British Iindia’s 19th Century Tribal Policy Towards The North-Western Frontier Regions

Abstract

The 19^th Century Indo-Afghan frontier regions, which were mainly inhabited by the independent Pakhtoon tribes, gained a significant geostrategic importance during the wake of the Anglo-Russian power struggle in the region that is generally called as the Great Game. In order to extend and establish its strategic influence in Afghanistan and beyond, it became equally important for the British Indian Administration to deal with these independent tribes; to effectively neutralize political adversaries’ influence and win over the support of the independent tribes deeply influenced by their traditional tribal way of life driven by a strong spirit of love for freedom. Working in such difficult environment, especially negotiating and bargaining with independent war liking tribes as well as maintaining an order was a complex and challenging[1] job for the British Indian administration. To this end, different policy approaches were adopted that were mainly based on the principles of governance from the inside through arrangements lie collective responsibility, collective incentive and collective punishment. This system was generally called as the Tribal Political Administration and the set of laws introduced time to time were named as the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

            This article, written through the academic lens of realism, highlights how winning the support of the independent tribes living along the Durand Line and establishing a strong and effective hold of the British Indian government became need of the hour during the wake of Great Game? What policy approaches were adopted by the British Indian Government and how far it has been effective?