The Chitral campaign : a narrative of events in Chitral, Swat, and Bajour . al. The presence of Umra Khan has dis-turbed the calculations on which the existingarrangements were based. I can best describe theeffect of the invasion in Dr. Robertsons ownwords. Writing from Mastuj on .January 28th,he said :— Umra Khan invested Kila Drosh onthe 26th and has effected a complete change inthe situation. All Chitralis are united to resistUmra Khan. In the same letter he said : Gurdoncannot withdraw from Chitral without our help,and if he made any sign of retiring we should bemobbed and overwhelmed by c
The Chitral campaign : a narrative of events in Chitral, Swat, and Bajour . al. The presence of Umra Khan has dis-turbed the calculations on which the existingarrangements were based. I can best describe theeffect of the invasion in Dr. Robertsons ownwords. Writing from Mastuj on .January 28th,he said :— Umra Khan invested Kila Drosh onthe 26th and has effected a complete change inthe situation. All Chitralis are united to resistUmra Khan. In the same letter he said : Gurdoncannot withdraw from Chitral without our help,and if he made any sign of retiring we should bemobbed and overwhelmed by crowds of is in a state of panic. We cannot get toChitral before the 31st. Umra Khan is creditedwith a desire to arrest Gurdon by some j^eople. LORD ELGINS SPEECH 29 When we get to Chitral the situation is notmuch better, except that Gurdon will be safe ifUmra Khan advances rapidly with the most over-whelming force : even then we can hardly retire withprudence, the road is so terribly bad. Supplies, ifthey can be purchased, cannot be brought in at pre-. sent, as all men are away fighting. My present idea,subject to subsequent alteration or modification, is totry and get to Chitral and hold the fort there to thebitter end if necessary. If Umra Khan fails at KilaDrosh, or makes no further advance, it is only thesupply question which should then trouble us. The fall of Kila Drosh still further accentuated 30 THE CHITRAL CAMPAIGN the difficulty. Up till then Dr. Robertson had,after reaching Chitral, maintained most scrupulouslythe attitude of non-interference prescribed by hisinstructions in spite of repeated requests from theChitralis. But when Umra Khan had thus com-mitted himself to an act of open hostility, theGovernment of India felt that, however unwillingthey might be to recognise Amir-ul-Mulk asMehtar, he was there de facto, and they were boundto authorise Dr. Robertson to give the Chitralissuch material and moral support as was necessaryto repel the inva
Size: 1880px × 1329px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidchitralcampa, bookyear1895
