ABSTRACT
The Views of Lord Auckland.— The objects of the Army of the Indus, which were the expulsion of Dost Muhammad, together with his brothers who ruled at Kandahar, and the restoration of Shah Shuja to the throne, had been accomplished. Dost Muhammad and his two sons, Afzal and Akbar, had fied to Bukhara and had virtually been made prisoners by the U zbeg ruler. The tribes had submitted and, in M acnaghten’s opinion, although this was not the general view, had welcomed Shuja. It now apparently only remained to redeem Auck land’s promise that “ when once he (Shah Shuja) shall be secured in power, and the independence and integrity of Afghanistan established, the British army will be with drawn
There were many weighty objections to the continued occupation of Afghanistan by British troops. It was, however, the considered opinion of Auckland that were British troops entirely withdrawn, Shah Shuja would not be able to maintain himself, and that, to withdraw them and then to be followed down the Khaibar Pass by a refugee Amir, would constitute a disgrace which the
Government was not prepared to face. The GovernorGeneral accordingly laid down that a brigade of all arms should be sufficient to keep Shuja on the throne and that the rest o f the army should be withdrawn. It is to be noted that the war was already constituting a very serious drain on Indian finances.
