Regulars, we find that they are declared necessary, for the safety of tho railway. The fine fervour with which Simla declared for permanent occupation by Regulars in 1919 has already grown cold. The 'Regulars are heartily sick of the work. Over a year ago the Army found itself unable to continue longer the disagreeable tasks of shepherding caravans and policing the Tvhyber. What was to he done? At this point some genius stepped in with the-word ‘‘Khnssadnr.” which Britons who speak Hindustani better-than Pushtu are apt

to pronounce Kussadar,

The “Kussadar” is an extremely irregular iiregula.u He has no lii-itish officers nn:l no ui.ifn: except a distin-

guishing k.'ii ;of j reg see T c main point, hov.'ov.r. w ieli distinguishes

him from the old '.Militia is tliat lie finds his own rifle; nil extremely easy thing to do, as tin* fiontior is full of arms. You see ihe beauty of the system? So long as the “Kussadars” under their own headmen re me the immunity of earnvnns and fulfil their other poliec duties they draw their pay and no questions are asked. If they desert in the day of trouble they lose their pay, but tire (!■ ve.rnment loses no rifles nor doe? it risk mutiny and the loss ot British or Indian officers. Thus la- the irregular been re-es-tablished. But Simla is still weighted with the legacy left to it by the 1919 flencrnl Staff and its pronouncement as regards the necessity of Ttegul'ir troops. There can be no justification lor keeping at vast expense in transport the eight battalions who at. presoil lead a deplorable existence in the pass.