The Role of the British Political Officer on the North West Frontier

[davidbfpo]

It took a long time to get to read all of Christian Tripodi's book, Edge of Empire: the British Political Officer and Tribal Administration on the North-West Frontier 1877-1947' and it was brilliant.

The writing style is easy, fluid even; there are references a plenty - so many it deserves a second read to note them. His views are balanced and every factor is taken into consideration - finance in particular, not just the political agent -v- military aspects.

Earlier in this thread Sandeman's work in Baluchistan, which steadily became an imperial province with little conflict, as he followed a policy of 'heats & minds'. Yes, that is where the phrase originated.

There are a couple of contemporary references, rightly the author does not comment on whether the political agent was a "fix" over the Durand Line.

[davidbfpo]

There are a number of reviews of Tripodi's book available via a Google search. This is a critical one:https://www.academia.edu/1144465/Rev...tier_1877-1947

In looking at these I found an Australian officer's research paper, written when studying at Pakistan's NDU 'An Historical Analysis of the ‘Incessant Disputes in the Tribal Areas’ (of the North-West Frontier) against the British (and the British Indian Army) from 1893 to 1939. Which I might get to read another day:http://www.defence.gov.au/adc/public...go%20paper.pdf

[davidbfpo]

In 2009 Christian Tripodi contributed a paper to a RUSI meeting, it is a commentary on whether the past could guide the present; the actual title is 'British Policy on the North West Frontier 1977-1947: a suitable precedent for the modern day?'.

A taster:

The fundamental point, however, was not necessarily that British methods were possessed of inherent weaknesses. Any system of administration in an environment as testing as the North-West Frontier was and is bound to have its weaknesses exposed, as the contemporary Pakistani experience has illustrated. Rather, the point to be made is that those weaknesses had little effect in real terms because the British were afforded the luxury of being able, over time, to marginalise the tribal areas within their own strategic considerations. They could afford to persevere with a 'hands off' system of control and administration that was fully acknowledged to be faulty and lacking in imagination but which sufficed in the face of institutional conservatism; a state of affairs that one would presumably wish to avoid today.

Link:http://www.rusi.org/analysis/comment...4AB377DACA5CF/

[davidbfpo]

Thread re-opened after a day in the archives in London, my research came across a book on North Waziristan 1946-1947, which has first-hand reporting on Political Agents as they were called and a sad tale follows in a moment.

The book is 'Frontier Legion: With the Khassadars of North Waziristan' by Frank Leeson, a very young Ghurkha officer, which was published in 2003. He describes the area:

When one speaks of them as hills, rolling downs on which tanks and cavalry can operate are not meant, but the worst mountain-warfare country imaginable – steep precipices, narrow winding valleys every vantage point commanded by another, and innumerable refuges and routes of escape.

Link to book, alas without reviews:https://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Legi.../dp/1904726070

For background see this 2008 BBC News item on him: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7713000/7713192.stm

On June 21st 1946 John "Jos" Donald, the Political Agent for twelve consecutive years, was ambushed by Mahsud tribesmen and held for ten days until a ransom was paid. The Mahsuds refused to return the ransom and the political-military authorities examined their options - they agreed to use aerial bombing (to destroy buildings). "Jos" returned from recuperation leave, engaged in several meetings (Jirga) with the Mahsuds and wrote to the Provincial Governor that he was incapable of carrying out his duty. Soon after he took his own life. (From pg.234).

By mistake the bombing caused a few deaths and led to a political furore across India - at one stage Gandi, from the Congress Party, visited the area and other parts of North West Frontier Province - with a hostile verbal reception from the Pathan tribes at meetings.