INDIA.

Northern Advocate, 21 July 1923, Page 2

INDIA.

NO TROUBLE WITH THE AMjIR. S

■"Much interest has boon .aweken<sl in political circles by the article on Icon-j ditions in the Nprth-West Frontier of J India, published in the London ."Daily 1 Mail" recently, and a considerable amount of discussion is taking place regarding the possible change in the attitude, of the frontier tribes towards white women. . Particularly is this so on account of the return to England of Miss Mollic Ellis, whose mother was recently murdered and who was herself abducted by Ajab Khat at Kohat.

The "Daily Mail's" correspondent suggests that there lay behind this outrage indications that the Amir of Afghanistan had been inciting the frontier tribes to aggressive actions against the' British, particularly in of his claims to be now regarded^as the leading ruler in the Mahommedan world.

This view is not now shared in official circles in London. It is pointed out that the fact of the Amir being in residence at Jellalabad, less than 300 miles from tlje Khyber Pass, is not specially significant, since that has for long been his recognised' Printer residence. '

Nor is it unusual for him to visit the frontier tribes. The only features which distinguished the visit this year from those on previous occasions were the greater, number of tribes with whom he held meetings and the fact that he made a short tour«of the frontier.

The particular crime against the •Ellis family is stated to be capable of an explanation which shows that the motive behind it was of a purely personal nature. A short time earlier a successful frontier raid had been chrried out by British troops in which a large amount of arms and ammunition had been captured in .the village in which lived A jab Khan. In this raid his own houso was raided and the quarters of his womenfolk searched, with conspicuous success. Ajab Khan, as a result, became the object of the derision of hi? own womenfolk, and Iwore to commit a crime against .the white women as a revenge. That ho and his band have fled into Afghanistan is not regarded as .indicative of that country being looked upon by the offenders as a sanctuary. They have gone into a country in which, by reason of its wild character, it may take a long time to capture them, but tho Amir has promised to cooperate in every way. It is not officially regarded as probable that any Bolshevist propaganda makes it way to the tribes through the Amir, but it is, however, true that a large amount of Bolshevist propaganda makes its effect felt among the tribes through its direct* action agents who work in a devious manner among the themselves. '

The probable effect of the bombing of native villages and consequent inadvertent killing of native women is one about which there is a considerable controversy, but it seems unlikely the Ellis outrages can have been a direct reprisal of these raids.