Hostages on the Indo-Afghan Border in the Later Nineteenth Century

This article looks at some of the strategies employed by British administrators to control the highly independent Mahsuds, one of the principal tribes of Waziristan, during the later nineteenth century. It focuses in particular on an innovative scheme introduced in 1873 for keeping a number of hostages in British territory. The British hoped that, as well as giving them more influence over the tribe, this would persuade the tribe to adopt more peaceful ways. In 1878 it was replaced by a plan to settle some 200 Mahsud families in British territory. This was not a success, and the hostage arrangements were revived in a modified form in 1882 (this time an effort was made to use the hostages as a kind of tribal police), before being finally abandoned towards the end of the decade. The article shows how Macaulay's hostage schemes accustomed the British to the idea that each year money should be spent on the Mahsuds, so presaging the later distribution of allowances to the tribe as a whole. Keeping the hostages did help the administrators to manage the Mahsuds more effectively, but failed to persuade them to adopt the customs and values of Britain and British India. The hostage schemes were nevertheless good examples of the kind of ‘cultural agility’ advocated in recent years by counterinsurgency experts

Afghan · Political science · Principal (computer security · Tribe · History · Law · Military History and Strategy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

• A Damnable Blaze”

  Open Access•Jayne Gifford•The Journal of Imperial &…•2023

  Incluir item

• Coercion and Conciliation at the Edge of Empire

  Open Access•Mark Condos, Gavin Rand•The Historical Journal•2017

  Incluir item

• No 'Signs of Weakness

  Open Access•Elizabeth Kolsky•Modern Asian Studies•2021

  Incluir item

• Soldier Sahibs

  Tim Moreman, Charles Allen•The Journal of Military History•2001

  Incluir item

• The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan

  Ludwig W Adamec, Vartan Gregorian•Oriens•1974

  Incluir item

• A haunting figure

  Open Access•Irène Herrmann, Daniel Palmieri•International Review of the Red…•2005

  Incluir item

• Beyond Swat

  Julien Mercille•Central Asian Survey•2014

  Incluir item

• Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs to the Mid-Twentieth Century

  William Hale•International Affairs•1975

  Incluir item

• The conflict of tribe and state in Iran and Afghanistan

  Anthony Hyman, Anthony A Hyman•International Affairs•1985

  Incluir item

• Negotiations with the Tribes of Waziristan 1849-1914-The British Experience

  Hugh Beattie•The Journal of Imperial &…•2011

  Incluir item

• The Middle East

  Amal Rassam, Dale F Eickelman•The International Journal of…•1982

  Incluir item