DEPORTED DIPLOMAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 November 1929, Page 20 (Supplement)

DEPORTED DIPLOMAT.

STRANGE LONDON STORY.

AFGHAN'S MINISTER'S CONDUCT.

AMAZING SCENES AT LEGATION.

The unprecedented situation of a diplomat being deported from . Britain on "personal grounds" was revealed on October 8, when it became known that Sluija'-ud-Dowla Khan, the Afghan, Minister, had lett London at the request of Mr. Arthur Henderson, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yunus Khan, who is al'present in charge of the Legation, told a Daily Chronicle representative that £49,000 is missing, in addition to a quantity of lapis lazuli. Strange discoveries are alleged to' have been made concerning the state of affairs at the Legation, a palatial building overlooking Ilyde Park, Treasure, including a largo quantity of lapis lazuli, valued at thousands of pounds —said to bo the property of the deposed King Arnanullah—and many important documents, are missing from the Legation. Some of the articles have now been recovered by the authorities, and the rightful ownership is shortly to bo contested in the Courts.

The deported Minister was appointed to the Afghan Legation in London in April, 1925, and was regarded a3 one of the most enlightened and capable Afghan statesmen. He is a dark, and extremely handsome man, with piercing eyes, hair brushed well back from the forehead, a small moustache and bristling black eyebrows which givo him a somewhat ferocious appearance. When not engaged in diplomatic business he spent much time riding and shooting. Requested to Leave Country.

After the overthrow of King Amanullali, Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan automatically ceased to rank as Afghan Minister, but ho remained at tho Legation pending the appointment of a government by the rebel chief Habibuilah. Shortly after this, Yunus Khan, a young secretary to the former Minister, became dissatisfied with o*o manner in which the Legation was being conducted. following his complaints, Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan was informed by tho Foreign Office that ho was no longer persona grata-to Uis Majesty's Government, and shortly afterwards he was requested to leave the country. The Foreign Office has emphasised that this action has no political significance, and that it was taken for "purely personal reasons." Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan left for tho Continent, taking with him a quantity of baggage which was held up by the authorities at Harwich, where it still is. Following the departure of the former Minister, Yunus Khan, tho sole remaining secretary at tho Afghan Legation, who had previously acted for a considerable period as Charge d'Affaires during Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan's absence, took charge of Afghan interests in London. He'found an amazing state of affairs at the Legation.

Place Thick With .Dirt. Rooms were in confusion, furniture and valuables wore missing, beds appeared not to have been made for weeks, soiled clothing and bedding littered the floors, and the whole place was thick with dirt and dust. A number of doors had been locked and sealed with rod sealing-wax. These were broken open, and in the rooms were found furniture and valuables packed for transport and addressed to a Continental destination.

The secretary's first action was to discharge the whole of the former Minister's staff, numbering 14. Two chauffeurs and their families refused to leave. The police were called in and the men, with their wives and children, were evicted.

A new staff of servants was engaged, and the work of cleaning up the Legation, including the taking of an inventory of the property, including priceless gold plate and jewellery, is now in progress. In the meanwhile some of the missing property has been recovered.

Yunus Khan, the young secretary, who is now doing his best to straighten out the affairs of the Legation, is the son of a wealthy Afghan and is himself the owner of extensive property in Afghanistan. In addition to his diplomatic duties he is still completing his "education and daily receives lessons in several languages.

Sum of £40,000 Missing. In July last the Afghan Legation in Paris was the centre of a drug-smuggling sensation, when thousands of pounds' worth of cocaine and heroin were seized by the French customs in boxes and bags which were addressed to the Legation under diplomatic seals. Mr. Yunus Khan declared that £40,000 was missing from the Legation. •, "During the visit of King Amanullah to this country in March of last year," Mr. Yunus Khan said, "Sluija-ud-Dowla Khan did not go near the King, who finally dismissed him as Afghan Minister in London just before the revolution. Nevertheless, he still stayed on at {lie Legation. About nine months ago he went out to Afghanistan ostensibly to help King Amanullah. When he returned after the rebellion, the new Afghan Government refused to recognise him as their Minister. "The Legation and its furniture are the property of the Afghan nation, irrespective of what Government or king is in power. Half the furniture, I found, had been placed in the hands of a dealer, but I obtained a High Court injunction against the sale, and sought the advice of the British Foreign Office, who ordered Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan to leave the country within three days. Files o! Documents Missing.

"After he had left I found thai a quantity of the Legation property had been packed and addressed to Germany. I had it stopped at, Harwich. Several files of Legation documents are missing. I am now about to take legal action to recover the remainder of the property. As soon as Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan had gone I dismissed the whole of the staff of the Legation. including the former Minister's per. sonal attendant. Ex-King Amanullah lias since approved of the steps I have taken." The deported Minister was lately staving at the Afghan Legation in Berlin, which has repudiated the present Afghan Government at Kabul. Since his departure from England it \vas~learred that, in addition to the £40,000 missing from the Legation before he left, there are debts outstanding in London for over £IOOO.

If the former Minister returns to England, legal action will be taken against him at once. If he enters Afghanistan—which he is not likely to do—he "would be shot practically at sight," according to Yunus Khan.

A cablegram published on October 10 stated that Shuja-ud-Dowla Khan, in an interview at Berlin, complains of his expulsion from the Afghan Legation in London. He said he flew to Paris with baggage, including 11 cases belonging to the former King Amanulla. Four cases which contaiiuied lapis lazuli were despatched. via Harwich. . They were confiscated at that port by order of the British Government. Armed officials from Scotland Yard took possession of the Legation and shots were fired, while his servants were overpowered.