JUSTICE MARKANDEY KATJU
I have written this article in view of recent eventsinAfghanistan, and my high regard for theAfghan people, who have suffered so much. King Amanullah (1892-1960) of Afghanistan is one of my heroes. Although he failed in his effort to modernizeAfghanistan (where Kemal Mustafa of Turkey had succeeded), due to the machinations of the British imperialists hand in glove with the reactionary clerics and feudals, nevertheless he deserves to be applauded for his effort. If he had succeeded Afghanistan would today have been a modern welfare state, with its people enjoying a high standard of living, and would have been spared all its suffering in recent times. AmanullahwasKing ofAfghanistan from 1919 to 1929. Before him, Afghanistan had hardly any freedom, being caught up in the rivalry between England and Czrist Russia, both of whom wantedto excercize hegemony over the country. On assuming the throne he declared in a grand durbar: “ I proclaim myself and my country completely free, independent and sovereignin all domestic and foreign issues. My country will thus become an independent state,just as other countries ofthe world “.He then sent this message to the great Russian leader Lenin : “ Although Afghanistan by its spirit and nature, has always been a supporter of freedom and equality, however, due to certain reasons, it was deprived of the opportunity to maintain relationswith other states and peoples. I am therefore happy to send you on behalf of the Afghan people, who are striving for progress, this friendly message from independent and free Afghanistan “The Soviet Union then signed a treaty of friendship with Amanullah, inter alia providing that neither state would allowitsterritoryto be used against the other. This scared the British authorities, who were allergic to the idea of a free, antiimperialistAfghanistan. Amanullah then introduced, like Kemal Mustafa Ataturk, modern, progressive and democratic schemes in Afghanistan, to pull it out of its centuries of backwardness and poverty. He opened up new schools and technical institutes, both for boys and girls, and planned to develop the economy, women’s emancipation, and to limit the power and influence of the reactionary clergy. He planned to send youngAfghans to Europe for technical education, banning of polygamy, etc Towards the end of 1923 the first Afghan Constitutionwas framed and promulgated.This Constitution proclaimedtheindependence and sovereignty of Afghanistan. The people were granted fundamental freedoms, equality before the law, personal freedom, etc and abolished religious inequality and feudal duties. The organs of the state were modernized. Land reforms were introduced and the clergy restrained.Amanullah went on a tour of Europe, like Peter the Great who modernized Russia, to study conditions there personally All these measures met with fierce resistance from the feudals, who felt that their vested interests and influence over the masses would be mortally affected, and this resistance was backed by the British imperialists who paid a huge amount of money to the Mullahs and feudal chieftains for this. The British also supplied British rifles to the Afghan rebels, and organized a military coup which deposed Amanullah in 1929. How different Afghanistan would have been today had Amanullah succeeded —The New Delhi-based writer is former Judge, Indian Supreme Court.
