Waziristan 1936-1937: The Problems of the North-West Frontiers of India and Their Solutions Book

WAZIRISTAN 1936-1937 The Problems of the North West Frontiers of India and their Solutions LIEUT.-COLONEL C. E. BRUCE C. S. I., C. I. E., C. B. E., O. B. E. ALDERSHOT GALE POLDEN, LTD., WELLINGTON WORKS AND AT LONDON AND PORTSMOUTH Price 3s, 6d. Per Post 35. lod. FOREWORD BY FIELD-MARSHAL SIR CLAUD JACOB, G. C. B., G. C. S. I., K. C. M. G. AND SIR MICHAEL ODWYER, G. C. I. E., K. C. S. I. MANY people are asking why there are periodical outbursts of lawlessness in Waziristan and why the country has not settled down. This book will give the answer. , The author, Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. Bruce, C. S. I., C. I. E., C. B. E., has spent many years on the North-West Frontier and in Baluchistan. His father before him had the advantage of serving many years with Sir Robert Sandeman both in Balu chistan and in the Derajat. We, whose signatures are appended, also spent many years in Baluchistan, on the North-West Frontier and in the Punjab. We know with what success Sir Robert Sandeman made Baluchistan into a well-ordered and prosperous province. We also know that he never had a failure. It was he who opened up the Gumal Pass, although the politicals in the Punjab had been sitting before those mountain ranges in Waziristan for years and did nothing but indulge in countless expeditions, which were really burn and scuttle affairs which subdued the tribe or tribes concerned for a time, but were unable to prevent a return to lawlessness as before. For over seventy years did this policy persist, until after the Great War, when it was evident that we must occupy Waziristan up to the Durand Line. First of all, roads were made to enable our troops to move in any direction they pleased. Then trade was encour aged and the country opened up. That policy was pursued with success till 1931 but since then we have lost faith in ourselves and the tribes have lost faith in us. Most important of all, the country needs a firm, consistent policy and Political Officers of the right stamp to carry it out. Our failure in recent years is probably due to the absence of both. As Lawrence wrote in the 1857 Mutiny, When have we ever failed when we acted vigorously when have we succeeded when guided by timorous counsels Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce explains all this in his book, ancf we strongly recommend the study of it to all those who want to see a Frontier under proper control. VI FOREWORD Are there no Political Officers of Sir RobeVt Sandemans type left in India It will be a sad day for us if we fail to produce good men as we did in the past. A good deal more could be written on this subject, but we think Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce has fully interpreted the views of those of us who have the welfare of the Frontier tribes at heart, and who are much concerned at the wavering policy on the North-West Frontier during recent years. Having two borders the Durand Line and the Administra tive Border on the North-West Frontier is the primary cause of all this unrest, and the sooner we occupy and administer all the tribal territory right up to the Durand Line the better will be our relations with the people who live in what might well be classified as No Mans Land. As Lieutenant-Colonel Bruces father wrote many years ago There is only one true remedy and that is to do away with all feeble makeshifts such as Protected Areas and by the exercise of a just and civilizing control secure safety of life and property and the development of the country and its resources. Thus only can we hope to secure the respect of the tribes on both sides of the border and bring them definitely in on our side, a source of strength instead of an ever-present danger. A French observer recently wrote The question is not whether England has the right to keep India, but whether she has the right to leave it. If we are to keep it we must have a secure and contented North-West Frontier. CLAUD W. JACOB, Field-Marshal, M. F. ODWYER, I. C. S.,, Late Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab...Read More